Golf Capsules: On The Fringe - Woods changing more than his swing as year ends
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — After his best finish of the year that looked close only on paper, Tiger Woods went from shaking his head to chuckling before he even heard the rest of the question.
After spending a full year out of contention, will he have to teach himself how to win again?
"No," Woods quickly replied, still laughing. "No, no, no."
There is no reason for him to be alarmed, although some of the numbers are startling. He went an entire season without winning for the first time in his 15 years as a pro. He was at least 10 shots behind the winner in six of the 12 tournaments he finished. Only once this year did he go into the weekend within three shots of the lead.
And the last time he really felt the heat on the back nine Sunday? Maybe the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, and that was lukewarm.
"Saturday at the U.S. Open was probably it," Woods said.
He is in the process of changing his swing for the fourth time under a third teacher, and Woods realizes it will take time. In some of his most candid remarks about going to Sean Foley for help, Woods said he was waffling about a change the week of the PGA Championship.
"Every night, I was trying to figure out, 'Should I actually do this or not?' Because I know what the undertaking is," he said. "I know how much effort it takes, how many swings you have to make in the mirror, how many things you have to think about. Do I really want to do that again?"
By all accounts, Woods is picking up on Foley's concepts much quicker than he did with Butch Harmon and Hank Haney. If history is any indication, he will return to win tournaments in the bunches, majors included.
But even in the midst of two big changes since turning pro, he still managed to give himself chances. He was still able to measure his progress on the back nine Sunday. In 1998, when he won only two tournaments, he also had five top 3s, including two playoff losses. In 2004, when his only wins were the Match Play Championship and his last event of the year in Japan, he had six top 3s and twice finished one shot out of the lead.
This time, however, it's more than a swing change.
His whole life has changed.
Woods has always said he doesn't enter a tournament unless he thinks he can win, a goal that has never changed. He also conceded in an interview last week that there were times this year when winning wasn't always at the forefront of his mind.
His marriage was crumbling. His image had been shattered. His mystique was being questioned.
Along with studying a pin sheet, he was poring over divorce documents. He wasn't just trying to map out a strategy on how to play a golf course, he was trying to figure out how to stay involved with his two children.
"This summer," he said, "was very difficult."
There have been flashes of great play, just not for long. He was tied for the first-round lead at The Barclays, then began his third round by hitting a 5-wood off the property. He played six flawless holes at Deutsche Bank Championship, but all that did was ensure he made the cut. At the Ryder Cup, he played his final seven holes in 7-under par. And at the Australian Masters, he played his last six holes in 6 under to finish fourth, only three shots behind Stuart Appleby.
Finishing high on the leaderboard only reminds him of how many shots he threw away during the week, mainly with his putting.
"I can do this in streaks," Woods said. "Unfortunately, I haven't done this for an entire round. One of things when you're making changes in the game is that it takes time. I'm pleased with some of the progress I've made. The streaks are now lasting longer. I still need to do it for an entire round. And obviously, I didn't do it for 72 holes."
He has one more tournament to give it a try, in an 18-man field at the Chevron World Challenge the first week of the December that features 13 of the top 20 in the world.
When he starts his 2011 season at Torrey Pines, perhaps then Woods will have settled into his life adjustments, too.
That's the wild card.
That's what is different about this swing change.
"I would never doubt anything that Tiger Woods could do because he's the best player I've ever seen play," Stewart Cink said at Disney. "So it's dangerous territory when you start saying, 'No, I don't think he'll ever be the same.' So I just can't say that."
Cink, like so many others, pointed to that singles match at Celtic Manor as an indication Woods is getting closer, that he can be the same dominant force he has been his entire career.
"But he's been through so much — mentally, off the course — that it does tend to sort of weigh into your performance," Cink said. "And the mental edge is such a big part of his dominance."
This year — on and off the course — raises more questions than ever about his future. Every great sportsman goes through slumps, no matter how dominant he has been. Woods is no different.
Doug Ferguson covers golf for The Associated Press.
Barron returns from doping ban at Q-school
HUMBLE (AP) — Doug Barron shot a 2-over 74 in the first round of the second stage of qualifying school Tuesday, his first round on the PGA Tour since his ban for violating the tour's anti-doping policy was lifted.
"It felt great out there, the juices were flowing this morning," Barron said. "The first couple of holes felt like the final round of a PGA Tour event. I felt totally in control of my body. Which is a good thing."
Barron was the first player suspended under the drug policy, missing part of 2009 and most of 2010. The one-year suspension was lifted in September, with Barron granted a therapeutic use exemption for low testosterone. His lawsuit against the PGA Tour has been settled.
The 41-year-old Barron had two birdies, two bogeys and a double-bogey six on the par-4 16th hole at the Redstone Members Course, former site of the Shell Houston Open.
