Tiger Bullish On His Game Heading To Carnoustie

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Dan Kilbridge at Golfweek with Tiger's comments following a T4 at the steamy Quicken Loans National and an eye on Carnoustie. 

“Just trying to get efficient hitting the golf ball both ways and then getting comfortable hitting the ball down,” Woods said. “It’s a lot of different angles, so a lot of different crosswinds. I have to be able to maneuver the golf ball both ways there efficiently. You just have to hit the golf ball well there.”

And this from caddie Joe LaCava:

“He’s always played well at the British Open,” LaCava said. “As solid as he’s playing right now, and seems like he’s got his iron game pretty dialed in, I’m excited to go over there.”

Bob Harig at ESPN.com noted Woods was last in the field at TPC Potomac from inside 10 feet (making 60 of 73) yet was 7th in strokes gained putting. But also he reminded us of Tiger's solid (and long) history at Carnoustie:

To get there, Woods will need a good week at Carnoustie, one of the toughest Open venues and where he tied for seventh in 1999 and tied for 12th in 2007.

It also is where Woods, as a 19-year-old amateur, got his first taste of links golf in 1995 when he played the Scottish Open.

 

Bryson's Win, Tiger's Putting Pain: Strokes Gained Tells The Story Again

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Mark Broadie's little stat that could has become a fun way for fans to understand how all of these talented, closely-matched players separate themselves on the PGA Tour. And the investment in ShotLink continues to help tell the stats story in a sport where the numbers do not always tell the story.

Regarding the 2018 Memorial, while it does not take a rocket surgeon* to know Bryson DeChambeau putted his way to Memorial glory and Tiger Woods putted his way out of contention, the numbers are still intriguing.  From the talented crunchers at the PGA Tour's ShotLink:

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Bob Harig at ESPN.com filed his assessment of Tiger's week and included this:

For 72 holes, Woods was -7.695 meaning he gave up more than 7 shots on the greens; had that number been 0, in theory he would have finished 7 strokes better and been leading or certainly in a position to chase down eventual playoff winner Bryson DeChambeau.

Mark Broadie took the comparison a bit deeper with this Tweet:

*I'm aware rockets are not operated on by surgeons, joke

Back's Tighten In Executive Suites Around The Country After Tiger Mentions Tight Back In Memorial Opening 72

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I'm not sure anyone is shocked to hear Tiger actually woke up a little tight before his 72 at Muirfield Village. Given his age and surgeries, some less-than-perfect days are to be expected. Still, gulp...we have majors to play! Ones he can win!  

Brentley Romine with the details on Woods' nice recovery after getting to four-over on his opening round at the Memorial.

Bob Harig's ESPN.com reports some quotes Woods saying it's a "days like this" situation and not the first time in his fused back era he's had tightness.

"No, I just have days like that,'' Woods said. "It's aging, and it's surgeries. It is what it is. Just got to make the adjustments. I'm able to make them now. Beginning of the year, I wasn't able to make them, because I didn't really know what to do yet.''

Tiger And Phil Issue Their First Impressions Of Shinnecock Hills 2018

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Following their reconnaissance trips to Shinnecock Hills, Tiger Woods prefaced his assessment by noting the rainy weather and extreme length of the par-70 course. But as Brentley Romine reports for Golfweek, Phil Mickelson offered a rave review of the course where he finished second in 2004.

Mickelson spent Tuesday at Shinnecock. He went around with assistant pro Matt Cahill and raved at the changes, particularly the widened fairways and shaved run-off areas around the greens.

“Phenomenal,” Mickelson said. “It’s really well done. They renovated it a little bit and some of the fairways are a little bit wider, certainly the rough is as penalizing or more so than I’ve seen it, but the fairways are fair and the greens are as healthy as I’ve seen them.”

TigerJam: Bidder Pays $50,000 For Chance To Loop At Hero World Challenge

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The 20th (!) TigerJam last weekend raised big money and to introduce recent Earl Woods Scholar Desiree Sim, who is going into social work after graduating Skidmore College. So there was at least one person in Las Vegas last weekend doing something to make the world a better place!

While she was no doubt more impressive than the Elvis impersonator, I would love to know who the (undisclosed) live auction winner was of the chance to carry Tiger's bag:

The reception wrapped with a thrilling live auction, filled with luxury items such as an Advance Package Acura MDX SH and unforgettable golf experiences at Bluejack National, Diamante Cabo San Lucas and the 2018 Hero World Challenge which includes the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to caddie for Tiger Woods during his Pro-Am round at Albany, Bahamas raising $50,000 for TGR Foundation. Sugar Ray Leonard surprised the crowd as he joined Chris Harrison on stage to help auction off not one, but two packages for a one-of-a-kind experience to spend the day with the boxing legend.

Oh the questions that lucky looper must pose, or at least try to pose, right?

Maybe The Stinger Fan Club chair ponied up to ask the question we scribblers always come so close and yet so far from asking: why not more stingers? Either way, it's for a good cause.

