JUNIOR WORLD GOLF : Cypress’s Woods Breezes to Another 13-14 Title

Eldrick (Tiger) Woods of Cypress won the 13-14 age division of the 23rd Optimist Junior World Championship Thursday at the par-71 Mission Trails golf course.

Woods shot a final-round 67 to go with his first-round 68 and second-round 69 for a total of 204.

Excuse Woods if it all seems a little monotonous by now.

This is his fifth Junior World title, his third in a row and his second in the 13-14 age division. He is the only junior golfer to accomplish any of those feats.

And remember that Woods has yet to enter the 15-17 age division and thus has three more years to add to his milestones.

In fact, it almost appears that Woods is planning on pushing his five world championship trophies closer together to make room for still more.

“Before the tournament started, I told my friends I would win it outright,” Tiger Woods said. “Hopefully, I’ll win it three more times.”

Woods got into trouble on only two holes during this year’s tournament. They came consecutively on the back nine of his final round. On the par-5 14th, his tee shot veered way right. On the par-4 15th, a tree about 150 yards from the tee and to the right of the fairway deflected his drive back toward him.

“Those were my two worst drives of the tournament,” Woods said.

But he made up for both of them. On 14, he put his third shot on the green and one-putted for a birdie, and on 15, he again one-putted to save par.

Woods’ father, Earl, 58, wasn’t surprised with the outcome.

“For most people,” Earl said, “a golf swing is not a natural swing. But for Tiger, it is a very natural swing.

Earl Woods said that is because Eldrick learned young, before he could pick up any bad habits. How young? Well, the first time Tiger picked up a putter, he was 11 months old, Earl said.

Before that Earl had been giving Tiger lessons of sorts since he was 5 months old. He would strap the infant in a high chair and then start hitting balls into a driving net.

“He would just sit there and watch for hours,” Earl said.

It was also Earl who gave Tiger his nickname. It is the same nickname of a South Vietnamese Lt. Colonel whom Woods, a Lt. Colonel in the Army himself, advised during the Vietnam war.

After the U.S. pullout, Woods lost contact with his buddy. Later, he gave his son the same nickname because, well, he figured his son would be good enough some day to warrant media attention.

“My hope was that some day my buddy might see Tiger on TV or in the newspapers or something and make the connection ‘Tiger Woods, hey, that must be Woody’s kid.”’

It’s a long shot, Earl Woods admits, especially considering his old friend would have to travel from Vietnam in order to hear of Tiger Woods.

“With his rank and his position, he undoubtedly went to prison (after the U.S. pullout),” Woods said. “Who knows? He might even be dead. But I’m hoping that some day he’ll make the connection and get in touch with me.”

Golf Notes

Skyli Yamada of Sandy, Utah, won the girls’ 13-14 division with scores of 70, 78 and 73 for a 221. Juan Oben won the boys’ 11-12 age division at the par-58 executive course at Singing Hills (60-54-57--171), and Rachel Borcherts of Long Beach won the girls’ competition (63-58-62--183). Luis Assemat of San Ysidro took the championship in the boys’ 10-and-under division at the par-56 Presidio Hills course (52-53-58--163) and Lorena Ochoa of Guadalajara, Mexico won the girls (60-60-61--181). . . . With one more day to go in the 15-17 age division, the top two golfers from the previous two days flip-flopped. Notah Begay of Albuquerque took over first with a five-under 67 at Torrey Pines South, pushing Travis Williams of Carlsbad, who shot a third-round 73, into second. Begay has a three-round total of 207; Williams is at 211. Lisa Kiggens still leads the girls’ division at 217 after shooting a 73 Thursday.