Into the groove: Tiger Woods said Tuesday that he and swing coach Sean Foley have corrected problems in his swing. APDUBLIN, Ohio — After a comfortable practice round at the site of the U.S. Open Tuesday, Tiger Woods mingled with hand-picked fans in an online chat that touched on everything from if he can regain his winning ways to whether he's still having fun playing golf."We're excited about what we're working on. I hadn't played well in a couple of weeks but we know what it is," Woods said of problems in his swing that he has addressed with swing coach Sean Foley. "It's a matter of getting (repetitions) in and getting the trust in it."Woods took questions from several fans including a sergeant with the Ohio National Guard, Olympic triple-jump hopeful Erica McLain and others in the 34-minute chat — called a "hangout."Woods practiced at Olympic earlier in the day. He said he hit a 9-iron into one green on the Lake Course that bounced flag high."It's going to be one heck of a test," Woods said.Woods has won 14 majors, but none since the 2008 U.S. Open. He was headed Tuesday evening for the Memorial, founded by Jack Nicklaus, who won a record 18 majors. That remains Woods' ultimate goal."I figure it's going to take a career," Woods said. "It took Jack 24 years. This is my 17th year into it. I still feel like I've got plenty of time. It's about giving myself the most amount of opportunities to win them on the back nine on Sunday. The more chances I give myself, I figure I'm going to clip a few of them."There were few if any revelations in the chat. This is the second time this year that Woods has not met with reporters at a tournament but instead reached out to friends and fans online.Speaking after a practice round at the Memorial, Masters champion Bubba Watson was asked if he would consider going online to reach out to his biggest fans."Tiger's online chat? I actually think it's neat. I can see that working out for me," he said. "Again, I don't come to the media center as much as he does, so I still like this. I feel cool up here. Yeah, I could see doing something like that, but I'd still come to the local media and talk here. He does it every week no matter how he plays, so it's still new to me."Watson has been besieged by requests from sponsors, tournaments, media and others since his dramatic win in April at Augusta National. He said he's just learning now what it's like to be in such demand."I've got a lot more friends than I used to have," he said with a wide grin. "I wasn't very popular before, but now I've gotten a lot more popular."Questions on Woods' website ranged from who he looked up to the most as a kid to why he didn't recapture some of his old championship magic by switching from Foley back to former swing coach Butch Harmon.Mixed in were some responses from awed fans."No questions," wrote NateDogg8896. "Just wanted to say you're the most amazing person on the planet."Another poster wondered why Woods is now wearing white golf shoes so often.After winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational in late March, Woods came into the Masters as a favorite. He finished tied for 40th there, missed the cut at the Wells Fargo and then tied for 40th again at The Players two weeks ago.Woods said he still has fun playing golf, despite the meltdown he had during the Masters that included kicking a club and swearing."I love competing, mixing it up with the guys, trying to beat all of them," Woods said. "That's the rush, that's the fun. Obviously it's a lot more fun when you're winning than when you're 40th. That's something I'm still working on."
Showing posts with label Woods. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Woods. Show all posts
Thursday, May 31, 2012
'Excited' Woods building confidence in swing
Into the groove: Tiger Woods said Tuesday that he and swing coach Sean Foley have corrected problems in his swing. APDUBLIN, Ohio — After a comfortable practice round at the site of the U.S. Open Tuesday, Tiger Woods mingled with hand-picked fans in an online chat that touched on everything from if he can regain his winning ways to whether he's still having fun playing golf."We're excited about what we're working on. I hadn't played well in a couple of weeks but we know what it is," Woods said of problems in his swing that he has addressed with swing coach Sean Foley. "It's a matter of getting (repetitions) in and getting the trust in it."Woods took questions from several fans including a sergeant with the Ohio National Guard, Olympic triple-jump hopeful Erica McLain and others in the 34-minute chat — called a "hangout."Woods practiced at Olympic earlier in the day. He said he hit a 9-iron into one green on the Lake Course that bounced flag high."It's going to be one heck of a test," Woods said.Woods has won 14 majors, but none since the 2008 U.S. Open. He was headed Tuesday evening for the Memorial, founded by Jack Nicklaus, who won a record 18 majors. That remains Woods' ultimate goal."I figure it's going to take a career," Woods said. "It took Jack 24 years. This is my 17th year into it. I still feel like I've got plenty of time. It's about giving myself the most amount of opportunities to win them on the back nine on Sunday. The more chances I give