Rare Vintage Tiger-Phil Pairing Nears, And The Talk Leading Up To It Is Just As Fun

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Thanks to the PGA Tour making the rare move to pair Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, accompanied by the equally rare sight of Phil Mickelson making his way into an interview room, we have some fun stories and revelations to amp up excitement for Thursday's 1:52 pm ET grouping with Rickie Fowler. 

Tiger remains upbeat and seems even more unphased by any burden to win, which I noted in this Golfweek assessment that also includes a few other fun comments from Woods' press session.

Maybe most surprising of all was Tiger's revelation that Phil offered short game help in 2015 during the chip-yip phase.

Shoot, at this pace we'll soon find out Tiger spent days Googling holistic arthritis remedies for Mickelson and that Phil offered to visit Orlando to help find Tiger's Escalade the right auto repair shop. After that, it could be the ultimate sign of a bond: sharing jet rides to tournaments. Sky's the limit!

ESPN.com's Bob Harig focuses on Phil's assertion that Tiger's peak will never be repeated by any golfer ever, and reviews the head-to-head match up, which this time around lacks some of the creative tension of past pairings.

In all, they have played in the same group just 35 times, with Woods holding a slight edge in their round-by-round scores at 16-15-4. Woods' scoring average is also slightly better, 69.60 to 69.91.

Woods won five of the tournaments in which they were grouped at some point, including the 2006 PGA Championship and the 2008 U.S. Open. Mickelson won three.

 

Brian Wacker notes at Golf World that the harmony is all the more touching giving where these two have been at times, though this is also hardly Ali-Frazier kissing and making up, either.

Tiger Can't Figure Out Quail Hollow's Greens, Heads To Players For Marquee Pairing With Phil, Rickie

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From Bob Harig's ESPN.com account of Tiger's mediocre Wells Fargo Championship appearance in advance of his return to the TPC Sawgrass, where Woods has a two wins, a runner-up and a U.S. Amateur win.

For the fourth straight day, Woods needed more than 30 putts in his round, taking 126 for the week. And after hitting 15 greens in regulation on Saturday, he managed just 10 on Sunday and hit only four fairways. He hit just 25 of 56 for the week.

As well as Woods is hitting the ball off the tee -- he averaged 313 yards from the tee -- he's not been accurate enough to give himself chances to hit it close. And when you're putting poorly, even hitting it close is no guarantee.

Statistically, it was Tiger's best ballstriking week in his return, writes Golfweek's Dan Kilbridge.

He was inside the top 20 in stokes gained: putting at Torrey Pines, PGA National and Bay Hill. He was 39th while playing Innisbrook for the first time as a professional at the Valspar Championship, but he pulled off a runner-up finish due to his superior iron play.

Woods set season highs in strokes gained: off-the-tee (2.997) and strokes gained: approach-the-green (4.530) at the Wells Fargo, which illustrates just how uncomfortable he was around the greens while finishing T-55.

Tiger Tracker's round-up of notes features a fairly blunt assessment: great distance off the tee, too many wayward drives and way too many birdies, an inability to adapt to the green speed, but great spirits after the round. 

Now The Players awaits, where Tiger is excited to be playing with Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler, writes GolfChannel.com's Nick Menta and Rex Hoggard. 

As for his light birdie week, including Sunday's shutout, master statistician Justin Ray offered this:

What Has Wall Street Bullish On Golf Stocks?

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We know about the bizarre correlation between Tiger Woods' play and market bullishness, but given the recent market fluctuations Luke Kerr-Dineen understandably tries to surmise what seems to have Wall Street placing buy ratings on Callaway and Acushnet, among others.

The Tiger factor is again in play, but it may also be something as simple as this:

The growth is supported by an encouraging uptick in overall equipment sales as reported by golf research firm Golf Datatech, including a 23-percent increase in woods sales (in dollars) in March year-over-year, and a 46-percent increase in wedges.

NYT Review Of The New Tiger Biography By Benedict And Keteyian

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Thanks to reader John for Dwight Garner's review of the new Jeff Benedict, Armen Keteyian book titled "Tiger Woods."

Garner calls the book "tawdry" but also "moving" and seems put off by the authors' confidence in exposing sides of Woods we don't know. 

It’s a confident and substantial book that’s nearly as sleek as a Christopher Nolan movie. It makes a sweet sound, like a well-struck golf ball.

I found it exhilarating, depressing, tawdry and moving in almost equal measure. It’s a big American story that rolls across barbered lawns and then leaves you stranded in some all-night Sam’s Club of the soul. It reminded me of a line from Martin Amis’s new book of essays: “How drunk was Scott Fitzgerald when he said there were no second acts in American lives?”

And this...

If this book has a flaw it may be that it’s too confident. Reading it can be like watching one of those crime shows in which the bumper music ends with slamming car doors. The authors move about like a supersleuth Starsky and Hutch, or Tango and Cash, or Crockett and Tubbs. To be fair, a bit of wit and play are allowed to sneak in.

