So a guy takes a couple weeks off, and all types of Tiger hell breaks out! He wins the Buick, then at Firestone, followed by what looks to be another wire-to-wire major win at the PGA Championship. Surely the upstart Y.E. Yang is going to fold under the pressure of playing in the final pairing on Sunday with the #1 player in the world, and this season’s FedEx Cup rankings leader, right? While this may be golf’s equivalent to water under the bridge, I keep thinking that if Woods made just two of the many putts he fudged on Sunday, he’d be one major win closer to Jack Nicklaus.
But Yang, mugging for and waving at the cameras following him all day, seemed loose, knowing that half of his native Korea was watching, half a world away. In fact, it was Tiger who seemed tight, and frustrated. Yang could easily have folded when he came close to yielding his slight lead. But no, a chip in for Eagle set the pace, and TW never quite caught up, despite the door being left wide open up to, and including, 18.
Taking a week off for Tiger lately means the other guys have a chance to win, and this weekend’s Wyndham Championship provided an exciting finish, despite the wet weather. Fans accustomed to seeing balls hit and release might have been miffed by the number of approach shots that hit and stuck. There were so many fried eggs on the greens that the clubhouse kept getting side orders of grits.
A three-way playoff led to eventual champ Ryan Moore, a fresh, young presence on the tour, winning on the third hole with a birdie against Kevin Stadler’s bogey.
I had some golf plans of my own while visiting Topsail Island, NC, but wet weather forced me inside. I got out twice during my second week of vacation. I played Tuesday with my buddy Brian, who works at the Wawa dairy plant at Pinelands (slow play, boiling humidity, crappy rough) in Winslow. I also got out Friday with Wiz and Shagg at Island Green, in Northeast Philly. The heat and humidity were awful, but the golf was good. Despite both rounds being a lot of fun, I scored badly, and let the heat get to me. I don’t want to root for Summer to be over, but cooler temps make for more relaxed, focused golf. Cool weather will be here soon enough, let’s keep the heat, make more mojitos, and fewer bogeys!