Tiger Woods

[Ole]

The Masters at Augusta National starts tomorrow, follow the link for updates: Gonga hapa

Tiger Woods will be in contention for his fifth Green Jacket ..........Go on Tiger!

 

[Ole]

Sorry Jack, but Tiger's already the greatest

The Masters

AUGUSTA, Ga. - So Tiger Woods shows up at Augusta National Thursday and pulls the wrong muscle on the wrong swing at the wrong time, and promptly parks himself under the old clubhouse oak to announce his retirement.
Here's a question for you: Who's the greatest player of all time?

Are you going with Jack Nicklaus or Tiger Woods?
I'm going with Tiger Woods. It isn't an easy concession to make. Nicklaus and his family made my life a whole lot easier as I was writing and researching my new book, Arnie & Jack: Palmer, Nicklaus, and Golf's Greatest Rivalry. Jack gave me five hours on his private jet, and then some.

Tiger gave me 11 minutes in the locker room at Doral, and he spent seven of them searching for a way to end the conversation.
But sentiment can't stand in the way of fact. Woods at his best would've beaten Nicklaus at his best, and I no longer believe Tiger needs to break Jack's record of 18 major championships to prove the point.

If the 32-year-old Woods stays healthy, he's a death-and-taxes lock to get to 19 and beyond, with the smart money on beyond. Tiger posted Jack's records on his childhood walls for a reason. He's planning to do to Nicklaus' No. 18 what Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire did to Roger Maris' No. 61.

Smash it, not pass it. And without the sinister help of some bottled-up friends

................Like what we witnessed on The champion League the other day...................................................................................................

 

[BAK]

Tiger Woods is within a striking distance. If he will be able to achieve 63 tomorrow as well as Sunday which he is capable of doing, then there will be nobody to touch him in Augusta.

 

[Ole]

Tiger Woods Press Conference: MASTERS, Sunday April 13, 2008
4/14/2008 5:09:00 AM
AUGUSTA, GEORGIA

Q. You're thinking, I make a couple more putts?

TIGER WOODS: I didn't putt well all week. I was telling Billy over there, I kept dragging the blade. I wasn't releasing it, wasn't getting the overspin like I normally do. Out here if you're not starting the ball perfectly on line, you're not going to make any putts.

Q. What's that a function of, when you're, as you say, dragging the blade?

TIGER WOODS: I've tried to release it, tried to get it going, and tried to hook my putts, tried to do anything to get the thing rolling properly. I just didn't quite have it this week. For some reason on the longer putts I was great. I was able to -- the length of the stroke definitely helps, so on the shorter putts I just kept dragging it.

Q. What about the par-5s? Did you think you were going to be able to get a couple more strokes off there?

TIGER WOODS: There's no doubt. I was probably about a yard off on 2, just barely caught the edge of that bunker there, the only spot you can't put in that right bunker there.
8, I hit it over that hill and I didn't think it was going to check like that.

13, I missed a short one.

15, I had a tough up-and-down but I could have got that one up-and-down.

Q. The par-5s --

TIGER WOODS: No, not with these conditions. You've just got to play them under par each day, and try and sprinkle some more here and there.

Q. Your strength has always been playing for the moment. I just wonder, with all the talk of the Slam, was there anything in your mind about that at all? You were the one, of course, who first presented it and we jumped all over it.

TIGER WOODS: I learned my lesson there with the press. I'm not going to say anything. It's just one of those things when you're out there playing, you couldn't care less. You're trying to win a golf tournament. You're trying to put yourself in position, which I did. I just didn't make the putts I needed to make this entire week. I had the speed right, I just didn't quite get the line right.

Q. How does your putting rank as far as past tournaments?

TIGER WOODS: Yeah, last year here. Well, not too many.

Q. I saw you working on the greens last Sunday. Is that something you were working on even then? Were you dragging --

TIGER WOODS: I wasn't, no. It just happened this week.

Q. Just kind of developed?

TIGER WOODS: That's the way it is. Some weeks are like that. You have bad weeks and you have good weeks, and certainly this week was not one of my best.

Q. Talk about playing here Sunday with the lead and having to chase.

TIGER WOODS: Well, with these conditions it's really no different. We're all playing under difficult conditions, and we figured if we shot something in the 60s we're going to be right there with a chance to win and try to put a lot of pressure on Trevor up there. It turns out that would have been the case. But I didn't do my part.

End of FastScripts

Tiger and his club part company after another disappointing shot -
he is not playing badly, but neither is he playing well enough

Second position not good enough for Tiger ... ...

