I remember when Fluff got the bag and we heard back then in ‘96’ that Tiger Woods was going to use 7 sponsors exemptions and with Peter J’s back out (Fluff caddied for Peter Jacobsen for some 17 years) – I’d had a pretty good year and made my personal caddy record of 26 made cuts in that season. (Various players playing well).
Milwaukee was the first week for Tiger at Brown Deere – a short golf course that did not particularly suit Tigers game. The International press was there and it was a mob scene on Monday and Tuesday. I remember Billy Ray Brown complaining on the range about how Tiger got two courtesy cars that week for himself and Earl (his dad) and mom. I heard Tiger’s comments, “My goal is to win tournaments.” I remember the ‘chit chat’ on the practice range that week. Curtis Strange saying “Who does this guy think he is?” Hey we all thought that! You don’t just step out into this arena and all of a sudden act like you own it.
Tiger came out and turned pro with two guaranteed money contracts – the biggest ever to any professional golfer starting out in the history of the game. $40,000,000.00 from Nike and $20,000,000.00 from Titleist. 60 Million Dollars Guaranteed! If he fell down and broke his leg and never played at all he was still going to be rich. Unheard of before in the history of the sport.
That week Tiger didn’t do anything outstanding but he did make the cut. If there were 20,000. people in attendance at least half of them followed Tiger every day. I was caddying for Lee Rinker and on Saturday we were crossing over to the back nine and crossed the line behind the 7th tee or so a par three at Brown Deere. We marveled at the size of the gallery all around the tee on boths sides of the fairway lining the hole and all around behind that green as well.
I said to Lee, “Well what do you think?”. He looked at me with a big smile on his face and said, “Hell that’s the future of golf right there!” - something like that. I was little surprised and we moved onto our tee and hit off. As we started to go up our fairway we heard an unbelievable roar. Tiger had just made a hole in one on that par three now just behind us. We looked back and there he was with that soon to become famous fist pump. That kind of put the exclamation point on Lee’s comments.
He won two of those first 7 events and the rest is history. Fast forward to the next year and Tiger’s first Masters as a professional in April 1997. The caddy bookie on tour was taking bets on the tournament. I don’t’ gamble much (I always thought trying to get jobs and stay alive out on tour was a gamble enough) but I put some dough on Woods. I think only myself and one other did so. I told our caddie bookie – this kids gonna win it and big. I heard about the clubs he was hitting at Augusta the previous year as an amateur and figured he’d be right there and a good bet. He told me later – “You called it”.
Fast forward to Bethpage Black U.S. Open 2002. I’m caddying for Spike McRoy and Scott Van Pelt and Spike are friends. Scott is working for the Golf Channel at the time and he’s truly a great guy. We kid around a little and I can tell Scott’s doing his homework and trying to get a handle on the tournament outcome. I tell him something like, “Scott if Tiger Woods doesn’t’ win this tournament I’ll eat my shoelaces – that the course is so long and difficult but with wide driving landing zones” - again I was correct.
I remember that next tournament the PGA at Hazeltine and Scott thought maybe I had some psychic powers I guess. I told him that week 'hell I don’t know' – I actually didn’t’ think Hazeltine favored Woods necessarily – but he did finish second to Rich Beem birdying the last four holes there on Sunday to miss by a shot.
Fast forward to this week. Tiger is coming off a win at Bay Hill which makes him even more the favorite whom he would be any way - to win this 2012 Masters tournament than ever. In his career Tiger has had a couple of dips. One was after Fluff had the bag and Steve Williams was just getting it. Tiger had trouble with his short iron control and distance control. He was working with Butch Harmon and had that worked out in a slight 1 to 1 and 1.2 year dip in his performance and play coming to fruition with the Tiger Slam in 2001 and that Masters win.
His next dip came with the death of his father and the devastation that Tiger went through with all of that. He ended that one winning a British Open after playing awful at the U.S. Open at Winged Foot only a month earlier. Then there was that great period of time with Hank Haney we are now able to learn more via Haney’s revelations. Tiger maybe hurt his knee with the Navy Seals training – which was done out of the love for his father – a former Marine whom Tiger idolized.
By overbuilding his upper body via strength training and with a desire for commaraderie and for more recognition as that of an athlete and not just a pro golfer - and influenced by his association with professional athletes from the other action sports - he also risked and incurred unnecessary injury. Combine those injuries and the fall from grace of the past two years - and the reason for this dip in performance.
It now looks like that dip is over. That Tiger is at least turning that corner. He’s adapted swing changes that better fit him now at 36 and take pressure off that knee. He’s ‘covering’ the ball almost like Corey Pavin did in his day – which accents Tigers upper body strength while reducing the strain on his lower.
His new caddy Joe LaCava is a perfect fit for the Tiger of now. We learned that Tiger is an extroverted introvert and pretty sensitive about who he makes friends with as well as the players he likes and dislikes. Hey this is an individual sport. They all have egos – you must have an ego to be a great champion.
Tiger has control over his golf ball again. He knows Augusta as well as anyone in this year’s field. He’s got a new experienced caddy now better suited for Tiger than Williams would be. So Tiger’s playing well, he’s motivated, and uninjured.
I will only be surprised this week if Tiger Woods does not win the Masters. It’s been since 2005 so in my mind - he’s overdue there. And he gets within 3 of Nicklaus’ record of majors and silences all the critics by winning this one. That is not to disrespect any of the other contenders in any way. Also I expect Tiger to win this one by multiple shots. I could be wrong. But I don’t’ think so …
Thanks for visiting CaddyBytes!,
Bob
