The Hindu : Woods pockets Western Open

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jul 08, 2003

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Sport - Golf

Woods pockets Western Open

Tiger Woods lets go of his club after hitting his tee shot on the seventh hole during the final round of the Western Open at Cog Hill Golf and Country Club in Lemont. — Reuters

LEMONT July 7. Tiger Woods cruised to victory on Sunday in the 100th Western Open, his 38th career victory on the PGA Tour and fourth of the season.

The win marks Woods' fifth straight year with at least four victories, a feat no one else has managed — not even golfing legends Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan or Arnold Palmer.

Hogan, Palmer, Tom Watson and Lloyd Mangrum had four straight years with four or more victories.

``That is pretty nice to have that happen,'' Woods said. ``That means I've been consistent. I've been able to not only be consistent, but also to close the deal, too.''

And this is a guy who some say is in a slump? Blame it on the fact that he doesn't hold one of the four major championship titles for the first time in four years.

But he can change that when they go to Royal St. George's in two weeks for the British Open.

``It's certainly a shot of confidence, no doubt about it,'' he said of going into the British Open with a victory. ``Any time you win, you've got to feel pretty good about it. As I said, the things I've been working on are starting to come together.

Woods is the fifth three-time winner at the Western, the oldest stop on the PGA Tour. Hogan, Nicklaus and Palmer each won the Western twice.

And his impressive numbers don't stop there. He shot a 69 Sunday, giving him 21-under 267 for the tournament. That matches the tournament record set in 2001 by Scott Hoch. He missed a 3.5-meter (11-foot) putt for par on the 18th that would have given him the record.

Woods led the entire tournament, the first wire-to-wire winner at the Western since South Africa's Nick Price in 1993. It's the fifth wire-to-wire victory in Woods' career.

``We've got a guy who's superhuman out here this week,'' said Rich Beem, who finished five strokes behind Woods. ``There's going to be times when he does this to fields, but that's OK.''

But give Beem credit, he at least added a small diversion to the inevitable. The winner of last year's PGA Championship opened the back nine with three birdies and an eagle in his first five holes to pull within five shots of Woods.

Jim Furyk, back in Chicago for the first time since winning the U.S. Open three weeks ago, finished seven shots behind Woods in a three-way tie for third. Mike Weir and defending champion Jerry Kelly also finished at 274.

But, really, what chance did anyone have of catching Woods? This victory was almost in the bag even before he teed off Sunday. Of the 31 tournaments he's led after 54 holes, he's won all but two. Plus with a six-stroke cushion to start, all he had to do was play it safe, and the victory — not to mention the $810,000 paycheck — was his.

He did better than that, though. The first 11 holes at Cog Hill's Dubsdread course are as birdie friendly as an aviary, and Woods took advantage. He had five birdies and only one bogey through 11, and needed just 13 putts.

Even with his closest rivals so far back they may as well have been on a different round, he didn't let up. — AP

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