 

[Capitol Hill]

He's putting too much pressure on himself. He missed short putts which where to be hit down center of the holes because they didn't break much. He overthink. Na nafikiri its the expectation that people have of Tiger. I would hate to be him, everybody..the media, the fans expects Tiger to win every tournamnet that he tees off. Its not fair. Jack Nicklaus once went I think it was 3 years without winning a major. When Tiger went 2 years without winning one..when he was re-tooling his swing..the media was bashing him and chanting that he was in the SLUMP..now when he wins even a single major..its not even good enough. We forget that the guy is a human being. However, I give kuddos for him for finishing second or third when he doesn't win the major. You look in 2005 at Pinehurst (U.S. Open) he finished 2nd behind Michael Campbell. That year he won the Masters and the British Open, the following year he finished 3rd at August, won the British Open, missed cut at Winged Foot (U.S. Open) where Mickleson choked on 18th. Then he won the PGA Championship in Illinois. Last year his worst major performance was at the British Open where he finished at 12. But he finished 2nd at the Masters, finished 2nd at U.S. Open and won the tough PGA championship in Oklahoma.
This years U.S. Open is at Torrey Pines, the place where Tiger has won so many times including this year (Buick Invitation). He will come back...he usually dose. Because he doesn't play for 2nd or 3rd.

 

[BAK]

Woods to miss 4 weeks after knee surgery

Published: April 15, 2008

(AP) - Tiger Woods had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Tuesday to repair cartilage damage, his second operation in five years on the same knee. He is expected to miss at least a month while he recovers.

The surgery, announced on his Web site, came two days after Woods finished two shots behind Trevor Immelman in the Masters. He most likely will miss The Players Championship, but should return in time to play the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines on June 12.

``I made the decision to deal with the pain and schedule the surgery for after the Masters,'' Woods said. ``The upside is that I have been through this process before and know how to handle it. I look forward to working through the rehabilitation process and getting back to action as quickly as I can.''

The surgery was performed in Park City, Utah, by Thomas Rosenberg, who also operated on Woods' left knee in December 2002. Woods also had surgery in 1994 on his left knee to remove a benign tumor.

Swing coach Hank Haney told the AP in phone interview he knew Woods' knee was bothering him, but was not aware of the surgery until Woods called him.

``He's been having a lot of trouble,'' Haney said. ``He doesn't talk about stuff like that. He doesn't want to use excuses, you know? I don't think it affected his play. It affected his practice a little bit. He hit 14 greens in regulation on Sunday. Hard to say it was the knee.''

Woods gave no indication his knee was bothering him the first three months of the season, when he won his first four tournaments to extend a winning streak that dated to September.

``Tiger has been experiencing pain in his knee since the middle of last year, and when he had it looked at by his doctors, arthroscopic surgery was recommended,'' said Mark Steinberg, Woods' agent at IMG. ``Tiger has played through the pain in the past, but knew it would be better for him to have the procedure done as early as possible.''

Steinberg said the surgery repaired cartilage damage. The 2002 surgery drained fluid from around the anterior cruciate ligament and removed a benign cyst.

Woods won the Bridgestone Invitational and PGA Championship in consecutive weeks in August, the latter his 13th career major. After tying for second at the Deutsche Bank Championship to Phil Mickelson, he won the final two events to capture the FedEx Cup, won his unofficial Target World Challenge in December, and won his first four events until tying for fifth at Doral last month.

During the final two events of the PGA Tour season - the BMW Championship in Chicago and the Tour Championship - Woods occasionally would press his foot against a cooler on the tee box and stretch his knee.

He also stumbled behind the eighth green at Southern Hills during the final round of the PGA Championship, right after he chipped in for birdie and was backing up to throw a fist pump.

Otherwise, there were no other outward signs he was hurting.

``He's been cautious with it working out,'' Haney said. ``He just needed to go in there and clean it out.''

The recovery is expected to be four to six weeks, meaning Woods will not be able to defend his title May 1 in the Wachovia Championship. He likely will miss The Players Championship, one of three non-majors he has never missed since turning pro.

``Of course, we're disappointed when Tiger is unable to compete in a PGA Tour event,'' commissioner Tim Finchem said on the tour's Web site. ``There is really never a good time for an athlete - especially one of Tiger's caliber - to take weeks off from competition during the season. But his health concerns have to come first.''

Woods missed two months the last time he had surgery, but most of that was around the holiday and he only missed one tournament. This will be the second time in two years that he has sat out more than a month between the Masters and the U.S. Open. He missed nine weeks when his father died of cancer in 2006, returned to the U.S. Open at Winged Foot and missed the cut.

