2013 PGA Tour: Tiger Woods Wins Players Championship Soap Opera
By Les Bailey
Tiger Woods won his second Players Championship on Sunday afternoon at TPC Sawgrass, and ended a weekend that took on the persona of a Soap Opera before it was over. The ending wasn’t quite as exciting as the ending we had at The Masters last month, but maybe more entertaining.
It started on Saturday afternoon when Tiger was paired with Sergio Garcia, and with very little love lost between the two, it only took two holes to escalate into a full-on “Soap Opera”. Sergio was attempting to hit his second shot to the par five second hole while Tiger was evaluating his position. Tiger say’s he got a go ahead from the marshals that Sergio had hit, and the crowd got excited when he pulled his 5 wood speculating he was going for the green.
Turns out, Sergio had not hit, and after the round was over, accused Tiger of using his popularity to disrupt his[Sergio’s] shot. Of course, the press went to Tiger for a response and the soap opera was underway. As luck would have it, although they were tied after the third round, Tiger was paired with Casey Wittenburg on Sunday, and Sergio in the last group with David Lingmerth, who was also tied for the 54 hole lead.
After building a two shot lead, Tiger got to the 14th tee, a hole that has had his number for years. He is +13 on this hole for his career, and his bad luck continued when he pulled his drive into the water hazard on the left side. By the time the dust settled, everybody was even again, and poised for drama at the infamous par 3 signature 17th hole.
You have to know by now what happened to Sergio at 17. In his big moment, and tied for the lead, he put two in the pond, and a seven on his score card. He didn’t do much better at 18, as he hit one in the water, made double bogey, and proved once again, he’s not in the same league with Tiger Woods. He has always wanted to be, but has never passed the test.
The remainder of the golf world got back to work this week, with the PGA Tour heading back to Texas for The HP Byron Nelson Championship. The ladies are in Alabama for the Mobile Bay LPGA Classic, and the European Tour is playing The Volvo Match Play Championships in Bulgaria. Many of the players who competed in Ponte Vedra Beach last week are playing there this week.
Keegan Bradley opened up on Thursday at TPC Four Seasons in Texas with a course record-breaking -10 under par 60. This was a new record at Four Seasons. He matched the tournament record of 60, set by Sam Snead in 1957 when the tournament was played at Glen Lakes, and matched by Arron Oberholser who shot a 60 in the second round at Cottonwood Valley.
Just a note in closing, With his win at TPC Sawgrass on Sunday, Tiger Woods has stated on NBC after the tournament, that he’s getting better. Be sure to follow the link for a recap of his stats. [ ref: Tiger Woods Says, He’s Getting Better ] Also be sure to check in at Pro Golf Now on a daily basis for our Around The Links segments where we provide links to the hottest golf stories on the internet.
Follow me on Twitter @Spin_47 and in The Golf Community at Google+