Tiger’s fascinating insight into Masters Sunday
Tiger Woods finally got round to watching his 15th major win back on TV and, as he told reporters ahead of the Hero World Challenge, more was going on than you might think
There are two types of golfer on tour – those who keep tabs on those around them, and those who avoid the leaderboards at all costs.
Everybody is different and has their own take on what they believe golfers should do, but on which side of the fence does the most successful player of all time sit?
Speaking ahead of the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, Tiger Woods revealed he and caddie Joe LaCava finally got round to watching their Masters win in April and gave us a little insight into what was involved in their process coming down the stretch on Sunday.
“We spoke about the conversations we had over each shot,” he revealed. “Some of our friends and family who were there were like, ‘Oh my God, you guys really talked about that?’
“But that’s what we were talking about, that’s what was going on. We were running through all the scenarios, Joe is looking at the boards, I am looking at the boards. We were trying to figure out what was going on, who birdied what, who was making a move.
“We were having those discussions in the fairway about what we needed to do while still staying focused about executing. So it was a lot of fun seeing it back and sharing it with Joe because he has been through all the tough times with me as well as the good times.”
Woods didn’t lead the way on Sunday at Augusta until well into the back nine and there was plenty of big names also in contention.
The likes of world No. 1 Brooks Koepka, Xander Schauffele, Dustin Johnson and Tony Finau were all within striking distance of victory and Tiger recalls trying to establish who was making a move.
He added: “You can’t see the runs of other players ahead; whether DJ, Bubba, Rickie, Xander, the only one we could see was Brooks. We just had to look at boards whenever we possibly could. You hear roars and try to figure out how many holes ahead it is, who would be on that hole.
“All these scenarios are running through out heads as we try to handle the situation in real time. Now, it’s a lot easier on TV. You see it in front of you.”
Joe Hughes
Tour editor covering men's golf, women's golf and anything else that involves the word golf, really. The talk is far better than the game, but the work has begun to change that.
