He’s now won 11 of these things. But it’s hardly old hat. Tiger Woods loves to win major championships, and each one has its own special meaning.
None like this one.
Ten times, Tiger has been able to celebrate a major victory with his father, Earl. This time he could not. Earl passed away May 3 because of cancer, leaving his son with lots of memories and lots of emotion.
That emotion, previously unavailable for public consumption, overflowed Sunday evening in England, when Tiger tapped in his par putt for a two-stroke victory – a repeat performance – in the 135th Open Championship.
Woods raised his fists, gave a shout that Pops could hear in heaven, and then broke down. He hugged his caddie, Steve. As Williams went to pull away, Tiger held on. He buried his head into Williams’ broad right shoulder and covered it in tears. He then shared an extended embrace with his wife, Elin. And another with his instructor, Hank Haney, as well as with a few other people.
He didn’t have his father to bear hug this time, so he spread the love around to everyone else.
It was honest and real. It was the forever moment of this championship.
The final round at Royal Liverpool was an example of “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” with everyone tumbling down the leaderboard early.
Chris DiMarco bogeyed the first. Jim Furyk bogeyed the first two. Adam Scott did the same. Mark Calcavecchia bogeyed No. 2. Garcia three-putted Nos. 2 and 3 for bogey. Angel Cabrera tripled the second. Ernie Els didn’t falter, but never made a move.
By the time Woods made the turn, he had a three-stroke lead. It looked like a reprise of the 2002 Masters Tournament or last year’s Open, when Woods both times led a group of world-class players by a slim margin, posted a modest final-round score, and still won handily.
Thank goodness for an inspired DiMarco. He put forth a fight that would have made his late mother very proud of her son.
His birdie at No. 13, combined with Tiger’s bogey at the 12th, cut his deficit to just one. But DiMarco could get no closer. Woods birdied Nos. 14 and 15 – with still two par 5s to play – to create a separation that could not be fully filled.
Woods wasn’t flawless this Sunday, but he was close. He tied the lowest score of the day, a 5-under 67, which is remarkable considering that he was playing from the front.
Just goes to show you what he can do when he puts his ball in play.
By using driver only once over four rounds, Woods managed to hit an astonishing 86 percent of these tricky and unpredictable links fairways – this from a man who ranks outside the top 175 this season on the PGA Tour in accuracy off the tee, and who hit only 25 percent of the fairways in two quick rounds at the U.S. Open.
And even though he was hitting longer irons into greens crustier than W.C. Fields, he managed to get his ball to finish on them 81 percent of the time, 15 of 18 on Sunday. He knew that he couldn’t be aggressive, and so he wasn’t. He just made sure to hit as many browns in regulation as possible, just put the ball anywhere on a putting surface that mirrored worn-out grass in the final match at Wimbledon.
His execution was brilliant. His putting, save for portions of the third round, was magnificent. His pace was perfect, particularly on Sunday.
His only mistake came in the form of an errant approach shot at No. 12, which led to his only dropped shot of the day, and can be attributed to the annoyance of the incessant clicking of camera phones.
Woods was as close to mistake-free as a player can be in the final round of a major championship.
Such cannot be said of his playing competitor.
Garcia’s first mistake came when he got dressed in the morning, donning a faded, nauseatingly all-yellow outfit.
Sergio’s game was almost as offensive as his attire. Nerves attributed to a couple of early, critical errors. Frustration or disappointment may have contributed to a couple more going out. One day after shooting a front-nine 29 to rally into contention, he was 10 shots higher to plummet out.
Regardless of how he may try and spin it, this was a big loss for the 26-year-old Spaniard. Heading to the PGA Championship at Medinah, site of his electric introduction to the golfing public in 1999, Garcia is still without a major championship.
But it’s not just that – it’s not just that Sergio hasn’t won one of golf’s Big 4. It’s that this week – this final round – proved that he is no nearer Woods than he was seven years ago. In fact, he’s nowhere close.
But, then, who is? Perhaps Phil Mickelson, who should not be discredited because of a lackluster performance this week.
Woods, though, on the heels of missing his first cut as a professional in a major championship, proved once again that he is still the standard.
The whole week, not just on Sunday, he was in complete control of his mind, his body and his clubs. And even his emotions.
It was all in-check – until it was all over. Then, it all came pouring out.
As Kris Kristofferson wrote, and Johnny Cash sang: And Lord, it took me back to something that I’d lost. Somewhere, somehow along the way.