Assuming the recovery goes as planned, Woods probably will return at the Memorial two weeks before the U.S. Open. Despite his runner-up finish at the Masters, he will be a heavy favorite at the second major. Woods has won six times at Torrey Pines, including the last three years.

The last time Woods had knee surgery, he won three of his first four tournaments, starting with the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines.

``This is something he's already used to,'' Haney said. ``He deals with stuff incredibly, like you would expect him to.''

 

[BAK]

Golf will not be the same with Tiger Woods out of action for 4 weeks or more.

 

[Capitol Hill]

Golf will not be the same with Tiger Woods out of action for 4 weeks or more.

Nakubaliana na wewe mkuu. Nilikuwa nime-plan kuangalia next event Tiger atakayocheza nione jinsi atakavyo rebound kutoka Augusta. Especially nilikuwa niko excited kuangalia the Players Championship itakayochezwa TPC Sawgrass kwa sababu ya ugumu wa hiyo golf course. Lakini sasa I wont care..may be I will be watching NBA Playoffs until U.S. Open.

 

[Ole]

April 25, 2008
Needless to say, I'm a little stir crazy since my knee surgery on April 15. Although I've been through this before and understand the need for patience, I don't enjoy sitting around.

I really don't have a timetable for returning to competition. The doctors have said I should be able to play again in four-to-six weeks, but nothing is certain. I'm just going to do what they tell me to do. At least I'm done with the crutches. I used them last week at Tiger Jam XI in Las Vegas to get around the hotel. Now, I'm wearing a knee brace and hope to start rehabbing soon.

I knew a couple of months ago I was going to have the surgery. The knee has been bugging me for a while. The only decision was do you miss the Masters or play in the Masters? I decided to play. Even if I had won, I still would have had the surgery.

I've definitely been playing in pain, but that's not why I didn't win at Augusta. I just never got comfortable with my putting stroke. As I said after the tournament, I was dragging the putter coming through which meant I couldn't start the ball on line. That's all it takes on those greens. Obviously, it was frustrating because I hit the ball well enough to win. It was just one of those things. I called Trevor Immelman a couple days later to congratulate him. He was on the TV circuit, so I didn't actually talk to him, but I left a voice message. Nobody has ever doubted his ability. He has a beautiful golf swing and it was only a matter of time before he put it all together at a major championship.

The course was very difficult. I didn't hear as many roars as I usually hear, especially on the weekend. It did play like a U.S. Open course, which is fine. But I think the galleries are used to seeing birdies and eagles. On Sunday, the way the wind was blowing, it was tough to make pars. I hear the club might be making some changes next year to give us a break. We'll see what happens.

Tiger Jam XI was a great success. Many thanks to the sponsors, celebrities and fans for helping us raise more than $1.5 million for the Tiger Woods Foundation. Our live and silent auctions were big hits. Hot items were a 2009 Masters trip; a private Royal Canadian Pacific rail cruise; an Olympics package; and a 2008 Buick Enclave.

VAN HALEN put on a great show. Special thanks to David Lee Roth, who personally contributed $100,000 to the Tiger Woods Foundation. I also want to thank the Van Halens - Eddie, Alex and Wolfgang - who donated $100,000 to help our programs.

My sincere thanks to all the fans who have emailed their support and best wishes since my surgery. It means a lot to me. I'll keep you updated on my progress.

Take care.

Tiger

Tiger woods will be back with a bang!

 

[Ole]

Tiger Woods isn't competing in this week's Memorial Tournament presented by Morgan Stanley in suburban Columbus, Ohio, because his surgically repaired knee isn't ready for competition, meaning his first start after finishing second at the Masters will be next month's U.S. Open.

Very sad news for golf lovers. Hopefully he will be in good health and sharp at the US open.

 

[Ole]

Tiger Paired With Mickelson, Scott During First Two Rounds of U.S. Open
6/5/2008 6:53:00 PM

LA JOLLA, Ca. - Top-ranked Tiger Woods will be paired with second-ranked Phil Mickelson and third-ranked Adam Scott in the first two rounds of the 108th U.S. Open next week at Torrey Pines Golf Course. The trio will start at 8:06 a.m. local time on the first tee Thursday, then begin at 1:36 p.m. off the 10th tee on Friday.