myself, I figure I'm going to clip a few of them."There were few if any revelations in the chat. This is the second time this year that Woods has not met with reporters at a tournament but instead reached out to friends and fans online.Speaking after a practice round at the Memorial, Masters champion Bubba Watson was asked if he would consider going online to reach out to his biggest fans."Tiger's online chat? I actually think it's neat. I can see that working out for me," he said. "Again, I don't come to the media center as much as he does, so I still like this. I feel cool up here. Yeah, I could see doing something like that, but I'd still come to the local media and talk here. He does it every week no matter how he plays, so it's still new to me."Watson has been besieged by requests from sponsors, tournaments, media and others since his dramatic win in April at Augusta National. He said he's just learning now what it's like to be in such demand."I've got a lot more friends than I used to have," he said with a wide grin. "I wasn't very popular before, but now I've gotten a lot more popular."Questions on Woods' website ranged from who he looked up to the most as a kid to why he didn't recapture some of his old championship magic by switching from Foley back to former swing coach Butch Harmon.Mixed in were some responses from awed fans."No questions," wrote NateDogg8896. "Just wanted to say you're the most amazing person on the planet."Another poster wondered why Woods is now wearing white golf shoes so often.After winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational in late March, Woods came into the Masters as a favorite. He finished tied for 40th there, missed the cut at the Wells Fargo and then tied for 40th again at The Players two weeks ago.Woods said he still has fun playing golf, despite the meltdown he had during the Masters that included kicking a club and swearing."I love competing, mixing it up with the guys, trying to beat all of them," Woods said. "That's the rush, that's the fun. Obviously it's a lot more fun when you're winning than when you're 40th. That's something I'm still working on."
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Woods' drought over with win at Chevron
THOUSAND, Oaks California — After going more than two years and 26 tournaments without a win, and after so much turmoil in his personal life and with his golf game, Tiger Woods stood over a 6-foot birdie putt Sunday to win the Chevron World Challenge and felt as though nothing had changed.
Uncaged: Tiger Woods celebrates after sinking a birdie putt on the 18th hole to win the Chevron World Challenge on Sunday in Thousand Oaks, California. The win was Woods' first in over two years. AP PHOTOFinally, the outcome was familiar, too.Woods poured in the putt to cap off a birdie-birdie finish at Sherwood, close with a 3-under 69 and beat former Masters champion Zach Johnson by one shot. The win ended a drought that lasted 749 days, and might have signaled a change that Woods is on his way back.He swept his arm across the air, yelled through the din of the gallery and slammed his fist in a celebration that was a long time coming.Relief? Satisfaction?Woods wasn't sure, and he didn't much care."It just feels awesome whatever it is," he said.Trailing by one shot with two holes to play, Woods came up with two clutch putts. He holed a 15-footer for birdie on the 17th to pull into a tie with Johnson, then hit a 9-iron from 158 yards that landed on the ridge behind the hole and rolled down to 6 feet."I've been in contention twice this year, which is not very often," Woods said. "So that's my third time with a chance to win it. I pulled it off this time."It was his 83rd win worldwide in tournaments that award ranking points, but his first since he won the Australian Masters on Nov. 15, 2009, back when he looked as though he would rule golf for as long as he played.But he crashed his car into a fire hydrant outside his Florida home on Thanksgiving night, and shocking revelations of extramarital affairs began to emerge, which shattered his image, led to a divorce and cost him four major sponsors. Since then, he has changed swing coaches, caddies and endured more injuries, causing him to miss two majors and fail to make the cut in another.Now, however, it looks clear that Woods is on an upward path."If the man is healthy, that's paramount," Johnson said. "I mean, he's the most experienced and the best player I've ever played with. In every situation, he knows how to execute and win."Even though those situations have been rare, Woods looked as though he had not forgotten how to win. The only other times he has been in contention this year were the Masters and the Australian Open."I felt normal, felt very comfortable," Woods said. "I've been here so many times that, you know, I just feel very comfortable being here in this position. Was I nervous? Absolutely. Always nervous in that position. But it's a comfortable feeling, and I enjoy being in that position. For some reason, it's kind of a comfort to be in there with a chance to win."Woods won the Chevron World Challenge, which he hosts for his foundation, for the fifth time. He finished at 10-under 278 and donated the $1.2 million to his foundation.
