Tiger Would Have Been Better Off Chipping

Here’s an image that probably won’t make the covers of the next Golf Digest, Golf magazine, Golf World and Sports Illustrated: Tiger’s wood being angrily slammed into the turf after an attempted chip onto the 18th green coughed and sputtered and died maddeningly short en route to a round-ending bogey.

But, then, nobody said this global conquest thing would be easy.

Two months shy of his 21st birthday and one round into his eighth PGA event as a full-fledged professional, Tiger Woods on Thursday made his debut at the Tour Championship, where the game’s top 30 money winners meet every year, and left no bigger immediate imprint than that divot alongside the 18th hole.

Woods bogeyed three holes--the first, the last and No. 8--and missed short birdie putts on holes 13 and 17 to complete his first round at Southern Hills Country Club at an even-par 70, four strokes behind co-leaders Tom Lehman and Vijay Singh.

He was one under stepping up to the 18th tee and in position to end the afternoon two-under when his approach shot on the 430-yard par-four sailed long, landing on the upper fringe of the green, about 30 feet above the hole.

Woods chose a three-wood for his third shot, trying to tap the ball onto the green and let it roll downhill. Tap he did, but roll it didn’t. The ball pulled up in mid-curl, freezing about eight feet short of the cup.

Woods got better distance on his club, which he flung in frustration in the general direction of his golf bag, to that point an innocent bystander. A hush fell over the gallery, pressed eight to 10 deep against the ropes, as it waited for young Tiger to regain his composure.

It happened, but about one stroke too late.

Woods mis-hit his putt, sending the ball just right of the hole, before he could finally tap in for a bogey.

Coming on the heels of a three-foot putt on No. 17 that didn’t drop and a 30-foot putt on No. 16 that teased and teased and begged off inches short, well, one could have seen that flying club coming.

By the time Woods could be cornered to be asked about his round, the steam valve seemed ready to explode.

“It was. . . .”

Woods then paused, bit his lip and tried again, perhaps realizing that as he was speaking, cameras were rolling, pens were writing and Nike was paying.

“I’m . . . very satisfied. I shot 70. Around here, that’s pretty good, no matter what the conditions are.”

But it could have been much better, as Woods’ caddie, Mike “Fluff” Cowan, readily conceded.

“He was close to shooting a 66 or so,” Cowan said. “Pretty solid, but he could have putted a little better. He three-putted twice--missed a short one on 17 and couple of others lipped out. Coulda, shoulda.”

Cowan claimed he was “pleased enough with his score” but acknowledged it was a missed opportunity of sorts, considering the weather, which was supposed to be brutal in Tulsa this week. Thursday, though, the sun shone so brightly, Woods peeled off his blue cotton vest after the 12th hole.

“It’s supposed to get ugly and nasty here the next three days,” Cowan said forebodingly. “Low scores are going to be hard to come by.”

Woods is here, 23rd among the tour’s top money winners, after a phenomenal introduction to the PGA: seven tournaments played, two tournaments won, five consecutive top-five finishes, $734,794 already in prize money and a clean sweep of the current covers of the big-circulation golf magazines.

He is a happening in himself, great expectations accompanying every stroke, but the galleries at Southern Hills could be in for disappointment. A course lean on fairway length and littered with doglegs doesn’t play to Woods’ strengths.

Woods hasn’t played enough PGA events to qualify for individual tour rankings, but his average driving distance of 302.8 yards eclipses the current PGA leader, John Daly, who is at 288.8. Thursday, Woods averaged 350 yards with his driver, drawing oohs and aahs and the occasional “Oh, man, lookit that thang go!”

On this course, however, Woods required a driver on only three holes. On everything else--every hole under 468 yards--he teed off with an iron.

“The golf course dictates what you do,” Woods reasoned. “This one has a lot of doglegs. You’ve got to keep that ball on the fairway.”

Woods’ playing partner, Brad Faxon, who shot a two-under 68, marveled at the few times Woods was able to crank up and let go.

“I think Tiger hit four drives a total of 1,500 yards--350 on No. 5 and probably 370 on No. 16,” said Faxon, who was less taken with the security precautions taken to buffer Woods from the crush of the madding crowd.

“He has a couple of security guards, they’re plainclothes, and on the first couple of holes, they were really in the way,” Faxon said.

Welcome to Tigerworld, Brad.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

LEADERS

Vijay Singh 33-33--66 -4

Tom Lehman 33-33--66 -4

Steve Jones 33-34--67 -3

Phil Mickelson 32-35--67 -3

Brad Faxon 35-33--68 -2

Fred Couples 35-33--68 -2

Mark Calcavecchia 35-34--69 -1

*

OTHERS

Tom Watson 34-36--70 E

Tiger Woods 35-35--70 E

Corey Pavin 34-37--71 +1

Davis Love III 35-37--72 +2

Greg Norman 36-37--73 +3

Nick Faldo 37-38--75 +5

Ernie Els 38-38--76 +6

(Southland Edition) $3-MILLION TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

At Tulsa, Okla.--Par 70

18-Hole Scores

Vijay Singh: 33-33--66 -4

Tom Lehman: 33-33--66 -4

Steve Jones: 33-34--67 -3

Phil Mickelson: 32-35--67 -3

Brad Faxon: 35-33--68 -2

Fred Couples: 35-33--68 -2

Mark Calcavecchia: 35-34--69 -1

Tom Watson: 34-36--70 E

Tiger Woods: 35-35--70 E

John Cook: 35-35--70 E

Steve Stricker: 35-35--70 E

Jeff Sluman: 37-34--71 +1

Fred Funk: 38-33--71 +1

Michael Bradley: 35-36--71 +1

Corey Pavin: 34-37--71 +1

David Duval: 33-38--71 +1

Jim Furyk: 37-35--72 +2

Davis Love III: 35-37--72 +2

Kenny Perry: 37-36--73 +3

Tommy Tolles: 38-35--73 +3

Justin Leonard: 39-34--73 +3

Greg Norman: 36-37--73 +3

Scott Hoch: 35-38--73 +3

Mark Brooks: 37-36--73 +3

Duffy Waldorf: 38-36--74 +4

Mark O’Meara: 38-36--74 +4