He was eight shots behind the early leaders, with the top 20 or so golfers advancing to the Q-School finals in December.
Starting on the 10th hole on a sunny and cool opening round, Barron made three straight pars before bogeying the par-3 12th hole. He rebounded with a birdie on the par-4 13th.
A double bogey on the 16th hole dropped him to 2 over and he had a bogey on the par-4 third hole. He finished with a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-4 17th.
"My target score was 70 today, so I was four strokes over that, but I still feel like my game is in good shape," Barron said. "I really feel like I'm going to make it past second stage and get my playing card for 2011. Then I will be nervous on the first tee next year."
Former U.S. Amateur runner-up James Driscoll, who missed the cut in 13 of 26 events this year, held the early lead with a 6-under 66. He lost his PGA Tour card this year despite making $500,000 and finishing 153rd on the PGA Tour money list.
Australian Matthew Goggin was alone in second among early finishers at 69. Longtime Houston resident Craig Kanada was third with a 70.
Notes: Australian Masters eyes spot before Presidents Cup
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Tiger Woods returning to Australia for the third straight year is a fairly safe bet considering the Presidents Cup will be held in 2011 at Royal Melbourne.
The question is how many times he plays Down Under, and that depends largely on the schedule.
IMG runs the Australian Masters, which it has invigorated by strengthening the field and the sandbelt courses on which it is played. Organizers want the same date for next year, only they suddenly have competition.
With the Presidents Cup set for Nov. 17-20, whatever event is the week before might get several players from the U.S. and International teams.
"We would like this date. It’s critical to us," said Mark Steinberg, head of IMG’s global golf division. "We feel like we took on the risk by moving to this date a few years ago, going up against some big events, and we made it successful. We feel we deserve to keep the date, now that it’s a coveted date for next year."
One year ago, the Aussie Masters was held the same week as the Hong Kong tournament, and both were co-sanctioned by the European Tour. This year, it went up against the Singapore Open, a top European Tour event that featured three major champions this year.
The Australasia Tour is contemplating putting the Australian Open (played in Sydney) or the Australian PGA Championship (Coolum) a week before the Presidents Cup. If that’s the case, Woods almost certainly won’t be playing.
Woods would like to see the Masters the week before the Presidents Cup, especially since it will be played at Kingston Heath, voted the top course in Australia. It would be back-to-back weeks on the famed sandbelt.
"I think it would not only be a great tournament, but great preparation for all the American players to come down and play," he said.
The Australasian Tour is to meet Dec. 8 and should decide then what tournament goes in that spot.
IMG is contemplating creating exemptions for all Presidents Cup players.
Woods received a $3 million appearance fee — half of that paid by the Victorian government — but in his first year, a government study showed the economic return was more than $30 million. Despite sloppy weather, and Woods in Australia no longer a novelty, crowds still were far larger than Australia usually gets.
Steinberg said IMG was willing to make a multiyear commitment to the date and consider raising the purse from $1.5 million.
DISNEY DOINGS: For all the complaints about overseas tournaments taking away from Disney, why would the tournament want to change what it had this year? An exciting finish not just for the event, but for the final spots on the money list.
The PGA Tour tracks the movement of the 125th spot on the money list each week, and historically it does not change by more than $25,000. But on the final day of the season, the one-week change was a whopping $63,649.
Troy Merritt at No. 121 should have been safe all along, but he nearly tumbled out of the top 125 — he made it on the number — because so many players outside the top 125 were in contention. That’s a rarity.
Five players from the top 10 on the leaderboard started the week outside the top 125. That enabled three of them — Roland Thatcher, Michael Connell and Mark Wilson — to secure their cards for next year.
MASTERS LOOKAHEAD: J.B. Holmes made an eagle on his 17th hole (the par-5 eighth) at Disney to put himself in position for a Masters invitational. Then came a bogey from the bunker on his last hole, and he was out.
Heath Slocum, who played his final six holes in 1-under par and made a 7-foot par save on his final hole, tied with Holmes at 6-under 282 and retained the 30th spot on the PGA Tour money list by $1,439 over Holmes. The top 30 players receive invitations to the Masters.
Perhaps it’s only fitting Slocum edge him out, since he won a tournament this year (McGladrey Classic at Sea Island).
Holmes’ only way to Augusta National now is top 50 in the world the week before the Masters — he’s at No. 65 now and will slide even further over the next month — or to win a tournament.
A LESSON IN SCHEDULING: One key to Lee Westwood’s success was cutting back on his schedule — finding the right balance that keeps him sharp competitively but still feeling fresh when he plays. It’s one reason he no longer takes up PGA Tour membership.
But when told that Ryo Ishikawa of Japan played 17 consecutive weeks last year, Westwood signaled his approval.
"I played 17 in a row in 1996, and I won my first European Tour event that last week at the Scandinavian Masters," said Westwood, who was 23 at the time. "It just felt like the right thing to do."