"I'm looking forward to it," said Woods. "The course is in wonderful condition. It should be quite a challenge." The last time Woods and Mickelson were paired together in a U.S. Open was the third round in 1999 at Pinehurst Country Club. Payne Stewart won the tournament, with Woods finishing third.
Woods played a practice round Wednesday at Torrey Pines. Riding in a cart with swing coach Hank Haney, he played 17 holes then picked up his ball just short of the par-5 18th green to avoid waiting cameras. No spectators or media were allowed on the course, which has been closed since May 21.
Woods, a two-time winner of the U.S. Open, hasn't played competitive golf since April 13, when he finished second in the Masters. Two days later, he underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.

Woods, who opened 2008 by winning his first four starts, has had great success at Torrey Pines. He has captured six Buick Invitational titles, including four-straight. In January, he romped to an eight-stroke victory.
The course will measure 7,643 yards - 379 yards longer than any previous U.S. Open - and play to a par-71. The par-3 third, 11th and 16th holes will vary in distance each day by 17 to 53 yards, depending on the conditions. There has also been discussion about shortening the 435-yard par-4 14th hole for one round.

Fairways will range from 24 to 33 yards wide. Intermediate rough will be set to 1 ¾ inches and primary rough to 2 ¼ inches. Greens will be set at 13 to 13 ½ feet on the Stimpmeter. Seventy-two of the 156 players are fully exempt, including past champions Woods (2000, 2002), Michael Campbell (2005), Angel Cabrera (2007), Ernie Els (1994, 1997), Jim Furyk (2003), Retief Goosen (2001, 2004), Lee Janzen (1993, 1998) and Geoff Ogilvy (2006). Winners receive a full exemption into the tournament for 10 years.

For the 22nd-consecutive year, the event is a sellout. Approximately 42,500 tickets were sold for each day.

Torrey Pines here we come ... ... starting this thursday .... ...

Tiger woods is ready after a knee operation, how will he perform after skipping last week tournament siting not yet fit?

 

[BAK]

Hopefully he will win or be among the top three players...🙂

 

[Ole]

Clash of the titans



Tiger will take the US open hands down. He does not participate to make the number, he enters to win. Go on Tiger... ... ...

 

[Ole]

Tiger's knee holds up in 9 holes at Torrey Pines

Published: June 09, 2008

Scott Halleran/Getty Images
Woods pulled out of his practice round after nine holes.

SAN DIEGO (AP) — U.S. Open week arrived at Torrey Pines on Monday, when Tiger Woods had to share the city-owned course with fellow competitors and a gallery that grew at every hole.

If anyone didn't realize that Woods had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee two days after the Masters, they wouldn't have known by the way he played the South Course's front nine in a practice round. "He didn't say 'Ow' to me, so it must be good," cracked Bubba Watson, who played with Woods and amateur Jordan Cox from Stanford. The threesome teed off at about 7 a.m. under an overcast sky and with no wind coming off the Pacific Ocean. Woods pulled out after nine holes, spent some time on the putting green and then walked toward the Lodge at Torrey Pines at about 10:15 a.m., accompanied by two San Diego policemen, caddie Steve Williams and swing coach Hank Haney.

Woods didn't speak to reporters.

"He looked good," Haney said. "He'll be OK. No problems so far."

On Wednesday, Woods played his first round of golf since knee surgery, getting in 17-plus holes riding in a cart. He played in solitude that day amid tight security, with no media or spectators allowed on the course. He stopped only when he saw a small group of people with cameras waiting around the 18th green. On Monday, Woods scrambled in and out of bunkers and crushed some drives. He didn't appear to favor his knee.

"I don't think the surgery affected him at all," Cox said. "He's hitting it really, really well right now." Woods didn't hit every fairway. He played mostly tee to green, not bothering to putt out on every hole. The three did spend time chipping and putting toward anticipated pin placements at Torrey Pines, the first city-owned course to host the U.S. Open.

Most of all, he looked fit.

"He's got a whole career to worry about," Watson said. "I don't think he's going to mess it up. That's what he did, he pulled out of Memorial because he felt he wasn't ready, and if he wasn't ready here, he wouldn't show up, no matter what the course was, no matter what the crowd wants, no matter what the media wants. He's not going to end his career on some stupidity."

Woods has been dominating at Torrey Pines dating to his days playing in the Junior World Golf Championships. He's won the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines six times, including four straight. "Tiger always plays well," Watson said.

The 20-year-old Cox said his round was "Surreal. Kind of everything I've dreamed of, everything I thought it would be. It's pretty cool, you know, everybody following us around, the clapping. It was a little nerve-racking at the beginning. You just get used to it and just go about your business." Asked what score it would take to win on Sunday, Watson said, "I hope it's whatever I shoot."

After mentioning that the greens could get firmer and faster as the week goes on, Watson added: "Whatever Tiger shoots, normally."

