Tiger Wheels It Right Back At Honda, Meets Stoneman Douglas High Student Volunteer
Tiger's wheeling himself right back into the PGA National fray and as Dan Kilbridge reports for Golfweek, there wasn't much to this new normal to say in advance of a 7:45 am ET tee time with Patton Kizzire and Brandt Snedeker.
There was, however, what sounded to me like an admission that his fused back, while making him pain free, may be complicating his feel for certain shots.
“I can’t create the same angles I used to be able to create naturally,” Woods said. “Obviously I’m fused, so it’s a little bit different and I’m starting to learn what it feels like under the gun. Some of the shots I like to play, they’re not the same as they used to be and that part I’m going to have to learn. It’s not something that I’m used to because I’ve never felt like this, but this is the new norm.”
Tiger Tracker had some interesting observations on Tiger's Pro-Am round, which sounded similar to low-key approaches he took at Torrey Pines and Riviera, but with some stingers thrown in this time.
Kara Duffy of the local CBS affiliate detailed Tiger's impromptu meeting with Stoneman Douglas high student Kevin Shanahan, who is again volunteering at the tournament and who was introduced to Tiger by caddie Joe LaCava.
On Wednesday, the caddie for Tiger Woods got wind that Shanahan is a student there. Moments later, the golf great called him over during warm ups at the driving range, and what may have been a minor exchange in his mind, meant the world to Kevin.
“It was really a majority of me thanking him because I thought, ‘oh my God I’m getting this signed by Tiger Woods,’ but it really felt like he talked from the heart,” Shanahan said. “It didn’t feel scripted, it felt like it really came from him being sincere and saying, ‘I’m really sorry that you’re going through this,’ and it made me feel awesome!”
Last year’s Honda Classic winner Rickie Fowler also stopped for a photo with the teen.
Wednesday, February 21, 2018 at 09:52 PM
Reader Comments (12)
Anyhow, it’s Tiger’s odd world again this week, just because he’s entered into another toonamint. Oh, God … my beating heart. And we’re all dumbly gawking, and wondering only one pathetic thing every week: Will the oddball make the cut?
By “angles,” I think he’s talking about delivering the club into the ball on a variety of paths and angles of attack, to produce different types of shots. My conclusion—and it may be wrong—is that his body doesn’t allow him to perform the movements the way he used to.. At one time, he would see it in his mind’s eye how he wanted the clubhead to move through the ball, and was automatically able to make his body move to produce what he saw. Now he can’t.
One challenge for Tiger is to really dumb down his talk for fans with zero instruction background, so that terms like “angles” hints at something they can draw conclusions from. That way, it will elicit more than blank stares and the accusation that he’s being a “dweeb.”
“Angles” is a lot simpler than “glutes firing” and “release patterns” IMO, but it points up why he should keep it really elementary.
What about "reps", "protocols", "explosiveness"....and all the dorky nicknames he has for his fellow tour players?
. I'm guessing he just wants to be different but to me he' tries too hard and he comes off as sounding like a nerd.
Just my opinion
He probably IS a nerd. So what? He's not a golf commentator needing to shape everything for the masses ... he gets asked a question, he answers it. If delving into the meaning behind the answer does not float your boat - then don't bother reading the stuff! :)
Guess not - although yelling profanity doesn't exactly relate to his "nerdy" answers given during a presser. Huh. It's a good thing (for the children) that no other sports figure has ever spouted some BS in the heat of battle - not sure how society would go on in such situations.
Let the hate flow - my apologies for gettin' in your way!
:)
Please, if you do anything, please , vote out every member of congress who is on the NRA take. These are our children.
An Australian school/gun situation in 1999 resulted in new laws/ There have been no school.gun situations in Australia since. There has been a school/gun incident in America ever 2/12 days in 2018.
Back to the golf- the coverage on MD was over the top. You would have thought TW's first 9 were the final 9 on Sunday at Augusta///dig