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Teeing Off: Kiss of Death Three majors in 2000 -- that's only one reason why Tiger won't win any in 2001
Updated: Friday March 30, 2001 1:16 PM By Walter Bingham
Me, I'd be delighted to book both bets, and I'll wager even money he doesn't win any major this year, not a single one. Do I hear laughter in the background? Is someone phoning the paddy wagon to come cart me away? Before it arrives, hear me out.
O.K., O.K., I know what you're thinking. Hogan was indeed old at the time, 41 to be precise. But what about Jack Nicklaus, the man whose records Tiger is chasing? Nicklaus was only 27, in his prime, when he won the '67 U.S. Open, his seventh major. Hard as it is to imagine, he then struck out in the next 12 majors, the equivalent of three years, before winning the British Open in 1970. Arnold Palmer never won three majors in a single year, but he came close in 1962 when he won the Masters and the British Open and lost the U.S. Open in a playoff with Nicklaus. The next year? Nada. So much for history. What possible things can happen to Woods that would exclude him from winning a major? David Duval, who has been hampered all year with an assortment of ills, could tell you. At Pebble Beach in January, Woods did indeed hurt his left knee when he stepped on the foot of an autograph hound. To compensate for the apparent discomfort, he has adjusted the positioning of his left foot at address, and this may explain why, in spite of his recent victories, his driving continues to be erratic. Altering a golf swing, especially one that was purring like Tiger's was last year, is as dicey as tuning a Stradivarius. Example: No player was more promising 25 years ago than Jerry Pate, winner of the 1976 U.S. Open at 23. In 1982 he won the Players Championship (and took his famous dive into the water on 18), but not long afterward he tried to hack his ball out of a bush. He ripped a muscle in his left shoulder, changed his swing because of the injury, finally had surgery in '85 and never again won a tournament. Just something for Tiger to keep in mind the next time his ball is lodged between the roots of a tree. It has been documented that Butch Harmon, Woods's coach, is as valuable to Tiger as another Butch was to Sundance. At his best, Woods plays with machinelike precision, but when the machine shows the slightest sign of malfunctioning -- approach shots long or short are an occasional problem -- Harmon comes running with his tool kit. But suppose the chemistry between the two fizzles, as it did with Nick Faldo and David Leadbetter. Could Tiger find a stand-in? However, my biggest reason for betting that Woods will not win a major this year is luck, bad luck in his case. Suppose someone, say that recent shooting star, Joe Durant, has another career week, this time at the Masters? Woods got a taste of that in last year's PGA, and to his credit he overcame it. Bob May, who has never won a Tour event, almost stole the tournament. If Charles Coody can win a Masters from under Nicklaus's nose, Durant can do the same to Tiger. Of course there are the more serious challengers. To win his 18 majors, Nicklaus had to fight off Arnold, Gary, Lee and Tom, four players who helped account for Jack's 19 second-place finishes in the Grand Slam events. Last year Woods was light-years ahead of his own competition, but his dry spell at the start of the year has clearly given heart to his most serious challengers, Davis, Phil and Vijay, all of whom, have flexed their muscles this season. So when Vijay Singh slips the green jacket on good ol' Joe, just remember, you read it here first.
Issue date: April 2, 2001
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