Uncaged: Tiger Woods celebrates after sinking a birdie putt on the 18th hole to win the Chevron World Challenge on Sunday in Thousand Oaks, California. The win was Woods' first in over two years. AP PHOTOFinally, the outcome was familiar, too.Woods poured in the putt to cap off a birdie-birdie finish at Sherwood, close with a 3-under 69 and beat former Masters champion Zach Johnson by one shot. The win ended a drought that lasted 749 days, and might have signaled a change that Woods is on his way back.He swept his arm across the air, yelled through the din of the gallery and slammed his fist in a celebration that was a long time coming.Relief? Satisfaction?Woods wasn't sure, and he didn't much care."It just feels awesome whatever it is," he said.Trailing by one shot with two holes to play, Woods came up with two clutch putts. He holed a 15-footer for birdie on the 17th to pull into a tie with Johnson, then hit a 9-iron from 158 yards that landed on the ridge behind the hole and rolled down to 6 feet."I've been in contention twice this year, which is not very often," Woods said. "So that's my third time with a chance to win it. I pulled it off this time."It was his 83rd win worldwide in tournaments that award ranking points, but his first since he won the Australian Masters on Nov. 15, 2009, back when he looked as though he would rule golf for as long as he played.But he crashed his car into a fire hydrant outside his Florida home on Thanksgiving night, and shocking revelations of extramarital affairs began to emerge, which shattered his image, led to a divorce and cost him four major sponsors. Since then, he has changed swing coaches, caddies and endured more injuries, causing him to miss two majors and fail to make the cut in another.Now, however, it looks clear that Woods is on an upward path."If the man is healthy, that's paramount," Johnson said. "I mean, he's the most experienced and the best player I've ever played with. In every situation, he knows how to execute and win."Even though those situations have been rare, Woods looked as though he had not forgotten how to win. The only other times he has been in contention this year were the Masters and the Australian Open."I felt normal, felt very comfortable," Woods said. "I've been here so many times that, you know, I just feel very comfortable being here in this position. Was I nervous? Absolutely. Always nervous in that position. But it's a comfortable feeling, and I enjoy being in that position. For some reason, it's kind of a comfort to be in there with a chance to win."Woods won the Chevron World Challenge, which he hosts for his foundation, for the fifth time. He finished at 10-under 278 and donated the $1.2 million to his foundation.Monday, December 5, 2011
Johnson rallies past Woods behind unexpected eagle
THOUSAND OAKS, California — Tiger Woods lost his three-stroke margin with every shot that looked good until the wind decided otherwise. He lost his lead in the Chevron World Challenge because of something that was really out of his control.
On the prowl: Zach Johnson tees off on the first hole Saturday at the Chevron World Challenge. Johnson shot a 68 to rally past Tiger Woods and take a one-shot lead. APZach Johnson was 163 yards away in the 18th fairway on Saturday, one shot behind and hopeful of getting his 7-iron onto the top shelf to make par as easy as possible. Imagine his surprise when it landed near the hole and hopped back into the cup for an eagle that put him atop the leaderboard."I would have been happy with a 4, let alone a 3," Johnson said. "A 2 is a steal."That eagle gave him a 4-under 68, allowing him to make up a four-shot deficit to Woods and take a one-shot lead into the final round of the final official PGA Tour event this year in America.Woods had three bogeys on the par 5s and didn't feel as though he did much wrong.On two of them, he hit wedges that looked good until the cool, gusting wind shifted directions and sent the ball much farther than he imagined. On the other par 5, his fairway metal hit a gust and dropped into a hazard.The result was a 1-over 73. The prognosis wasn't nearly as bad."Even though I made three bogeys on par 5s, I had two three-putts, but I played well," Woods said. "I hit a lot of good shots that ended up in bad spots because I had bad gusts. So be it. That's the way it goes."I'm right there with a chance going into tomorrow."Johnson was at 8-under 208 and will be in the final group with Woods. K.J. Choi, who overcame a double bogey on the par-5 second hole for a 72 and was three shots out of the lead. No one else was closer than five.Woods had the 36-hole lead for the second straight tournament, and for the second straight time failed to break par in the third round.He felt differently Saturday than he did at the Australian Open in Sydney, where he opened with three straight bogeys and finished the day six shots out of the lead."Most of the time today, it wasn't me," Woods said. "I hit a lot of good shots today."The wind was strong and chilly from the start, and rarely stayed the same direction very long. With a wedge in his hand, Woods went some 40 feet long on the second hole that led to a three-putt bogey. Another wedge on the par-5 13th sailed over the green and left a pitch he had no chance to get close.Both players ran into trouble on the par-5 16th.Johnson was playing in the group ahead of Woods, felt the breeze in his face and tried to hammer a driver that went left of the grass and into the gallery. He tried to clear a creek and went into the trees to the right before pitching out and taking a bogey.Woods was in the fairway, but a gust took his fairway metal too far right and into a hazard. He said he thought about trying to hit out behind a pair of rocks before choosing to take a penalty drop, and he also made bogey.The difference was how they finished.Johnson three-putted the 17th for another bogey, then drilled his 7-iron at the flag on the 18th for the most unlikely finish to his round. Woods had to settle for pars.Johnson didn't realize his eagle on the final hole was for the lead. And even though he has a one-shot advantage, he doesn't think he's in contention until the final hour of any tournament.What about being in the last group with Woods, who has gone 26 starts since his last win?"He's never going to shock me on the golf course because he's certainly the best player I've ever played with," Johnson said after his round. "I'm glad I'm playing this week and I have the opportunity to go into Sunday with at least a chance."Johnson, a former Masters champion, saw his streak of four straight seasons winning on the PGA Tour end this year.The Chevron World Challenge counts toward the world ranking, but is not official for the tour. He still wouldn't mind using it as a springboard for the next season, much like Tom Lehman did in the early days of this event, and Jim Furyk did in 2009.Woods was not too disappointed about going from a three-shot lead to a one-shot deficit.He felt as though he played as well as he had the first two days, without having much luck with the wind. And for a guy who has gone two years without winning, the hardest part of hoisting a trophy is getting a chance.
