With his finest red with white pin-striped shirt on, Tiger Woods once again reminded the sports world of what we’ve been missing for the past nine months. At the Arnold Palmer Invitational this past weekend, down by five strokes to Sean O’Hair after the third round, the buzz began as people wondered if Tiger would be able to make up the difference going into Sunday’s final round.
This was probably the most pressure he’s faced in a long time. Sure there was the Accenture match play event last month where he lost to Tim Clark who hadn’t made a bogey that entire round; though who could blame Tiger after making only one bad shot on the 15th? Prior to that, the only time he had gone FTW in the last nine months was during his victory over Guillermo at the EA SPORTS Gillette Champions of Gaming tournament in January.
I remember watching him at last year’s US Open cringing with every shot as he went FTW after a 19-hole playoff. I had no idea that it would be his last tournament for such a long period of time. For most athletes, the absence away from the sport would bring about some rust that would take some time to brush off. For most athletes, it would take a few weeks or a few games or a few tournaments to get back into the swing of things. Though as we’ve seen time and time again from the 14-time major champion, Tiger is not like most athletes.
On Sunday, following a mid-morning morning rain-delay, Woods would need 15 holes to reduce the five-stroke deficit and pull in to a tie with O’Hair playing in the final group. O’Hair could muster only one birdie all day and though he played with the lead, when you’re grouped with Tiger who was on fire on the final day, it must’ve felt as if it were only a matter of time before O’Hair would become one of many that would succumb to the pressure by Sunday evening.
On the 16th hole with Woods in the rough after gaining a share of the lead on 15, O’Hair would all but seal his destiny going for the pin with a 7-iron and coming short and wet to bogey the hole. On his swings, Tiger would go up and down for par to take his first lead of the tournament. On the ensuring hole, Woods would make it interesting with a bogey while O’Hair would make par setting it up for yet another dramatic Bay Hill finish.
With the night looming, the magic continued as Tiger would make two perfect shots to set himself up for a birdie putt no less than 12 feet away. O’Hair, who had been hitting right most of the day, just didn’t seem to get into a rhythm (could you blame him?) though he would par 17 to tie Woods and really did nothing wrong on 18 other than miss his birdie putt.
Though that was all that Tiger would need and in all too familiar position, as he did a year ago with O’Hair in the final group again and for the third time at Arnie’s tournament, Woods would drain the putt on 18th at Bay Hill FTW and pump-fist his way to his first victory since the US Open. It was his 9th victory in his last 14 PGA Tour starts.
"It feels good to be back in contention, to feel the rush," Woods said. "It's been awhile, but God, it felt good."
It’s a feeling that many, including myself, felt through each hole and every stroke on Sunday as well.
Welcome back to the rush of the winner’s circle, Tiger.
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