Woods and Phil Mickelson, the Nos. 1 and 2 players in the world, will be paired together for the first two rounds with No. 3 Adam Scott.

 

[Ole]

The Secrets of Tiger's Amazing Mind

Credit: Getty Images​

It's U.S. Open week, once again time to talk about great players who have yet to win a big one. It's an old idea, but this time with a twist. These are the 10 best who haven't won a major -- or a Players. That eliminates perennial No. 1 Sergio Garcia, as well as Adam Scott. Who will take their place?



What makes Tiger Tiger? It's what he calls his greatest weapon: "my creative mind." As a window into his mind, our experts observed his body, studying his movements between swings to reveal how his physical actions fuel his mental toughness. Plus: How copying his moves can save you strokes.

What makes Tiger great?​

Talent, sure, but every Tour pro has talent. What puts Eldrick Woods miles above the rest is visceral - heart and guts - as well as what he calls his greatest weapon: "my creative mind."
To know Tiger's mind, you need only decode his signals. In February, Golf Magazine followed Woods during his dramatic victory over huge-hitter J.B. Holmes at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.
We then asked body-language expert Jan Hargrave to analyze Woods' moves during his roller-coaster round.
According to Hargrave, who advises Merrill Lynch, Exxon and NASA, our words make up only 7 percent of what we communicate to others. The remaining 93 percent is nonverbal information. Our bodies don't lie. The key to Tiger's secret signals is that they don't just express his dominance - they propel it.
That's bad news for Phil and Ernie but good news for the rest of us, since it's easier to copy Woods' mannerisms than his stinger.
"Emulating Tiger's body language could help any golfer," says Hargrave, who trains phobic clients to be confident by acting confident. "To overcome fear or worry on the course, golfers should match and mirror what he does."
The message: If you want to play more like Tiger, act more like Tiger. After a while, it might not be an act.

Fore Right!​

On the first tee at the Match Play at the Gallery at Dove Mountain, in Arizona, Woods hits his drive O.B., a rotten start to his quest for a sixth win in a row.
He looks crushed - a true Woodsian reaction. Rather than hide his dismay, he expresses it.
"He leans on his club as if he'd like someone to lean on," Hargrave says. "In these pensive moments, Tiger may be thinking of lessons his father taught him about persistence and determination."
Woods has often said that he flashes back to long-ago rounds with Earl Woods when he needs a mental boost.
What you can do:
Hit a bad shot? Get mad - for 10 steps only, says Top 100 Teacher Mike Malaska. "Tiger's dad taught Tiger it was OK to be angry for 10 steps, but he must let it go on the 11th."

Watchful Waiting​

Two holes down, Woods waits for Holmes to hit.
"His body language is super-positive," Hargrave says. "See the hand on his hip? He's displaying superiority. His commitment to his game is clear in every move."
Woods thinks about anything but golf between shots. He tells jokes or talks hoops with caddie Steve Williams. Then he switches into what Williams calls "Tiger's mental quiet," a Zen-like calm that can be traced back to the childhood trips he took with his mother to a Buddhist temple to meditate. Mentally refreshed, Woods pictures his next shot.
What you can do:
Forget golf between swings. Instead, talk sports or stocks or the latest nude-governor scandal. Then focus on your shot when you get to your ball.

#@*%#�!!!​

After missing the green at the fourth hole, Woods blurts out, "G--ammit, Tiger!"
Three holes later, gritting his teeth after a crooked drive, he mutters a few f-bombs, then misses a birdie putt and barks, "Come on, you mother------!"
But Steve Williams isn't worried. He knows how Tiger's temper serves to reboot his A-game. As Woods says later, thinking back to these moments, "It would have been very easy to let the match slip away. I tried to get as mad and frustrated as I possibly could, to get myself fired up. It helps me refocus."
What you can do:
Woods uses anger as a motivator. Malaska says that if you want to get even, get mad - for a few seconds. Once you've let off some steam, your cooler head will prevail.

Getting Ugly​

Two-down through 11 holes, Tiger refuses to concede a short par putt. Holmes, annoyed, knocks in the putt and shoots him a dirty look.
Woods shrugs. He's here to win a match, not a popularity contest.
Moments later, Woods hangs his head after a poor shot. His body seems to say, 'I am pissed.'"
Hargrave agrees: "This is a picture of disgust. He shuts his eyes to block out disturbing information. But he hasn't given up. Tossing his club over his shoulder indicates that he's throwing his troubles away - he may be preparing to charge back ahead."
What you can do:
If a club lets you down, drop it - literally. "That simple act lets you vent and blame the club, so you can forget about it and move on," says Top 100 Teacher Rick Grayson.

