Tracking down Tiger at the PGA
Published 1:46 pm Saturday, August 15, 2009
It doesn’t take long to realize the magnitude of the PGA Championship.
Once inside the gates giant tents dot the landscape while people shuffle about from station to station. The faint smell of cigar smoke permeates the air throughout the course as the loud cheers of the crowd pulsate.
The roars go off like a siren during a tornado warning and stretch to all areas of the course, causing heads to turn and look up as if they could actually see what just took place.
The largest roars, of course, take place when Tiger Woods does anything of significance and Friday at Hazeltine National in Chaska there were a lot of roars going on as Woods broke away from the pack with a 2-under-par round to increase his overall lead to four strokes entering the final two days of golf’s final major.
Woods started the day with a bogey but found birdies on Nos. 6 and 7 to get the crowd going. On the back nine after a bogey on No. 10, he had three straight birdies on Nos. 14, 15 and 16 as he attempts to win his first major of the year. If his past is any indicator, Woods looked to be well on his way. He’s won every time he’s led a tournament after 36 holes.
Woods is seeking his 15th major championship, which would put him three behind Jack Nicklaus for the all-time lead. A win at the PGA would also be Woods’ 71st career win and place him two behind Nicklaus for second all-time for PGA Tour wins.
“If Tiger plays the golf he’s capable of on the weekend,” Padraig Harrington said, “he’ll be a winner.”
While Woods is an awesome figure in sports to watch, the following he commands is interesting as well.
As Woods approaches a hole the jockeying for a position begins and it can be no-holds barred at times with people pushing and standing on their tip-toes to catch a glimpse of perhaps the greatest golfer ever. Then when he does approach his ball, like he did in the fairway on No. 15 Friday, there is a moment where the gallery in unison seems to stare in wonderment of Woods.
Anywhere on the course at anytime his presence is known, whether it comes from the cheers or the passerbys discussing what Woods just did. The constant stream of updates on Woods comes from a headphone available for spectators. It’s a strange sight for the uninitiated and it makes the people wearing them seem like CIA agents, but they are actually closer to tourists passing through a museum on an audio tour.
With the swelling crowds, especially around Woods, binoculars have become passé. The in-thing is periscopes. The periscope is an unusual sight at first glance, but extremely practical for those unable to see over taller spectators.
The most important thing to bring to the tournament is a good pair of tennis shoes. The course is the longest ever for a major and at 7,674 yards there is a lot of walking. If one is following Woods, they are more than likely speed-walking to find the best position possible.
It’s usually a crap-shoot when it comes to picking the right spot along the rope where the tee ball is going to land, but getting the spot right is serendipitous because it’s unobstructed view — which is tough to come by.
The shot-making ability of the pros is exciting to watch as well. On No. 15 Harrington made perhaps the shot of the day. Harrington’s tee shot landed in the left bunker and he decided to play a 3-wood from 301 yards out to try to reach the green. On an uphill slope in the bunker, Harrington unleashed an unbelievable shot that reached the green to give him a 15-foot putt.
The shot drew some rare chatter from Woods.
“He did say to me actually he would have paid to have seen it,” Harrington said. “So I asked him for 50 bucks.”
Maybe Woods and Harrington are becoming fast pals after playing the last few rounds together, it seems.