An extra day proved valuable for Day at Torrey Pines, where we also learned a few things about the power of Tiger in his return to golf.
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Jordan Spieth broke out of a crowded pack with three consecutive birdies on the back nine to take command of The Northern Trust. Here’s how things stand after 54 holes in Old Westbury, N.Y. Leaderboard: Spieth (-12), Dustin Johnson (-9), Paul Casey (-7), Patrick Reed (-7), Jon Rahm (-7), Matt Kuchar (-7) What it means: Spieth came into the first event of the FedExCup Playoffs in third place in the FedExCup standings, so a win would move him into first place. But The Northern Trust is just the first of four playoff events, culminating with the Tour Championship, so let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Spieth is looking for his fourth win of the year. Round of the day: Spieth’s 6-under 64 had ups
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – “Train hard. Fight easy.” It’s a military mantra that Earl Woods, who served in Vietnam as a Green Beret, passed to his son, Tiger. Now, Tiger uses it to inspire his children in their own athletic endeavors. RELATED: Tiger Woods, daughter Sam share emotional World Golf Hall of Fame induction | Woods, Finchem enter together after parallel careers The message is simple: the more intense the preparation, the easier the task becomes. Tiger’s daughter, Sam, shared it while introducing her father at Wednesday’s World Golf Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Those words shaped Tiger’s approach to golf, and it changed the game, bringing a newfound emphasis on physical training to what had been a country-club sport. “I made practicing so difficult, hurt so much, because I wanted to make sure that I was ready come game time,” Tiger said. “I hit thousands of balls, hands bleeding, aching, just so that I could play in a tournament.” The fruit of all those long hours – the record-tying 82 PGA TOUR wins and 15 major championships – earned him his spot in the World Golf Hall of Fame on Wednesday, as Woods was inducted alongside former PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem, three-time U.S. Women’s Open champion Susie Maxwell Berning and pioneer Marion Hollins in a ceremony at PGA TOUR headquarters. Tiger spoke for approximately 15 minutes at Wednesday’s ceremony, making it the longest we’ve seen him speak in public uninterrupted. He didn’t fill those 15 minutes with stories from his 15 major triumphs, though. This opportunity to reflect on his career was filled with stories from his earliest days, showing that his fondest memories are from the days before he was famous. All of the anecdotes he shared were confined to the first half of his life, none of them occurring after 1999. Woods’ spot in the World Golf Hall of Fame has been guaranteed for two decades. But it certainly means more now. Twenty years ago, it would have been just another accomplishment to add to the resume. There isn’t time to reflect while you’re creating history. But now that Tiger is a parent, a survivor and a man who’s experienced the full spectrum of life’s experiences, it made his induction more meaningful. “We didn’t know if you’d come home with two legs or not,” Sam said. “Now, not only are you about to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, but you’re standing on your own two feet. This is why you deserve this, because you’re a fighter.” Berning said in Wednesday’s speech that she earned just $16,000 combined in her three U.S. Women’s Open wins. She asked Tiger if he’d like to trade just one paycheck. But it was clear Wednesday moments in the game that were most important to him didn’t earn him a dollar. He told stories of sneaking on the Navy Golf Course to play with his father and about the second mortgage that his parents took out so that he could travel the country to play junior events. Paying off that debt was one of the first things he did after he turned pro. Tiger teared up twice during Wednesday’s speech, after Sam introduced him and when he looked at his mother. The victories he did discuss were the ones on the putting green at the Heartwell Golf Park in Long Beach, California, where he won quarters, and then dollars, in putting contests. He talked about playing in the dark with his dad until they lost a golf ball. Those rounds in the moonlight obviously meant more than the years in the spotlight. Woods’ favorite memories clearly occurred before his passion became a profession. Wednesday’s ceremony was about celebrating lives that defined golf. But golf did not define their lives. “This is an individual award, but it’s actually a team award,” Tiger said. “All of you allowed me to get here.” And those people are more important than any trophy.
