A counter to the belief that Tiger Woods' strong favouritism for the
77th Masters is merited could have either a statistical or a
psychological body of evidence. The latest round of "Can he do it?"
surrounding him will begin again at Augusta on Thursday, with the
37-year-old seeking to end a major drought that has lasted just short of
five years. Not since 2005 has Woods donned a Green Jacket.Shop for
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In
Woods' defence – a phrase not uttered much since his infidelities came
to light in 2009 – the intervening spell has been riddled with both
physical trouble and personal chaos. From being the most feared
competitor in golf, Woods regressed to such an extent that many
onlookers believed his career was over in all but name. The scale of his
achievement in returning to his current position, as again the
top-ranked golfer in the world and in formidable physical shape, cannot
be ignored.
Yet with a major-winning gap to the level Woods has
encountered, there inevitably emerges a sense of urgency and desire that
can be counter-productive should they slip towards desperation. While
Woods could never forget how to win the Masters, the mental approach of
that happening almost as second nature – he triumphed in 1997,The wintert-shirts
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2002 before the 2005 success – cannot possibly be still in place now.
"It's been one of those things where I've been close there so many times on that back nine on Sunday,Shop the latest burberryhandbags
on the world's largest fashion ... and I just haven't won," Woods says.
"I have been in the mix. I have been on the periphery and played myself
into the mix. I've been right there with just a few holes to go and it
just hasn't happened. Hopefully this year it will be a different story."
The notion that 2013 will indeed provide Woods with another
famous Masters tale has, of course, been highlighted by the early
months. The American has won three times on the PGA Tour already,
collecting just under $3.8m on top of dislodging Rory McIlroy from that
top ranking position.
A closer inspection of how Woods has risen
again to such prominence, however, reveals precisely how he has
transformed his prospects. Woods tops the PGA Tour's ranking in strokes
gained from putting, per round. That figure sits at 1.47, an endorsement
of how ruthlessly brilliant he has been on the greens this year. He has
holed out 16 times from 37 attempts between 10ft and 15ft.
The
more surprising numbers for those who have paid only loose attention to
Woods it that his driving accuracy sits at a mere 55%, 145th on the PGA
Tour. His greens in regulation percentage, at 67, is only slightly
better. Unlike in earlier years Woods can no longer drive his way out of
trouble through extraordinary distance. Players such as Dustin Johnson,
Bubba Watson and Keegan Bradley, while well short of Woods' experience,
will readily out-drive the world No1 on a course now playing more than
7,400 yards at its full length.
So the picture is clear: if
Woods can continue to putt like he did when at his dominant best, his
Augusta status is well merited. If not, inconsistent tee shots could
fatally undermine his hopes of a fifth Masters title.
On the
other hand, in 2005 Woods sat 191st in the driving accuracy table before
winning the Masters. Two years later,Wonderful Gucci handbags
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for second, he was 152nd. What he had as a crucial Augusta tool during
those visits was a reliable draw with his driver. That, perhaps most of
all, has not been so regularly displayed during recent successes.
Of
those looking to steal discussion away from Woods, Phil Mickelson may
well be the most likely. The Californian has been in the strange
position of taking a week off before a major, owing to his unwillingness
to play in the Texas Open. At Mickelson's last outing, the Houston
Open, he displayed both daily improvement and less of the erratic touch
which undermined his Masters bid a year ago.We provide you the most
beautiful gowns,such as cheap 100%Silk Dresses and germanuniforms and so on. Mickelson has added two Green Jackets to his wardrobe since Woods last claimed one of his own.
Only next weekend will prove the relevance of that point which, at the very least, it would seem folly to ignore.
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