On the prowl: Zach Johnson tees off on the first hole Saturday at the Chevron World Challenge. Johnson shot a 68 to rally past Tiger Woods and take a one-shot lead. APZach Johnson was 163 yards away in the 18th fairway on Saturday, one shot behind and hopeful of getting his 7-iron onto the top shelf to make par as easy as possible. Imagine his surprise when it landed near the hole and hopped back into the cup for an eagle that put him atop the leaderboard."I would have been happy with a 4, let alone a 3," Johnson said. "A 2 is a steal."That eagle gave him a 4-under 68, allowing him to make up a four-shot deficit to Woods and take a one-shot lead into the final round of the final official PGA Tour event this year in America.Woods had three bogeys on the par 5s and didn't feel as though he did much wrong.On two of them, he hit wedges that looked good until the cool, gusting wind shifted directions and sent the ball much farther than he imagined. On the other par 5, his fairway metal hit a gust and dropped into a hazard.The result was a 1-over 73. The prognosis wasn't nearly as bad."Even though I made three bogeys on par 5s, I had two three-putts, but I played well," Woods said. "I hit a lot of good shots that ended up in bad spots because I had bad gusts. So be it. That's the way it goes."I'm right there with a chance going into tomorrow."Johnson was at 8-under 208 and will be in the final group with Woods. K.J. Choi, who overcame a double bogey on the par-5 second hole for a 72 and was three shots out of the lead. No one else was closer than five.Woods had the 36-hole lead for the second straight tournament, and for the second straight time failed to break par in the third round.He felt differently Saturday than he did at the Australian Open in Sydney, where he opened with three straight bogeys and finished the day six shots out of the lead."Most of the time today, it wasn't me," Woods said. "I hit a lot of good shots today."The wind was strong and chilly from the start, and rarely stayed the same direction very long. With a wedge in his hand, Woods went some 40 feet long on the second hole that led to a three-putt bogey. Another wedge on the par-5 13th sailed over the green and left a pitch he had no chance to get close.Both players ran into trouble on the par-5 16th.Johnson was playing in the group ahead of Woods, felt the breeze in his face and tried to hammer a driver that went left of the grass and into the gallery. He tried to clear a creek and went into the trees to the right before pitching out and taking a bogey.Woods was in the fairway, but a gust took his fairway metal too far right and into a hazard. He said he thought about trying to hit out behind a pair of rocks before choosing to take a penalty drop, and he also made bogey.The difference was how they finished.Johnson three-putted the 17th for another bogey, then drilled his 7-iron at the flag on the 18th for the most unlikely finish to his round. Woods had to settle for pars.Johnson didn't realize his eagle on the final hole was for the lead. And even though he has a one-shot advantage, he doesn't think he's in contention until the final hour of any tournament.What about being in the last group with Woods, who has gone 26 starts since his last win?"He's never going to shock me on the golf course because he's certainly the best player I've ever played with," Johnson said after his round. "I'm glad I'm playing this week and I have the opportunity to go into Sunday with at least a chance."Johnson, a former Masters champion, saw his streak of four straight seasons winning on the PGA Tour end this year.The Chevron World Challenge counts toward the world ranking, but is not official for the tour. He still wouldn't mind using it as a springboard for the next season, much like Tom Lehman did in the early days of this event, and Jim Furyk did in 2009.Woods was not too disappointed about going from a three-shot lead to a one-shot deficit.He felt as though he played as well as he had the first two days, without having much luck with the wind. And for a guy who has gone two years without winning, the hardest part of hoisting a trophy is getting a chance.
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