Losing Ground​

At the 13th, Woods nearly holes a par chip, but the ball stays out.
"Slumped shoulders are rare for Tiger. He usually looks powerful, with his shoulders back and head held high," Hargrave says. "Here he looks like a scolded schoolboy."
Is he wondering what Dad would have thought of the spot he's gotten himself into? Disgusted by his play, Tiger concedes Holmes' three-footer. He's three down with five to play; from here, more than 90 percent of match-play golfers lose. And Tiger has never overcome a three-hole match-play deficit as a professional.


What you can do:
Nicklaus said he never missed a big putt. "Some didn't go in, but I never missed." If a good swing brings a poor result, blame bad luck. Now, the golf gods owe you one.

Stands with a Fist​

Woods sees a tough spot not as a burden but as a chance for something special. Golf's great grinder knows he's running out of holes but refuses to get down on himself or to think more than one shot ahead. He cuts the deficit to two with a birdie on the 14th.
"Clenching his fist signifies pleasure, defiance and an internal instinct to fight," Hargrave says.
According to David Feherty, Tiger's knack for hitting do-or-die shots sends a message:
"It tells the other guy, 'Yeah, this is what I do in the clutch. If you wanna beat me, you'll have to be at least as good.'"
What you can do:
Make a fist when the going gets tough. "Physical actions create mental states, "Top 100 Teacher Mitchell Spearman says. "The gesture can makes you feel tough."

Renewed Resolve​

Tiger now has a fierce focus.
"He's aloof," Hargrave says. "He's defensive - note the crossed arms - but determined."
Tiger's face shows intensity, hostility: the look of a man who has no intention of losing.
On 15, Holmes blows a chip 30 feet past the hole. As Tiger's eyes lock onto Holmes' ball - statue-still, only his eyes moving - the effect is that of a real tiger eyeing a three-legged goat.
Holmes misses his par try, giving Woods two putts to win the hole. He jars his birdie putt anyway. Tiger is one down with three to play. The momentum has swung.
What you can do:
Stand, walk, or cross your arms like Tiger; your mind follows your body's lead. Hargrave: "If you stand or move in a way that says 'I'm confident,' you'll feel that way."

Getting Pumped​

Woods' third straight birdie squares the match on 16, triggering the famous fist pump.
"His gestures display power," Hargrave says. "The more space a person uses, the more powerful he appears. He spreads his stance to deliver the message that he has 'taken a stand' on this hole."
"The fist pump has a physical purpose, too," Feherty adds. "At this point Tiger's so full of adrenaline that he needs to burn some of it off. Shaking his fist brings him back to a more focused level. Watch him after the fist pump - he goes into an almost transcendental calm."
What you can do:
Act out after a big shot. Pump your fist, point at your partner, even do a push-up. Burning energy can help smooth your brainwaves - and your next swing.

Picturing Perfect​

Both players reach the 601-yard 17th green in two. Holmes leaves his eagle putt short. Woods faces a 36- footer.
"His mental state appears to be pensive, exact, intelligent - a warrior preparing for battle," Hargrave says. "He is absorbed in each of his tasks."
Studying his line, Tiger pictures the ball going in. He is so focused he wouldn't hear a marching band behind him.
"I've seen Tiger midround walk right past [wife] Elin and not even notice her," Feherty says. "You could swing a baseball bat and it'd bounce off his force field, an inch from his head. He's that dialed-in."
What you can do:
Imagine the specific part of the hole where you think the ball will drop in if hit perfectly, Grayson says. This promotes pinpoint focus and helps block out distraction.

Alpha Predator​

BANG! The long putt at 17 caps a birdie-birdie-birdie-eagle run that gives Woods a lead he won't lose, and leaves Holmes stunned.
Hargrave: "Tiger's entire body says 'Hooray!' He lifts his arms and again makes a fist. His face says, 'I did it! I told you I could!' He takes longer strides that demonstrate his power and say, 'Get out of my way!'"
This moment goes straight into Woods' memory bank. Like countless other moments from the Tiger Woods highlight reel, it will feed his confidence the next time he sizes up a pressure putt. He'll know the ball is going in.
What you can do:
Picture the best shots you ever hit. "You can succeed because you've done it before," says Spearman. "Like Tiger, try to relish the chance to hit another great shot."


All Pictures Credit: Robert Beck unless noted.

Tiger Woods on finishing touches to claim another silverware ... ... starting Thursday .... ...Asked about his knee Tiger Woods - Tuesday reiterated that he will be fine for the tournament and fingers crossed ....

