READ TODAY'S STORIES AND E-EDITION SUBSCRIBE |  CONTACT US |  SIGN IN
Sports Extra!



SPORTS EXTRA BLOGS

FOR THE RECORD
LOCAL PROS

ALL SPORTS

PHOTOS & VIDEOS

OUTDOORS

FIND A STORY

EMAIL ALERTS

SOCIAL MEDIA

RSS FEEDS

CONTACT US
BUY PHOTOS & PAGES

ADVERTISE ON SPORTS EXTRA


Print story only Print story with comments Email Twitter Facebook Pinterest
Believe it or not, a Tiger foe fights back
Published: 8/16/2009 10:15 PM
Last Modified: 8/16/2009 10:15 PM

Flashback to the 2006 PGA Championship at Medinah:
I overheard people in the gallery grinching out loud that Tiger Woods takes all the suspense out of tournaments. Really, it isn't Tiger's fault. It's the fault of whoever he goes head-to-head with on Sundays.
Tiger's playing partners in the final round usually get so intimidated that they self-destruct like a tape recorder in "Mission Impossible."
Luke Donald was Tiger's playing partner at the 2006 PGA and he shot himself out of contention with a 2-over par, clearing the path for Woods to secure a no-sweat victory. Donald settled for third place.
Anybody remember who Tiger's playing partner was in the final round of the 2007 PGA at Southern Hills? It was Stephen Ames, who shot a 76 and wound up in 12th place.
But Tiger finally lost a major when holding a 54-hole lead. It happened Sunday in the 2009 PGA Championship.
Someone asked me what happened to Woods. Here's what happened: The guy he was paired with played to win instead of getting the willies.
Did you see Y.E. Yang's approach on No. 18? That's not a shot you make if you have an inferiority complex. He put the pressure on Woods, instead of vice versa, and golf's alpha male bogeyed the final two holes.
Does it mean Woods has been stripped of his invincible aura because he lost to a golfer with a red chicken on the back of his shirt?
Nope.
I'm picking Tiger in the next tournament he enters.


Reader Comments 1 Total
MexiMike (4 years ago)
I compare this situation to Rocky 4 where Rocky hits Ivan Drago and he bleeds for the first time. He's not invincible or a machine and he can be beaten. All it took was one punch (or great shot) to prove it.

I think Tiger will still be favored in torunaments to come but I expect the golfers paired up with him to have more confidence because they have seen him beaten and know it can be done.
1 comments displayed


To post comments on tulsaworld.com, you must be an active Tulsa World print or digital subscriber and signed into your account.


Games People Play

Tulsa World sports writer Jimmie Tramel is a former class president at Locust Grove High School. He graduated magna cum laude from Northeastern State University with a journalism degree and, while attending college, was sports editor of the Pryor Daily Times. He joined the Tulsa World on Oct. 17, 1989, the same day an earthquake struck the World Series. He is the OSU basketball beat writer and a columnist and feature writer during football season. In 2007, he wrote a book about Oklahoma State football with former Cowboy coach Pat Jones.

Follow Jimmie Tramel on Twitter

Subscribe to this blog


Archive

 
Jimmie Tramel's Blog Archive:

2/2013  1/2013  12/2012  11/2012  10/2012  9/2012  
8/2012  7/2012  6/2012  5/2012  4/2012  3/2012  
2/2012  1/2012  12/2011  11/2011  10/2011  9/2011  
8/2011  7/2011  6/2011  5/2011  4/2011  3/2011  
2/2011  1/2011  12/2010  11/2010  10/2010  9/2010  
8/2010  7/2010  6/2010  5/2010  4/2010  3/2010  
2/2010  1/2010  12/2009  11/2009  10/2009  9/2009  
8/2009  7/2009  6/2009  5/2009  4/2009  3/2009  
2/2009  1/2009  12/2008  11/2008  10/2008  9/2008  
8/2008  7/2008  6/2008  5/2008  4/2008  3/2008  
2/2008  1/2008  12/2007  11/2007  10/2007  9/2007  
8/2007  7/2007  6/2007  5/2007  4/2007  3/2007  
2/2007  1/2007  12/2006  11/2006  10/2006  9/2006  
8/2006  





Home | Contact Us | Search | Subscribe | Customer Service | About | Advertise
Copyright © 2013, World Publishing Co. All rights reserved.