The 2011 Masters Showed Us the State of Tiger Woods' Game
Tiger Woods finished four shots out of the lead, and all the credit in the world goes to Charl Schwartzel for his amazing run on the last four holes to claim the Masters title.
Still, the drama for the first three hours of Sunday’s final round came from the man always dressed in red in the final round, the man who was hunting his fifth Green Jacket like, well, a Tiger on the hunt.
In the end, he came up short. But he also finished strong enough to say that he has taken a big step forward with his new swing. Teacher Sean Foley has been working hard on getting Tiger’s arms and body in sync to lose the high right fade.
At times it returned, but on Sunday we saw Tiger nearly at his best. Considering how far back he had to come, his chances were difficult at best. But his effort had us glued to the screen as he made his ascent.
He came up short, so there are some things to work on. There’s also an awful lot to like.
1. The Big Shot
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The eighth yields the least amount of eagles of Augusta National’s four par fives, thanks to a green that cants left behind mounds and stand of trees.
On Sunday, with about 255 uphill yards to the pin, Woods hit one of those classic scorched 3-woods that curved hard right-to-left, bounded onto and then off the putting surface, then banked left again off the mounds, settling nine feet from the cup for eagle.
Woods made the putt to get to 10-under par for the tournament, five under after eight holes. This with a three putt on the devilish par-three fourth.
That said, no one has the talent to pull off Tiger’s second shot to the eighth. Curving the ball 30 or 40 yards to get around the stand of Georgia pines? Back in the day, players like Chi Chi Rodriguez and Lee Trevino could do it. But today’s balls, while they fly farther and offer great control, do not curve as much as the balls 20 years ago.
That’s what makes Woods so special; his choice of equipment—coupled with his talent—enable him to hit shots and get at pins that leave other pros shaking their heads.
2. Concentration
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Considering that Tiger made a clutch 17-foot putt to save par on the ninth suggested that his magical touch on the greens had reached full bloom.
Then came two more standard pars on the difficult 10th and 11th, and Woods seemed right on track. That was until Woods’ three-putt effort for bogey on No. 12.
Many wondered if the belabored three-putt by playing partner Martin Laird affected Woods. It might have, but that was something Woods even three years ago never would have noticed. That it did, or even didn’t, shows us that his swing is getting better, but his mind is not as strong as it once was.
3. Thinking Too Much
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His turn-around-the-corner 3-wood on the following hole, the 13th, was his best on that hole for the entire tournament, leaving him but 188 yards to the pin. Rae’s Creek fronted the green, but it seemed this was when Woods would get back on track.
But instead of stepping up and hitting the full 7-iron and settling for a middle-of-the-green landing, Woods went for the harder shot, and perhaps that affected his timing. He went for a soft flare right with a 6-iron. But instead of the high, soft, left-to-right ball flight intended to land and then roll towards the pin, Woods flushed the ball long and left, leaving him in a difficult place. It took three shots to get down when a birdie seemed within easy reach.
From the slowed momentum on the 12th, Woods was stopped cold heading to the 14th tee.
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4. Putting
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A three-putt on the dastardly par-three fourth was OK. The three-putt on the 12th was hurtful. Missing a four-foot putt for eagle on No. 15 didn’t help either. But then that putt hit a lip and staid out. It happened six times on Saturday, and that led to a 74 that had to be as frustrating as a round could be.
That said, he hit eight lips over the last two days and none went in. If half of those drop, he finishes at 14-under, tied with Charl Schwartzel. It might have been frustrating, but it shows that he was close. Real close.
5. Irons
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The approach to the par-three sixth was Woods demonstrating again his shotmaking ability. He hit a low driving approach, shaped right to left, and aimed to the far right side of the green. The pin was 60 feet left of his target line, but Woods knew the only way to get the ball close to the pin was to bank it off the hard knob on the front right portion of the green.
The approach shot lit, and then skipped left and rolled 50 feet, stopping eight feet below the hole—the closest shot of anyone in the last nine groups. Hardly anyone thought of that shot; hardly anyone has the skill to hit it on the final round of a major.
6. Clutch Driver
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Searing, long drives returned. Woods’ drives on Nos. 2, 8, 11 and 15 set up his success on those holes. Moreover, they were the best drives of the tournament when he needed them most.
7. Drama
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Finally, there might have been millions of viewers on Sunday who had no intention of watching the TV broadcast of the final round. But they peeked, and there was Tiger, ascending the scoreboard like Spiderman on a Manhattan skyscraper. Like the rest of us, they were soon hooked.
Household projects got put on hold. Dinner plans were pushed back, naps skipped. Tiger does that. And though I felt he gave away two shots on the back nine, thanks to the three-putt on 12 and the misfire to the 13th green, Charl Schwartzel’s four-birdie run closed any chance for Woods.
In retrospect, Woods can blame Saturday’s 74 for coming up short. But that made his play on Sunday that much more dramatic, exciting and thrilling. Only Woods can do that to us.
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