 

[Ole]

How Tiger Woods Makes His Millions

Tiger Woods earned nearly $128 million last year -- $22.9 million on the course and approximately $105 million off it. Here are some of the companies that help make him the richest athlete on the planet.

Nike

Tiger Woods sports Nike clothing from head to toe, and with the exception of his putter, uses Nike clubs and balls. He signed a new multi-year deal with Nike in December 2006, and though the terms were not released, his five-year deal in 2001 was widely reported to be worth $100 million.

Credit: David Walberg/SI

Gatorade

In March, Gatorade introduced "Gatorade Tiger," Woods's first deal with a beverage company and his first licensing agreement. Golfweek reported that the deal was for five years and could pay Woods as much as $100 million. Woods even picked out the flavors himself: cherry blend, citrus blend and grape.

Credit: Robert Beck/SI

Buick

The Buick logo can be spotted on his golf bag, Woods stars in the company's commercials, and he supposedly drives one, too. In February of 2004 he reportedly signed a five year deal worth $40 million.

Credit: Robert Beck/SI

Gillette


Along with tennis player Roger Federer and soccer star Thierry Henry, Tiger Woods signed on with Gillette as part of the company's "Champions" campaign. The deal is estimated to be worth anywhere from $10 to $20 million.


Credit: KARIM SAHIB/AFP/Getty Images

Tatweer: The Tiger Woods Dubai

In a joint venture with Tatweer, a member of the government-affiliated Dubai Holding, Tiger Woods has made his first foray into golf course design. This extensive project includes a course called Al Ruwaya (it means "serenity"), a hotel, a golf academy, a community center and 287 residences. The cost of the residences will range from $12 million to $23 million. The project is expected to be completed in 2009.


Credit: HAIDER SHAH/AFP/Getty Images

EA Sports

Tiger Woods is also involved in the creation of the EA video game series Tiger Woods PGA Tour. Woods offers suggestions about game design and has his exact golf swing captured for use in the game. The details of his deal with EA are unknown.


Credit: Courtesy of EA Sports

Accenture

In addition to sponsoring the WGC-Match Play Championship, which Woods won this year, Accenture also sponsors Tiger Woods. Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company.


Credit: Robert Beck/SI

Tag Heuer

Not only can Tiger Woods be spotted wearing Tag Heuer's watches after tournaments, he was also involved in designing a lightweight style specifically for golfers.

 

[Ole]

Woods and Mickelson will play together on Thursday and Friday.​

The showdown starts tomorrow ... ...

 

[Ole]

Solid Start

Woods double bogeyed the first hole.

Credit: Robert Beck/SI


Despite two double bogeys, Tiger Woods managed to finish at one-over 71, one shot behind Phil Mickelson, who finished at even par. Adam Scott made a late birdie to shoot a 73.

 

[Ole]

Woods hits his stride and makes his move

Senior Writer, GOLF Magazine
Published: June 13, 2008

Concrete Resolve

As Tiger Woods sauntered down the fifth fairway munching an apple at Torrey Pines on Friday, waves of exuberant fans flanking the fairway cheered lustily. It was 5:20 p.m., Woods had birdied three of his last four holes, and every man, woman and child, every hopeless fan and hardened skeptic, understood exactly what was happening.

Playing on a tender, surgically repaired left knee, and walking 18 holes for only the second time in the last two months, Woods fired a 5-under-par 30 on Torrey's front nine for a second-round 68. He finished at 2-under overall, tied with Robert Karlsson and Rocco Mediate one shot behind leader Stuart Appleby at the 108th U.S. Open.

"I felt that if I played well [on] that back nine I could definitely get back to even par for the tournament and I would be right back in the championship," Woods said. "And I started running them in there from everywhere." And in so doing he turned this from a nice gathering on the bluffs into living history.
"Get his apple core!" someone yelled when Woods finished his snack on the fifth hole.

The crowd, estimated at 60,000, couldn't help itself. The world's most famous athlete was doing what it had paid to see, what it had seen so many times on TV, but now he was live, in every sense of the word. And he was doing it on less than two legs. Woods has often said that Torrey Pines fits his eye, and never was that more apparent than on his second nine holes on Friday. He caught a lucky break on the par-4 first hole, where his tee shot came to rest just to the right of the cart path, in a perfect lie, from where he hit a 157-yard 8-iron to the green and made the birdie putt. Thereafter, he didn't miss a shot.

