The kids swarmed around their hero at Cog Hill Tuesday. They didn’t want to hear that Tiger Woods has won only one tournament this year, or that he wasn’t even on the radar for last week’s U.S. Open.
They still trampled over each other to get his autograph. He may not be No. 1 on the PGA Tour this year, but he still is $10 million ahead in the popularity ratings.
They stuck out their pens in a mad crush that bordered on scary if you had a child at the front of the pack. Woods says he would sign more if the kids, and their parents, weren’t so out of control.
“Unfortunately, kids are so aggressive now, and their parents don’t exactly teach them not to be,” he said. “That’s the problem.”
The trouble is, there’s only one Woods, and they all want a piece of him.
Yet it is a different Tiger Woods who comes to the Motorola Western Open this week at Cog Hill. Last year he came in roaring off his Masters victory, bringing with him a frenzy usually reserved for a fellow named Jordan.
This year, Woods comes in with a soft purr. He’s lurking, but he hasn’t pounced yet. At 22, he’s one year older but not one year better.
The anticipation level–Woods was the fifth Beatle last year–is a little more sedate this year. There wasn’t the huge advance ticket sale like there was in 1997. Sales have picked up of late, and the Western still expects big crowds.
But autograph-seekers aside, there’s a much calmer atmosphere at Cog Hill. That’s probably the way it should be, considering what Woods has done in 1998.
Woods was asked Tuesday about “struggling,” and he responded: “My struggle is fourth on the money list, third in scoring. Averaging under 70. It’s not that bad.”
Indeed, Woods’ “slump” is in the eye of the beholder. He is averaging 69.56 per round and has earned $1,103,067 this year, including a title in the BellSouth Classic in May.
“He’s having a fabulous year,” said two-time Open champ Andy North, now an ESPN analyst. “If his name was Earl Scheib, everyone would be saying he’s having an unbelievable year.”
Woods’ name isn’t Earl Scheib, although he could buy Scheib’s business. After what he did last year, much more is expected from him, even if it borders on the unrealistic. People aren’t just satisfied with one Masters performance like the one he had in 1997. They want a Masters every week.
That’s why there is some disappointment in the kind of year Woods has had. It’s as if Michael Jordan’s scoring average dropped to 22 points a game. Not bad for 95 percent of the players, but not good for Michael.
The same holds true for Woods. He even admits that his game isn’t where he wants it to be. His irons aren’t as crisp, and he is not giving himself as many scoring chances as he did last year, when every shot seemed to be a bull’s-eye.
“I’m not hitting the ball as close because I am not firing at as many sticks as I was last year,” Woods said. “I guess I am not as comfortable with my swing as I was last year at this time. I’m playing a little more conservative, a little more safe. It’s kind of tough to really go low that way.”
There’s a good reason why Woods isn’t as comfortable. He has been spending the past year working on changing his swing. His coach, Butch Harmon, has gotten his star pupil to shorten his backswing by a foot. The idea is to give him more control with his irons.
But even for a great player like Woods, making a swing change still takes time.
“Shortening your swing in less than a year is hard to do,” said Golf Channel analyst Mark Lye, a former Tour player. “Your mind has to get comfortable with it. He’s such a good athlete that physically he’s there. But the mind needs time to catch up. It seems as if when he gets in a round, he doesn’t trust the swing yet and goes back to old habits.”
So the logical question, why change Woods’ swing? Why mess with a player who won the 1997 Masters by 12 strokes?
“He’s doing it because he wants to win something else besides the Masters,” Lye said.
Such as a U.S. Open. Woods’ power game is suited for the wide-open Augusta course, but he needs accuracy on the tighter U.S. Open courses. Woods finished in a tie for 18th at 10-over at last week’s Open in San Francisco.
“He wants to become a complete player,” Lye said. “He’s taking a couple steps back to take three steps forward.”
Woods thinks it is coming.
“Your golf swing is not always going to be good,” he said. “You always can work on it and hopefully it will evolve to where it’s good again. I’m not quite getting into the groove I had last year, where I was hitting great shots time and time again.”
It could come this week. He is the defending champion and he likes Cog Hill.
A victory could be the start of another run. Perhaps Woods will do things in reverse this year. In 1997, the Western was his last victory, and he barely was in contention the rest of the way.
“I think probably the second half will be better than it was last year,” Woods said. “I’m playing better than I was at this time last year. I think I’ll be there more often.”
The season still is relatively young, and Woods is even younger.
“He’s only 22,” Lye said. “I think he’s got a chance.”
