Woods puts little faith in greens
Tiger Woods will put his five-event winning streak on the line at the Arnold Palmer Invitational starting tomorrow.
But after remaining unbeaten for seven months, the world number one admits that the state of the greens at Bay Hill means luck will play a major role in proceedings.
“They are not very good,” he said after today’s pro-am.
“You are going to see a lot of guys hit good putts and they are going to go weird ways, unfortunately.
“But we’ve all got to deal with it, putt on them, and you just have to accept hitting good putts and they may not go in.
“I don’t know if it makes a worse putter better or a better putter worse.”
The greens have suffered due to a microscopic worm eating the roots of the grass, but even if luck plays role in the outcome, Woods remains the hot favourite on a course where he won for four consecutive years from 2000-03, although his performances since then have been decidedly mediocre on the course.
Woods has won seven of his past eight official starts worldwide since last August, his only ’failure’ a second place in Massachusetts in September.
He has played only twice on the PGA Tour this year, blowing away the field by eight strokes at the Buick Invitational and thrashing Stewart Cink eight and seven in the final at the WGC Match Play Championship.
He also won the European Tour’s Dubai Desert Classic by one stroke, the only close call he has had lately.
If anyone can push Woods this week, perhaps it is Phil Mickelson, the only player to beat him since August.
Mickelson spent last week working with coach Butch Harmon and seems excited about the state of his game.
“This is the best I’ve felt about my game that I can ever remember, so I’m excited heading into the week and the stretch run to Augusta,” said the world number two, who claims to be physically stronger than ever.
“I feel I can swing the club harder or faster if I want and still have the support and balance of my lower body.”
Not to be overlooked is defending champion Vijay Singh, the 45-year-old who is determined to have one more great year before age invariably catches up with him.
Bay Hill invariably attracts one of the strongest fields of the season, but this year’s line-up is missing more stars than usual, with only three of the world’s top 10 in action.
However, when those three include Woods and Mickelson – with world number eight Jim Furyk also playing – it does not really matter.
John Daly was disqualified for missing his pro-am today, with Ryuji Imada and Nick O’Hern also falling foul of the PGA Tour’s strict policy.
They were the first two alternates for the morning pro-am but were not at the course and unable to take Daly’s place.