Westwood felt he was young enough that playing such a big schedule was not a burden.
"I think some young kids don’t play enough," he said.
Tiger Woods played at least 26 events his first three full seasons (including unofficial events). He said he spoke with Ishikawa about his schedule after their exhibition in Japan a few weeks ago.
What amazed Woods was hearing Ishikawa tell them that he prefers to work on swing changes at tournaments, in competition, instead of solely on the range. That’s where a big schedule helps the Japanese star, who won Sunday for the third time this year.
SHANGHAI PRECEDENT: PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem is not ready to count the HSBC Champions as official money on the PGA Tour, even though it’s a World Golf Championship, because it comes so late in the year — a week before the season-ender at Disney.
But there is precedent.
When the WGCs began in 1999, the American Express in Spain was held the week after the Tour Championship and counted toward the money list. The idea was to give the PGA Tour two blockbuster weeks at the end to decide the money title.
A number of Americans decided not to go to Valderrama, and the money list was never affected because Tiger Woods won by millions. Even so, there were players in Spain who could have affected the rest of the money list.
"I think the money list is less important than it used to be," Finchem said. "As I said, we don’t view it as a big deal. We just made the call on this one, and for this period of time, we’re not going to do it. I don’t know what to tell you except we’ll continue to look at it."
DIVOTS: Stewart Cink finished at No. 52 on the PGA Tour money list, his first time out of the top 50 since 2002 and only the second time since his first full season on tour in 1997. ... The Masters (11-under 277) is the only tournament where Tiger Woods finished double digits under par this year. ... Steve Elkington and Joe Durant finished inside the top 125 on the money list despite starting the year with only past champions status. Elkington got in 22 tournaments and finished 99th, while Durant played 19 times and wound up 124th. ... Robert Garrigus became the first player since John Daly in 1995 to lead the PGA Tour in driving distance and win a tournament in the same year.
STAT OF THE WEEK: Sean O’Hair is the only American in the top 50 who is not yet eligible for the Masters.
FINAL WORD: "That aura thing, it helped him play better, but it didn’t make anyone else play worse." — Geoff Ogilvy, on Tiger Woods.
-- Doug Ferguson
Golf Glance
PGA EUROPEAN TOUR/ASIAN TOUR
Hong Kong Open
Site: Hong Kong.
Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.
Course: Hong Kong Golf Club (6,700 yards, par 70).
Purse: $2.5 million. Winner's share: $410,465.
Television: Golf Channel (Thursday-Friday, 11-3 a.m., 8:30 a.m.- 11:30 a.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 11-3 a.m., 8 a.m.- Noon).
Last year: France's Gregory Bourdy won his third European tour title, beating Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy by two strokes. Bourdy had a 19-under total.
Last week: Australia's Adam Scott won the Singapore Open for the third time, completing a 3-under 68 in a Monday finish for a three-stroke victory over Denmark's Anders Hansen. Scott, also the 2005 and 2006 winner, finished at 17 under.
Notes: The European tour's season-ending Dubai World Championship is next week. The top 60 on the Race to Dubai money list will qualify. ... U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell tops the field along with Bourdy, McIlroy, Ian Poulter, Y.E. Yang, John Daly and Miguel Angel Jimenez. ... McIlroy also was second in 2008, losing a playoff to Lin Wen-tang. ... The Asian Tour will be in Thailand next week for the King's Cup.
Online: http://www.europeantour.com
Asian Tour site: http://www.asiantour.com
LPGA TOUR
Next event: LPGA Tour Championship, Dec. 2-5, Grand Cypress Golf Club, Orlando, Fla.
Last week: South Korea's In-Kyung Kim won the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Mexico for her third LPGA Tour title, closing with an 8-under 64 for a three-stroke stroke victory over Suzann Pettersen. Kim had a tournament-record 19-under total.
Online: http://www.lpga.com
OTHER TOURNAMENTS
Men
JAPAN GOLF TOUR: Dunlop Phoenix, Thursday-Sunday, Phoenix Country Club, Miyaza, Japan. Online: http://www.jgto.org
PGA TOUR AUSTRALASIA: NSW PGA Championship, Thursday-Sunday, Wollongong Golf Course, Wollongong, Australia. Online: http://pgatour.com.au
SUNSHINE TOUR: Coca-Cola Championship, through Thursday, Fancourt Hotel and Golf Estate, The Montagu, George, South Africa; Gary Player Invitational, Friday-Sunday, Fancourt Hotel and Golf Estate, The Links, George, South Africa. Online: http://www.sunshinetour.com
Women
JAPAN LPGA TOUR: Daio Paper Open, Friday-Sunday, Elleair Golf Club, Ehime, Japan. Online: http://www.lpga.or.jp