SANDWICH, England – Adam Scott walked off from a practice round late Tuesday evening at Royal St. George’s with a satisfied grin. “She’s way fairer than she used to be,” the Aussie beamed. She – in this case – was Royal St. George’s. The Open Championship course Scott battled away on in 2003 and 2011 brings a unique challenge. Call them mounds, moguls, humps or bumps – whatever you prefer. But they litter the fairways on this links course and can send a good shot into a not so good place. It is one of the reasons why Scott’s idol Greg Norman’s then-record final round 64 in 1993 was lauded as one of the greatest in major history. Norman was the first Open champion with four rounds in the 60s (four others have since joined him) and his 267 was the lowest winning total in Open history (Henrik Stenson’ 264 and final round 63 from 2016 are now records). Gene Sarazen, who was 91 when he witnessed Norman’s round, called it, “the greatest championship in all my 70 years in golf.” Sarazen is one of five men to complete the career Grand Slam. Trawl through old interviews and you can find a plethora of players referencing the luck needed at Royal St. George’s. It helps one better understand why long-shots Ben Curtis (2003) and Darren Clarke (2011) triumphed here. “This course certainly puts a demand on trying to get the right bounce, that’s for sure. These fairways are very difficult to try and hit, especially with all the mounding in them. And anytime the wind blows it makes it even more difficult,” Tiger Woods said pre-2003. While it has hosted the fourth-most Opens, and most in England, Royal St. George’s has rarely been called anyone’s favorite, most likely because – as Justin Rose put it in 2011 – it’s “almost like playing on the surface of the moon.” Scotland’s Sandy Lyle, winner of the 1985 Open, put Royal St. George’s in a class with Carnoustie and Royal Birkdale as “the beasts” of the Open rota. A combined seven players have finished under par in the past two Opens at St. George’s. “There are no adjoining fairways like a lot of links courses,” Lyle told ESPN. “You get deeper and deeper into the rubbish. You have to be very accurate in places and it’s not a very friendly course if it is breezy.” And Norman himself prior to his domination in 1993 said, “I’d swear the Royal Air Force used a couple of the fairways for bombing runs.” But in 2021, Scott is among many who believe the disproportionate bad luck of the past should be tempered this time around. One such fan is 2014 champion Rory McIlroy who was not a happy chap coming off with a T25 in 2011, but after early reconnaissance work this week he felt differently. “I walked away from the golf course on Saturday and Sunday thinking, this is a much better golf course than I remember it being, and I think that’s just because of the way it’s playing right now,” said McIlroy, a two-time FedExCup champion. “It’s certainly not as penal or unfair as it has been in previous years. 2011, it was a little bit like that, but looking back to ’03, for example, it looked really burnt and crispy then, and it looked like a bit of a pinball machine out there. But that’s not going to be the case this week. It’s a lot more lush. It’s a lot more green. “I think it’s perfect, and as the days go on with a little bit of wind and sunshine, by the weekend it should just be absolutely perfect. It should be playing the way it should play.” Home country hero Lee Westwood believes officials will look to keep the fairways in check to further avoid the bad luck bounce. The veteran faces his 88th major start and should he not win, he will own the longest streak without a victory. “The fairways are softer than they were last time. I spoke to Martin Slumbers on Monday evening, and he said they’re probably going to water some of the fairways to stop that happening, as well,” Westwood revealed. “You can’t have really bouncy fairways carrying it off into rough that’s this high that you’re hacking out of, undulating fairways. “This course was laid down with the fairways like that and undulating, designed to go into the rough where you’d have a shot but it would be a flying lie and you’d have to judge that. It wasn’t designed to land in the fairways and go into rough where you’re hacking out with lob wedge. I think they’re probably trying to get more into that.” Marc Leishman is facing his first Open Championship on the course. He has three top-6 finishes previously in this major and is regarded by some as a links golf specialist. The six-time TOUR winner says it’s not the bad bounces that will matter – it’s your response to them. “That’s the beauty of links golf sometimes,” Leishman said. “You know you’ll get the odd quirky bounce here and there and it might be frustrating but you have to be able to let it go and move on. “I try to see each shot I’m asked to play as an opportunity to use my creativity or golf brain so to speak. When you embrace the different questions links golf asks you and be prepared to accept there might be a few answers that would not normally be the case, then good things can happen.” Good things won’t happen to those players who spray the ball wide off the tee though. The thick luscious rough Westwood referenced awaits – the type where escaping can feel near impossible. Woods lost his first ball in pro golf on his first tee shot in 2003. Jerry Kelly made an 11 on the same hole without losing a ball. So while there may be less carnage, there will still be enough to satisfy those who enjoy watching that sort of thing.
