GOLF
New Era, Familiar Finish
Published: Sep 17, 2007
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ATLANTA - It felt as if Sunday at East Lake Golf Club was preordained and inevitable, arriving with no doubt as to how the Tour Championship and inaugural FedEx Cup would play out.
Tiger Woods, in a move no more surprising than James Bond wiggling out of peril to spy another day, would do what he does best - carry professional golf on those broadening shoulders toward another historical milestone.
And so, on a sun-specked afternoon with an overflow gallery as witness, he did just that, continuing to turn amazing into routine by shooting a final-round 4-under 66 and completing a double-dip sweep of the $1.26 million Tour Championship winner's check and the $10 million FedEx Cup bonus.
Woods' winning score of 23 under was eight strokes better than runners-up Zach Johnson and Mark Calcavecchia. It improved by six shots the old tournament record set by Bart Bryant on the same course in 2005. Only two other winning scores in PGA Tour history have been lower. Over 72 holes it was two shots better than any score Woods ever posted as a pro.
And it was the richest payday sports has ever seen.
"Yeah, you know, for me I don't look at what the purse is or prize money," Woods said. "You play, and when you play, you play to win, period. That's how my dad raised me. If you win, everything will take care of itself. You take great pride in what you do on the golf course, and when you win events, that's when you can go home and be very proud of what you've done."
It can now be argued that what Woods is doing has never been done at a higher level. Not Ben Hogan. Not Jack Nicklaus. Not even Woods in 2000 when he won three majors and nine titles.
He played 16 events in 2007 and won seven - including his 13th career major. But it is the current quality of play that is at a level rarely, if ever, seen.
After this week's 64-63-64-66-257, Woods' past 11 rounds have been 68 or better. In his past five events, he has four wins and a runner-up. During that stretch he produced a scoring average of 66.65.
Earlier in the week, teaching pro Butch Harmon, cut loose three years ago by Woods and now in the enemy camp of rival Phil Mickelson, observed that the world's No. 1 has never hit the ball better.
Calcavecchia, who joined Johnson at 15 under and had an up-close look as Woods' final-round playing partner, would not disagree.
"He seems to be swinging as good as I've seen him swing it in a long time," the veteran observed. "His swing, as you've probably noticed, is a lot more upright and closer to the way it was in 2000. He's not laid off and overswinging with the club pointing that way, he's back up into this kind of cupped position, standing closer to the ball and clearing his left hip and letting it rip.
"I just gave him a lesson he didn't need to know, but he's swinging almost like he was in 2000, and he's driving it straight."
Frighteningly for all others, Woods suggested that it's all part of a maturing process and there can certainly be even better years ahead.
"Well, the last couple of years I've made a bunch of changes on my swing," he said. "But finally I went back to just playing golf again. I got over all the things that happened earlier, my dad passing, and I finally got back to just playing. The mourning period, I felt I was done with it. I felt I was back in my rhythm again. If you look at my results since then, it's been pretty good."
While rivals ebb and flow, their games falling victim to good streaks and bad, Woods' high level of consistency has become as unexplainable as his talents.
"He never ceases to amaze me," Johnson said after shooting 68, one day after a 10-under 60. "I'll put it this way: He's hard to describe."
A good start will be Player of the Year for the ninth time in 11 years.
And the first FedEx Cup champion.
"This just makes it even worse for us," said Johnson, the reigning Masters champ. "Why give him another thing to try to achieve? I mean, really. It's a carrot. He's a driven man. When you add another element to the drive, what do you do?"
Some would suggest either get out of the way or be run over.
"Well, I think once you experience it, you want to have it again," Woods said of the carrots. "It feels good; you want to get another one. Plus, once you do, you understand how to do it. That's the most important thing."
AROUND EAST LAKE
Hole Of The Day
No. 16
The 481-yard par-4 gave up only one birdie all day - fittingly enough to Tiger Woods, playing in the final group.
Shot Of The Day
The day's biggest crowd reaction was produced by hometown favorite Stewart Cink's 41-foot birdie putt on the par-3 18th. The birdie gave Cink a round of 67 and a tie for 11th.
Birdies
•Playoffs: No question, the FedEx Cup playoff system needs work. Lots and lots of work in several areas. That said, it's the middle of September and golf remained topical and interesting well into football season because of the FedEx Cup. Among the offseason issues that must be investigated: a better scoring system and a more flexible schedule. But, all things considered, it was a promising first year.
•Crowd: East Lake was closed to spectators for Tuesday's and Wednesday's practice rounds. Rain hampered play Thursday and Friday. But with good weather for the weekend, Atlanta turned out big time for the Tour Championship. Galleries lined almost every fairway and roars bounced around the course, sounding, at times, a lot like the crowd at another Georgia tournament held down the road in Augusta.
•Steve Stricker: Finishing second to Woods is nothing to grumble about. Stricker, who did not have full-exempt status is 2005, was the surprise story of the first FedEx Cup series. After winning the Cup's first event, The Barclays, Stricker shot 67 Sunday to finish tied for 17th and held on to second place in the bonus-money payoff - earning a $3 million annuity. "This stretch of four has been a little bit of a whirlwind, but it's been so much fun," Stricker said. "I've enjoyed it."
Bogeys
•Degree of Difficulty: Aren't things supposed to get more difficult during the playoffs? Not for the FedEx Cup. The four host courses for the playoff events ended up ranking among the easiest sites on tour. Stricker shot 16 under to win The Barclays at Westchester; Phil Mickelson was 16 under on TPC Boston for the Deutsche Bank; and Woods won the BWW at 19 under on Cog Hill and 23 under at East Lake.
•Fashion By Sergio: Sergio Garcia, dressed in all white and accented with a green cap, looked like the Good Humor Ice Cream Man for Sunday's final round. Maybe it was only the completion of the circle, since Garcia often matches oranges and reds that make him look a lot like sherbet on a stick.
•Heroic Rallies: Nobody did much of anything in the homestretch to improve their position in the FedEx Cup standings. The top six players on the points list heading into the Tour Championship left Sunday in the same position they arrived.
By The Numbers
1
Woods' finish for the week in putting and greens hit in regulation.
8
Titles among Woods' 61 PGA Tour victories earned by eight or more strokes.
61
Career PGA Tour victories by Woods, one short of fourth-place Arnold Palmer and 21 behind Sam Snead's record of 82.
27
Career runner-up finishes by Mark Calcavecchia.
Don't Tell
This is probably not something PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem needs to take into consideration before next season: Woods, who skipped the first FedEx Cup event, could have sat out the Tour Championship and still won the points chase and $10 million bonus. Because none of Woods' closest challenges in the standings played particularly well at East Lake, no one passed the 112,733 points Woods owned before the week started.
Words Of Wisdom
"I think I have to be fair and give it three or four years because we certainly need some adjustments here or there, and over time I'm curious to see how it irons out. But for the most part, it was a successful first year and I think it'll continue to get better." - Mickelson, on his impressions on the FedEx Cup
Reporter Mick Elliott can be reached at (813) 281-2534 or melliott@tampatrib.com.
