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On the prowl Don't look now, but Tiger is gaining momentum
Posted: Wednesday June 30, 1999 07:57 PM
LEMONT, Ill. (AP) -- The gallery engulfed and then nearly swallowed him two years ago as he walked up the 18th fairway, ready to finish off a victory in the Western Open. Tiger Woods, by now, is used to those swarms that follow his every move. They come to watch him be brilliant. They want to see him dominate a game that frustrates millions or rout a confounding course with his shot selection. "Overwhelming, no. Distracting sometimes. Obviously they're making a lot of noise and it depends when they make that noise -- if it's in your swing or they catch you in a wrong moment, then it's a little tough," Woods said Wednesday on the eve of the $2.5 million Western Open. "They get excited when we pull off shots, and especially shots they can't hit. That's what makes it neat when you can go out and pull off a few good shots. And who knows? You can get on a little hot streak." He's on one. Woods, with three straight top 10 finishes, and Vijay Singh, who's placed in the top five of his last three, lead the Western field. U.S. Open champion Payne Stewart and money leader David Duval are among those absent. The Cog Hill Golf and Country Club is where Woods had his first sub-70 round in a professional tournament, shooting 69 on the final day of the 1995 tournament when he was still an amateur. Two years later, he won the tournament, his fourth title during a torrid 1997 that included a Masters title. Now he's made some changes in his game, especially with his swing, and has two tour victories this season. He reeled off the technical alterations. "I've worked on changing my grip a little bit, worked on my first move off the ball," he said. "My swing plane, make sure I rounded off in the top instead of early and don't get too deep too early. From there, just keep the club head in front of me on the way down." Woods said it's taken some time to adjust. "No doubt I have an even more well-rounded game now," he said. "If you look at the way I played in '97, I did win, yes. But where did I finish when I didn't win? I'm finishing higher now when I don't have it, which means my swing is better. My short game is better." Singh's putting grip is certainly different. Last year's Western, where he finished second, is where he committed to a cross-handed approach. Seven weeks later, he won the PGA. "I'd putted cross-handed before but this was the first time where I said, 'This is it.' And I haven't changed since. This is the longest streak I've had putting cross-handed," he said. Even though he led after three rounds last year, Singh didn't win the Western because Joe Durant was too good on the final day, shooting a 66 to win by two strokes. "I didn't lose it. He won it," Singh said.
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