Who's smiling now? Tiger Woods's win at Bay Hill changes the conversation. (Getty Images)
Well, that was a pretty effective way for Tiger Woods to muffle the buzz as that book finally hits store shelves.
Maybe not completely. Hank Haney’s chronicle of his days as Woods’ swing coach already has spent two weeks on Amazon.com’s list of best sellers, currently at No.30. But if there’s one thing in golfdom that can overshadow “The Big Miss,” it’s the Big Win.
“He’s got a lot of his game back,” said Ian Poulter, a distant third behind Woods’ five-shot romp at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. “He’s dangerous, so he’s going to be a force for everybody at Augusta.”
Ah, yes, the Masters. One week remains before the season’s first major grabs everyone’s attention. And as though Woods didn’t figure to be a major topic of conversation between now and the first round, now he’s THE topic.
Can Tiger win?
Has the old Tiger finally emerged from hibernation, or was Bay Hill simply a good week?
It’s been a long time since Woods looked as close to full control of his game. He hit 19 consecutive greens in regulation between Thursday and Friday. He led the field in that category for the week, hitting 57 of 72. And several of the misses were just on the fringe.
In a Friday 65, he gave himself a putt for birdie on every green. One day later, he did it all but twice. His scorecards were marked with just five bogeys and that flukish double bogey when a woman called out for medical help just as Woods put the thrusters into his downswing.
That was the only real “big miss” of the entire week. Based on where the shots landed, this wasn’t so much the Tiger Swing circa 2009 as it was the 2002 version.
Take that to Augusta National, and you can’t help but have a chance.
“We have a long way to go, and he knows that. But I’m pleased for him,” swing coach Sean Foley told reporters before slipping away to leave the stage to Woods. “This was a tough day. He’s putting in the work and will continue to do so.”
Foley didn’t want to become a sidelight to a benchmark day on the Tiger Timeline. Ironically, Woods’ old coach has that role.
Most golf books hit the shelves in the days before the Masters and U.S. Open, when the sports fan’s attention is most focused on the sport. “The Big Miss” is no different, available for public consumption starting Tuesday.
No question it’s been a thorn in the golfer’s side, with anecdotes of military special-ops sessions that may (or may not) have damaged Woods’ Achilles tendons and/or left knee, not to mention marital unease and a controlling personality.
But after two rounds of book excerpts and numerous reviews, there’s little left to move the needle. Victory at Bay Hill – and the anticipation of bigger and better exploits – allows the Tiger Legions to crow and the rest of the sport to wonder if Phase II will be as dominant as Phase I.
The book, interesting as it may be, gets relegated to a footnote.
