With Tiger's will, there's always a way
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Tiger Woods didn't have his best stuff and he knew it. Some days, though, his iron will is the most imposing weapon of all. Even Tiger admits these are not the best of times for the guy who used to dominate his game in ways that few in sports ever have done. But a day of bare-knuckle, hand-to-hand combat like yesterday makes you appreciate that physical talent is only one component of the Tiger package.
JEOPARDY
At stake yesterday in the second round of The Players Championship was Woods' record of 119 consecutive cuts made on the PGA Tour, officially the longest in the Tour's history. He had put that string in jeopardy with a pedestrian 75 on Thursday, a total that easily could have been 78 or 79, while more than half the field was under par. It also was Woods' fourth consecutive round over par and, well, folks were beginning to talk.
In case there was any doubt that Woods was going to rise to the challenge yesterday, he made an emphatic statement at his second hole of the day, the par-5 11th. After a 314-yard drive put him in perfect position, he launched a majestic 210-yard 6-iron that settled 10 feet from the flag. When he drained the putt, there really wasn't much doubt that Woods was going to be playing on the weekend.
He followed that up with a birdie at 12, a bogey at 18 and another birdie at No. 2 as he played the front nine second. On the whole, it was not one of the great rounds in history but it spoke volumes.
Now the streak is at 120, but Woods hardly even acknowledges it. He didn't get to be No. 1 in the world by being satisfied to make the cut every week.
"I take great pride in what I do on the golf course," Woods said. "I go out there and give everything I've possible got. Some days, I hit it like a dog and still get it done. Some days it's not pretty, sometimes it's awfully pretty.
"Jack Nicklaus used to say, and Ben Hogan used to say it also: 'You can't turn the switch on and off. You always have to have it on.' "
Woods has always thrived on adversity. Yes, he's the most talented player. And yes, he's the best thinker. And, yes, he's the most mentally disciplined. And yes, that's an imposing combination. But not all aspects are there every day.
That's where consistency of effort takes over.
"The key is to go out there and grind it out every day. Maybe what you don't realize is that my effort level just doesn't change.
"I play the same way whether I'm shooting 62 or 82. I play the same way. When I go out on a day like (yesterday), it's not like I'm trying harder. I'm trying exactly the same. Other guys might not be like that but I play the same way every time.
"What it means is that this golf shot is not more important than any other. I treat every one of them the same. By doing that, it makes it easier when you're under the gun."
When the day was over, Woods had easily cleared the cut line. He's at even-par 144, two strokes under the cut. Now he's taking dead aim at the leaderboard.
"The number I had in mind for (yesterday) was 66," he said. "That was what I had in my head on the first tee. Obviously I didn't do that but I'm in a position, if I play well (today) I can put some pressure (on the leaders)."
Ernie Els, at seven under, begins today's play in touch with the leaders but he's not just looking up. He knows no lead ever is safe with Woods still in the mix.
"It's a hell of a streak," Els said, "but if I know Tiger, he went out to get himself back in the tournament, not just to try to make the cut. I'm sure that was his mindset."
DEMANDING
Woods always has been held to an absurdly demanding standard, a standard of his own creation, a standard that continuously fuels his passion for competition.
While his peers seem to have closed the gap that Woods had opened up between himself and the rest, that standard will remain for as long as Tiger's will to compete is sustained.
"And I don't see that changing anytime soon," Woods said.
