FOR THE 54-hole leader, the final round of a PGA Tour event is a mirror that reflects his flaws, his fears, his focus and his facility. On Sunday at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the eyes of the golf world were on Tiger Woods to see which face he put forward.
Would Woods be relaxed and resolute, and enchant his gallery with precise drives and pinpoint putts, as he did 37 times previously when he spun a third-round lead into an official tour victory? Or would the pressure expose wrinkles in his composure and blemishes in his game, as happened the two times he surrendered a lead on the final day?
If the 2009 revelation of Woods’ serial infidelities and his subsequent divorce were a mirror reflecting on his personal life, Sunday offered him a measure of professional redemption. Woods carded a two-under-par 70 at Bay Hill and earned a five-stroke victory over his playing partner, Graeme McDowell, who posted a 74 in warm, blustery conditions.
It was Woods’ 72nd tour title – third on the career list, after Jack Nicklaus’ 73 and Sam Snead’s 82 – and his first in an official event since the BMW Championship on September 13th, 2009, a dry spell of 923 days.
Woods described the victory, his seventh here, as “pure joy”, but a cloud hung over the trophy presentation. Unlike in Woods’ six previous wins, he was not congratulated by 82-year-old host Palmer, who was taken to the hospital for elevated blood pressure.
The anticipated duel between Woods and his nearest pursuer, McDowell, who had defeated him in a play-off at the 2010 Chevron World Challenge, never materialised. McDowell began the day one stroke back, but opened with a double-bogey six.
After he hit a nice drive, his second shot plugged in a bunker. His third shot landed in another bunker and after hitting out, he two-putted.
“Just not the start I had in mind,” McDowell said, adding: “Great to have a front-row seat watching maybe the greatest of all time doing what he does best, winning golf tournaments. Of course I believed I had a chance today, but I just never really got close enough to the guy. He played well today and deserves his win.”
McDowell hit 12 greens, three fewer than Woods, who played the front nine in three under to stretch his advantage over McDowell to four strokes.
After that, it was all over but the shouting from the gallery: “Masters, baby!” and “Green jacket, Tiger!” and “You’re back!”
On the road to next month’s Masters, Woods’ march to victory was the third signpost on Sunday, after Phil Mickelson closed with a 64 to win the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and Rory McIlroy staved off Woods’ 62 to win the Honda Classic and ascend to number one.
Woods, Mickelson and McIlroy have established themselves as the lead horses in what is shaping up in two weeks to be one of the more scintillating Masters.
“I still need some work,” said Woods, who finished Sunday at 13-under 275. “It’s going to be good to get a week off and work on a few things.”
While his fans shouted themselves hoarse, Woods kept his body language inscrutable until after his approach shot at 18 landed 33 feet from the pin. While exchanging the seven iron in his hand for a putter, Woods high-fived his caddie, Joe LaCava, who has been on Woods’ bag since October.
“That’s a hole we are just trying to hit the ball over to the left somewhere, somewhere around pin-high, anything on dry land is good,” said Woods, who two-putted for par, “and once that was accomplished, the tournament was over. It was nice to be able to celebrate, knowing that all I had to do was just stay upright and the tournament was over.”
LaCava, who enjoyed a successful partnership with Fred Couples, said he was awed by Woods’ ball-striking on Sunday. It has been terrific all year, as evidenced by the fact he leads the tour in total driving and ranks third in ball striking. Woods has posted only two double bogeys in 270 holes of stroke play.
“In 25 years,” LaCava said, “I’ve never seen anything like it, and not just guys I’ve worked for but also guys I’ve been in a group with. Crazy.”
The greens were as hard as week-old bagels, and the pin placements made putting diabolically difficult. It did not surprise Woods his was one of only 16 subpar rounds.
“I’ve never seen pins this difficult and greens this fast and firm,” Woods said. “The wind was blustery. It kept changing directions and intensities. It was a day of attrition. You just had to hang in there.”
Two weeks earlier, Woods quit during the final round of the World Golf Championship event in Miami with a strained left heel.
The only time Woods winced Sunday was when he three-putted the second green. “I’ve gotten better, and that’s the main thing,” Woods said. He pointed out he held the lead at the Australian Open in November and at the Abu Dhabi Championship in January, finishing third both times, and contended at Pebble Beach on his way to a tie for 15th and at the Honda Classic when he tied for second.
“I’ve been close for a number of tournaments now,” he said. “It was just a matter of staying the course and staying patient, keep working on fine-tuning what we’re doing and here we are. It’s not like winning a Major championship or anything, but it certainly feels good.”
New York Times Service
ARNIE ON THE MEND: Palmer misses presentation due to blood pressure problem
ARNOLD PALMER missed Tiger Woods’ comeback victory at his Invitational on Sunday after being taken to hospital due to a blood pressure problem, organisers said. The 82-year-old Palmer had been on the Bay Hill course and made a television appearance earlier in the day but left before the end of the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
He had been monitoring his blood pressure after recently changing his medication, said Alistair Johnston, a member of Palmer’s management team. Palmer’s doctor recommended he go to a nearby hospital for closer monitoring and Johnston said he had been instructed to stay overnight.The seven-times Major winner normally presents the trophy to the winning golfer on the 18th green.
“About 15 minutes prior to the end of play, he had gone out for what was a routine test . . . and the blood pressure was at a level where the doctor involved suggested that he go immediately to get more intensive evaluation at the hospital,” Johnston told reporters.
“I just tallked to his daughter, Amy, who is with him and I think the blood pressure situation is starting to ameliorate and is improving. Nobody is overly concerned about the prognosis, although he is going to remain in the hospital overnight for observation.”
Woods tweeted his best wishes on the way back from winning saying: “Heading home now and I can’t stop smiling. Thanks to Otown fans and everyone watching for all the love. Get well soon, Arnie.”