But while the world No. 1 was hitting driver and finding the fairways, No. 2, Phil Mickelson, Woods's playing partner , was swinging his trusty 3-wood and missing mostly left of them. Despite continuing to eschew driver off the tee, Mickelson hit a mere six of 14 fairways for the second straight day and shot a 4-over 75 to drop to 4-over for the tournament, six shots back of Woods and seven off the lead. "I've got to hit balls in the fairway," Mickelson said after missing the short grass for the last time on the par-5 ninth hole and finishing his round with a deflating bogey. "When I do I'm able to play the course effectively. I'm able to make some birdies, make easy pars. When I don't, it's been very tough."

Adam Scott, the third member of the power threesome, shot his second straight 73 and also was at 4-over for the tournament. Playing in easier conditions in the morning, Davis Love III and D.J. Trahan each shot 69 to get to 1-under overall, and were matched at that number by Lee Westwood (71) and Miguel Angel Jimenez, who fired the low round of the tournament, a 5-under 66. Five players, including two-time U.S. Open champion Ernie Els and 2006 U.S. Open winner Geoff Ogilvy, were another shot back at even par, three behind Appleby.

The 18-hole leaders made a quick tumble off the leader board. Overnight co-leader Kevin Streelman made a triple-bogey 6 on the par-3 third hole. He committed two double-bogeys as well in carding a 6-over-par 77 that left him at 3-over total. Eric Axley triple-bogeyed his first hole, dropping off the leader board even faster than Streelman, and the other overnight co-leader, Justin Hicks, was 6-over in his first eight holes.

With the co-leaders going in the wrong direction, Love and Trahan made the morning's biggest moves. That Trahan would play so well came as something of a surprise, given his mediocre record at the Buick Invitational, also played at Torrey Pines. Putting is usually his bugaboo, and this municipal course on the bluffs overlooking the Pacific is beloved more for its scenic views than its sometimes bumpy greens.

"I've never really looked forward to the Buick," Trahan said. "I've played it because I'm already on the West Coast. I took the attitude [this week] that this'll probably be my last time coming here, so I'd try to make the best of it."
Trahan took advantage of relatively calm conditions and an absence of wind in his first nine holes. He birdied the eighth and ninth to make the turn in 33, then played the back nine in even par. He missed a five-foot birdie putt on 18 to end his round.

Els, 38, won the Honda Classic earlier this year but has gone quiet since working with swing guru Butch Harmon. He won the U.S. Open in 1994 and '97, and despite some gripes about the greens late Thursday afternoon (after they had been trampled by most of the 156-man field) he liked his chances for a third title this weekend. Of course he was speaking well before Woods made his move and reminded all in attendance that even though he's playing on a bad wheel, and this is not the same course he's won on in the past, golf is still golf, and Tiger is still Tiger.

Day Two: Business time for Tiger

PGATOUR.COM Interactive Producer

LA JOLLA, Calif. -- The fans were raucous; part golf gallery, part rock concert crowd. They climbed up trees, they made plenty of noise and they followed this week's Supergroup like the bulls at Pamplona, stampeding to holes with the kind of gusto normally reserved for Marines.

But late in the day Friday, one man got serious. Dead-aim serious. After all the hype, all the fun spinning off from the pairing of the world's top three players, Tiger Woods found his game face and got down to business. Result? A five-birdie, no-bogey 30 on his final nine holes Friday, his best nine-hole stretch at a major in 10 years.

That's serious.

Woods knows what it takes to win a major championship. Heck, he's won 13 of them. Everyone gave him a pass after Thursday's 1-over 72. It's the surgically repaired left knee, we said. Cut him some slack, he hasn't played in two months, we reasoned. However, Tiger didn't become Tiger by making excuses. His mind and his will are tougher than trigonometry, as he demonstrated by shooting a 3-under 68 on Friday that left him at 2-under, tied for second going into the weekend. "I actually just kept patient," Woods explained -- and all this time we thought Los Angeles Lakers head coach Phil Jackson was the Zen Master. "I was trying to get back to even par for the tournament. ... All of a sudden (putts) started flying in from everywhere."

And if he keeps it up? Well, that doesn't bode well for the rest of the field.
Woods, along with Rocco Mediate and Robert Karlsson, is one shot behind tournament leader Stuart Appleby. The Australian has been near the top in majors before but has never closed the deal.

Well well two days to go and what can we expect at Torrey pines? Follow the game... ...Tiger only one short behind...

 

[BAK]

Jana alipoanza kufanya vitu vyake mbele ya Phil Mickelson na Adam Scott nilikuwa nakenua tu gego mpaka gego na kutotaka kubanduka mbele ya TV. I am worried a little bit by his limping, I hope it won't derail his efforts to win another US open.