By all accounts, Tiger Woods had a mediocre round at the Austin Country Club yesterday. Three birdies and three bogeys that included an inexcusable three-putt effort on the 14th hole pretty much summed up his up-and-down run. Even his irons, invariably the best clubs on his bag, were off, leading to head-scratching ball positions on the greens — or, worse, short of the greens — even after lengthy discussions with caddie Joe LaCava. And yet the World Number 14 sounded more relieved than downcast in the aftermath, contending that “there’s no scorecard except for whether you won the match or not.”
Needless to say, Woods was on the mark in his assessment. The Dell Technologies Match Play Championship is unlike any other event on the tour schedule. In fact, it’s unlike even previous iterations of the World Fold Championships stop; four players in each of 16 predetermined groups go up in round-robin format to determine who among them advances to sudden-death affairs under match-play conditions. And because holes won, lost, or drawn are counted against a given partner’s tally, the aggregate number of strokes doesn’t matter. After prevailing over PGA Tour Rookie of the Year Aaron Wise, he joked that his score was “not very good. Not very good. I broke 80.”
Moving forward, Woods will have to do much better if he wants to make the weekend. Up next is Brandt Snedeker, who hasn’t been able to put up a number superior to his in the 14 times they’ve been paired together on tour. Still, as he noted, his friend boasts of a hot putter, “and, in this format, that’s what you need to [have].” The good news is that he’s in prime physical shape and far removed from the neck issues that compelled him to miss the Arnold Palmer Invitational early this month. “I’m able to get into a better posture, and that helps. And because of that, I’m able to log in a little bit of practice time.”
That said, the pride of Texas has presented a challenge, especially with swirling winds. Pin placements are on the tough sides, closer to mounds and ridges and potentially damaging to players off misjudged approach shots. Of course, Woods is Woods, arguably the most accomplished match-play competitor in the sport’s history. More than talent and experience, there is his resolve. And with fortunate bounces, he may yet get to negotiate the course seven times over five days and ultimately emerge victorious.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994.
