Atlanta, GA (September 24, 2018) —Traversing the hills of East Lake GC made my squeaky body parts cry for mercy. I never minded uphill climbs in my youth. Old age is a mixed bag filled with pain meds, rubs and muscle relaxers.
Yet for all of my whining, it only took one glance at the leaderboard on the eighth hole in the third round of the Tour Championship to remind me that some uphill climbs are still worth the trouble.
There in a bold declaration was proof positive that Tiger Woods was taking another giant step up from the pit of forced irrelevance to the pinnacle of greatness he once so proudly occupied. The electronic scoreboard read: Woods -13. The nearest challenger, World No. 1 Justin Rose, was at -8.
As if on cue, raindrops sprinkled the throng of cheering fans lining the right side of the fairway from tee to green on a nearly cloudless, steamy afternoon. Perhaps it was a misty-eyed golf god overcome with emotion at the scene of Tiger back to being Tiger.
In many ways, it was just like old times. Tiger charging up the leaderboard with precision driving, iron play and work on the greens. He reeled off six birdies in seven holes, including five straight that left the huge galleries searching for words to describe what they were witnessing and Rose shell-shocked.
Tiger was finally back. Order was restored. Babies and gray beards could sleep safely in their cribs. Even a couple of missteps—bogeys on nine and 16—didn’t put a damper on a sterling 65 for a three-shot lead over Rose and Rory McIlroy after 54 holes.
And we all know what a frontrunner Tiger has been throughout his illustrious career. For those who have forgotten, here are the stats: 42-2 when holding the outright lead after 54 holes; marks the 58th time Tiger has held the third-round lead or co-lead on Tour, going on to win 53 times; when leading through 54 holes, he’s gone on to win the Tour Championship twice, in 1999 at the Champions Golf Club in Houston and in 2007 at East Lake GC.
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BEAMING WITH CONFIDENCE
The stats aren’t the only thing Tiger has going for him. He’s also beaming with confidence.
“I was still trying to figure out how to play (this past spring),’’ he said. “My body is so different than it was then, and my equipment is so different than it was then, too. I’ve gone through a lot this year to get myself to this point, and understanding and fighting my way through it. I’m certainly more equipped than I was because of what I’ve gone through.’’
In his prime, Tiger would apply so much pressure on his challengers that they would back off, and he would hoist the trophy nearly by default. The 42-year-old version is facing a group of players eager to show the world they’re the equal of the great one.
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With that in mind, don’t expect Rose and McIlroy to hand an 80th Tour victory to Tiger. He’s going to have to earn it, a fact he acknowledged.
“I would love to be able to win this event,’’ he said. “I’ve got a three-shot lead. I’ve got a bunch of guys behind me that have been playing well, and we’ll see what happens tomorrow.’’
The bet here is that Tiger’s view will be from atop the hill after a very long and rewarding climb.
ABOUT PETE McDANIEL
Pete McDaniel is a veteran golf writer and best-selling author. His blogs and books are available at petemcdaniel.com
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