3.6: 2018 API Sunday Ratings up 136%, Highest In Six Years

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Steiny to Tiger today: "do you need a Late Night With Jimmy Fallon mug? Or some Colbert merch? Maybe some Pyeonchang logoed ski caps? I've got gift packages pilling up here from Lazarus and McManus..."

The latest ratings bump courtesy of Tiger Woods:

NBC SPORTS’ FINAL-ROUND COVERAGE OF ARNOLD PALMER INVITATIONAL PRESENTED BY MASTERCARD SCORES HIGHEST-RATED OVERNIGHT AT EVENT IN SIX YEARS

Arnold Palmer Invitational and Valspar Championship Post Two Highest-Rated Final Round PGA TOUR Telecasts (Non-Majors) on Any Broadcast Network since the 2015 Wyndham Championship

ORLANDO, Fla., March 19, 2018 – Record viewership of the PGA TOUR continued this weekend for NBC Sports Group at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. Sunday’s final-round coverage on NBC (2-6:45 p.m. ET) delivered a 3.6 overnight rating, +136% vs. 2017 and the highest-rated final round at this event in six years. Combined with last week’s final round viewership at the Valspar Championship (5.1 overnight rating) these rank as the two highest-rated final-round PGA TOUR telecasts (non-majors) on any broadcast network since the 2015 Wyndham Championship. Golf Channel’s Sunday final-round lead-in coverage earned a .97 overnight rating, the highest at this event in five years. Across NBC and Golf Channel’s coverage, more than 12 million minutes were streamed, +683% vs. 2017.

ADDITIONAL SUNDAY NOTES

·         Sunday’s final-round coverage on NBC peaked to a 4.89 from 5:15-5:30 p.m. ET.

·         Golf Channel’s lead-in coverage peaked to a 1.24 from 1:30-2 p.m. ET.

SATURDAY

Saturday’s third-round coverage earned a 2.29 overnight rating on NBC (2:30-6 p.m. ET), +92% vs. 2017 and the highest-rated at this event in five years. Golf Channel’s lead-in coverage (12:30-2:30 p.m. ET) earned a .95 overnight rating, +126% vs. 2017. Nearly 5.3 million minutes were streamed, +511% vs. 2017.

Tiger's Ratings Influence Continues During First Two 2018 API Rounds

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He even makes people watch the days he's not in the television window!

Roundup: Tiger's Bay Hill Round One 68 Makes It Seem Like He Never Left

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Golfweek’s Kevin Casey with the nuts and bolts of Tiger’s opening round 68 on the course where he has won eight times.

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ESPN.com’s Jason Sobel focuses on the 71-footer Woods made at the 7th, his 16th hole, and Tiger’s description is pretty fun.

Karen Crouse focuses on different reactions from players to having Tiger and his crowds back in the mix, including some fun comments by Paul Goydos.

Jay Coffin of GolfChannel.com on the drive hit out of bounds that annoyed Tiger because of the shot quality and not having hit a provisional while at the tee.  A side note: the second shot after his provisional tee shot was particularly stout and one of the more impressive I’ve seen in his comeback bid. He had to cut it around a tree from the rough, with water left and already lying three. A slight double-cross and he makes seven or eight.

Eamon Lynch at Golfweek puts some of the hype and excitement into perspective with help from Graeme McDowell.

The reality is that this week is just another staging post on Woods’ climb back to the top, not the destination. And nor is it an omen for what might follow three weeks from now in Georgia. Woods has won the Arnold Palmer Invitational four times since he last slipped on the green jacket in 2005.

Form here does not beget form there.

None of which detracts from the excitement Woods’ strong play has brought to the sport. “It doesn’t say much for the world of golf. We were all saying how healthy things were when he was gone, and now he’s back beating us all up again. Maybe we’re not as good as we thought we were,” McDowell says, laughing. “It’s pretty impressive. And it’s good for us all.”

ESPN.com's Bob Harig profiles Joe LaCava, patient looper who waited until Tiger's return.

And the shot of the day captured during the PGA Tour Live broadcast:

Surreal: Tiger Moves To Masters Betting Favorite Stage (In Vegas Anyway)

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The various UK punters aren't quite unanimous yet in making Tiger the 2018 Masters favorite. Can't wait to see what my ShackHouse bud House has to say about this Sunday night...

However, Jeff Sherman at Westgate Las Vegas has installed Tiger at 8-1 following his continued strong opening round play at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, reports Golfweek's Kevin Casey.

Typically, Tiger's Masters odds have been wildly inflated by curiosity bettors and while most futures numbers are fairly silly, I can't come up with a strong reason to argue against his placement is out of line.

After all, his health seems great, his mental state is fantastic, the putting sensational and the power is back. Other than having not won at Augusta National since 2005 or a tournament since 2013, it seems a matter of time. 

The 8/1 is silly given how many players are on their game as they approach a place where track records matter, but favorite status seems perfect legitimate. And so surreal.

To put the difference this time around in perspective, never forget the T17 in 2015 where he came into Augusta with no rounds, no body and none of the positive energy he has now. (This Michael Bamberger SI piece is a good reminder how different that Masters lead-up was.)