Why I’m playing it cool over Tiger’s return
Hello. Welcome to the latest edition of Dialled In, where we’re all getting a little bit giddy after Tiger Woods’ return ended in a T9 finish thanks to an 8-under-par 280 at the Hero World Challenge.
Do you even know who won at Albany Golf Club? (Don’t look it up. It was Rickie Fowler.)
World No. 1 Dustin Johnson was also playing. As were Justins Thomas and Rose, Jordan Spieth, Hideki Matsuyama and Tommy Fleetwood. But it’s understandable if you didn’t know that, such was the ferocity of Woods’ coverage.
There ARE other players in the field, you know?
— Alex Perry (@AlexPerryNCG) November 30, 2017
(Apropos, Twitter needs a sarcasm font.)
I love that we have someone in our sport to get this excited about. To suggest he doesn’t get people picking up clubs is, well, completely and utterly wrong. He gets people playing. Fact.
So why do we go so doolally when he tees it up? It’s absurd, when you think about it. Deep down, surely we all know his chances of winning another major are slim at best. And if you’ve put money on him beating Jack Nicklaus’s 18 then I hope you play the lottery too, because you have about the same amount chance of winning. (If you’re interested, Woods is currently 10th favourite to win The Masters. TENTH!)
I’ve joked a lot about Woods’ return – mainly in The Slam – and of course I’m excited. This is my favourite sportsman of all time, we’re talking about.
But I’ve decided I’m not going to get over excited about it this time. What’s the point? It can only end in disappointment.
Remember, this is Woods’ first top-10 finish in more than two years. We’re also now four-and-a-half years removed from his 79th and latest PGA Tour win. And I don’t need to remind you it’s been almost a decade since he last lifted a major championship.
If he never contends again, or his back goes, I’ll be prepared – a shrug of the shoulders and a “Well, we all expected that.”
If he manages to get into contention going down the stretch on a Sunday – major or otherwise – it’ll be a wonderful bonus and everyone is happy. (This is a skill I’ve honed over the years as a Torquay United fan.)
Golf is in a wonderful place thanks to this man. Even if he never played again after today, his legacy will live on each and every week.
The late, great Kurt Cobain once said that it is better to burn out than to fade away.
Unless you’re Tiger Woods. You can do what you want.
Anyway, what else is going on in the world of golf? Maybe, just maybe, there are some non-Tiger related goings on…
Unhappy Gilmore
Down Under, Cameron Smith won his maiden European Tour title at the Australian PGA Championship.
And he didn’t only have Jordan Zunic to hold off at Royal Pines Resort in Queensland, he had to counter a heckler from the galleries.
After his round, Smith explained: “He just said a few nasty things, telling me not to choke. I tried to just play it off and just as I was coming into the ball he coughed and sneezed.”
In the end, the 24 year old’s caddie Sam Pinfold had the idiot thrown out.
“Sammy did the right thing there,” Smith added. “I don’t know what he was trying to achieve.”
No one knows – yet – who it was or what his intentions were. But I have an idea…
Drop off Claret
I loved this story from NBC pundit Peter Jacobsen during the coverage of the Hero World Challenge.
Annie Verret, the girlfriend of Open champion Jordan Spieth, went to visit his long-term caddie Michael Greller and wife Ellie to meet their newborn son.
I’ll let Jacobsen finish the story: “Michael wanted the Claret Jug up there with him, so Annie took it. “They told her she could walk it onto the airplane, but when she got there they told her she had to check it. No way was she going to check it, so she took the Jug out of the case, put it under her arms and walked onto the airplane and had to put it under the seat in front of her on take-off and landing.”
“That’s just another one of the crazy places the Claret Jug has been.”
If I had as much money as Spieth, I’d have bought it its own seat and buckled that bad boy in.
Life of Bryans
I love the Bryan brothers. Not the tennis doubles uber-legends, though they’re pretty good too. I mean the golf version: Wesley and George. The former is, of course, now a PGA Tour regular and, indeed, winner.
But you must have seen their trick shots? If not, where have you been? Sort that out now.
Their latest video involves putting – and it’s very cool…
Putting practice goals ???. #puttlikeWes pic.twitter.com/2NYYblcwtF
— Bryan Bros Golf (@bryanbrosgolf) November 28, 2017
Speaking of insane putts – remember Jeff Overton? If not, let’s just remind ourselves of his most famous contribution to golf history…
And he was back among the “Boom baby!” cries this week when he sank a 94-foot putt ON A BASKETBALL COURT.
BOOM BABY! @JeffOvertonPGA drains the 94-foot putt at @IndianaMBB halftime to win a lucky fan a trip for 4 to Myrtle Beach! pic.twitter.com/3TOWWClkMi
— IU Men's Golf (@IndianaMGolf) November 30, 2017
Here’s a better angle…
ICYMI: @JeffOvertonPGA drained this full-court putt (94-feet) to win a fan at last night's @IndianaMBB game a trip to Myrtle Beach! #SCTop10 #B1GStandout pic.twitter.com/jYBgOjNHvu
— IU Men's Golf (@IndianaMGolf) November 30, 2017
OK, he didn’t have to put it in a golf hole, as such. But it was ON A BASKETBALL COURT. Open your minds…
The putt won four Indiana University basketball fans a trip to Myrtle Beach. Which I assume is a nice place to win a trip to because, well, otherwise why would they go?
I’m a bit Rusty
While we’re on the subject of cool shots, check out the latest effort from Coach Rusty…
He describes his co-star Kaley Cotnoir as “one brave chick”. I can think of a few better descriptions.
Alcohol + Golf = Win
Go on then, one more.
I love this video for so many reasons. You know what? I’m not even going to go into detail, just watch…
Club twirls, fist pumps and walking in putts – Tiger’s return was just like old times
Swing sequence: Tiger Woods 2017 swing
How dialled in was Tiger’s equipment at the Hero World Challenge?
Alex Perry
Alex has been the editor of National Club Golfer since 2017. A Devonian who enjoys wittering on about his south west roots, Alex moved north to join NCG after more than a decade in London, the last five of which were with ESPN. Away from golf, Alex follows Torquay United and spends too much time playing his PlayStation or his guitar and not enough time practising his short game.
