The Masters: Will Tiger Woods' Strategy Prevail?

Tiger Woods has matured as a golfer. The days of watching him win majors by 10, 12, even 15 strokes are long behind us.

If you haven’t noticed, it appears Woods has employed a more mature, less risky strategy at recent majors.

Tiger no longer goes out and absolutely attacks every aspect of a golf course. He no longer hits his driver off most tees and attacks every pin placement relentlessly. 

No, the modern, more mature Woods plays a more conservative game in the Majors, strategically picking and choosing when to attack a hole or a green.

Woods’ overall strategy at the majors over the past few years has been to keep himself within striking distance in the first round. He then moves up the leaderboard in the second round and finally strikes in the third round.

This strategy allows Woods two options. He can enter the final round with the lead, which intimidates the rest of the field as Woods has never lost a third-round lead in a major. He can also be positioned right behind the leaders. This also intimidates foes, who don't like the thought of Tiger chasing them down the stretch.

In Tiger’s first victory at Augusta in 1997, he finished 18-under and beat second place finisher Tom Kite by 12 strokes.

In Tiger’s win at the 2000 US Open at Pebble Beach, he lapped the field and won by a record-setting 15 strokes.

Using his new strategy, Tiger won both the 2007 PGA Championship and the 2006 British Open by just two strokes. He won the 2005 Masters in a playoff with Chris DiMarco.

Woods’ scoring at the 2005 Masters has become his blueprint for every major since. Tiger shot an opening round 72, followed by a 66 and 65 in the second and third rounds and a final-round 71.

Although Tiger was able to dominate several majors in his earlier years, he has changed his strategy with the intention of gaining more consistency.

We all know Tiger has the ability to dominate any golf course on the planet, if he were to attack the course from start to finish. However, that strategy carries a risk/reward scenario, particularly on the tougher courses played at the majors.

It is no secret that Tiger’s ultimate concern lies in winning the majors. He has repeatedly stated that golfing greatness is measured mostly by the number of majors you win in your career.

Because of Tiger’s drive to achieve his ultimate goal of breaking Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 major victories, Tiger has sacrificed scoring, distance off the tee and the possibility of amassing scoring records. Instead, he puts himself in the best possible position to win the most majors.

Needless to say, Woods’ new strategy has been working for him.

Whether this strategy continues to be successful with an ever-improving field of opponents remains to be seen. But by all indications, it appears that Tiger is sticking to his ‘Majors Strategy’ this week at Augusta by shooting an opening-round 72, placing him just four strokes behind co-leaders Justin Rose and Trevor Immelman.