Happy 38th Birthday Tiger

Question on our minds: What if Tiger's approach on 15 DIDN'T hit the flag at this year's Masters?

(Would Bubba have put a green jacket on Tiger? http://golfdig.st/1aiSjYq)

Happy Birthday, Tiger Woods!

GOLF WORLD
But What If The Ball Had Missed The Stick?

At 6:32 p.m. on Friday, April 12, Tiger Woods hit a splendid approach on Augusta National's 15th hole that struck the flagstick and caromed into the pond near the Sarazen Bridge


The smile was back as 2013 Masters champion Tiger Woods adjusted the sleeves on the green jacket Bubba Watson had just slipped on him inside Butler Cabin following a rainy Sunday afternoon at Augusta National GC. There was no hiding the joy that the now 15-time major champion was feeling having resumed -- finally -- his march on Jack Nicklaus' record, even if the toothy grin also contained its fair share of relief.

With CBS cameras rolling, and new girlfriend Lindsey Vonn somewhere in the room celebrating on Twitter, Woods went back and forth with Masters chairman Billy Payne about his two-stroke victory over Adam Scott and Angel Cabrera (which wasn't really that close) and how it felt to end his winless streak in majors dating back to the 2008 U.S. Open. Arguably, though, Woods' most arresting comment came after Jim Nantz asked if there was a moment in the tournament the golfer felt was the turning point.

"I think my third shot at the 15th on Friday," Woods responded. "I hit a nice little soft 60 in there. It was so perfect that for a second I got nervous it might hit the flagstick. Who knows then & maybe it does something crazy like bounce in the water."


It didn't, of course, the ball stopping six feet from the cup and setting up his fourth birdie in 11 holes to give him the outright lead. Awash in confidence, Woods then birdied 16 and made pars on 17 and 18 for a five-under 67 that left him with a seven-under 137 after 36 holes. For the next two days the media reminded him of all his weekend woes at majors since Torrey Pines. But this time Woods had too much going for him on too familiar a stage to let victory slip away.

The rest, as they say, is history. Spared any bad breaks in the year's first major -- think of the spectacle had his ball actually gone in the hazard and he needed to take a drop -- Woods set in motion a series of events that shaped the remainder of the 2013 season, directly and indirectly impacting several of the game's most notable figures.

In hindsight, the person most grateful for Tiger's triumph may have been Fred Ridley, chairman of the Masters competition committee. The focus on Woods helped deflect criticism Ridley was receiving for the biggest rules controversy of the tournament: the one-stroke slow-play penalty given Chinese amateur Tianlang Guan during the second round. Any number of dawdlers make a comfortable living on the PGA Tour. How could a 14-year-old middle-schooler become the one to take the fall for five-plus hour rounds?

hunter mahan illustration
"Remember the line, 'While we're young?' They seemed to take it too far," quipped former PGA Tour rules official David Eger to a reporter shortly afterward, noting how he watched it all play out on TV at home and considered calling an official he knew was working at Augusta to see if Ridley might talk to Guan after the round and clarify what happened before his scorecard was signed.

Sadly the penalty caused Guan to miss the cut by one stroke, his four-over 148 now 11 back of Woods. The youngster awkwardly stuck around Augusta National that weekend, but his dejection -- and the subsequent scrutiny of his play -- caused him to change his plans for staying in the U.S. (despite rumors he had sponsors' exemptions lined up in a handful of PGA Tour events) and instead return early to China.

Officials with the USGA and R&A also owed Woods a thank you for becoming a helpful distraction. In May the governing bodies jointly announced formal approval of the proposed rule change that would prohibit the anchored putting stroke. An upset PGA of America president Ted Bishop continued to voice his opposition to the ban, but with Woods on the record as being against the use of belly/long putters, and Scott nearly making it four of the last six major winners to use one, the USGA/R&A had additional cover.



Had Scott become a first-time major champion at Augusta, one could argue it just might have inspired a host of other young players without major titles. Woods' win instead fueled just one: Hunter Mahan, who had become a friend while sharing time with instructor Sean Foley. The 10-year pro was among a group of thirtysomethings, including Justin Rose and Jason Dufner, who many felt were ready to break through in golf's premier events. Mahan, however, had extra incentive to get a move on: His season was going to be interrupted with the arrival of a new child in July. Fearful his career's own biological clock was ticking, he became more diligent in his practice.

"I took a lot of encouragement from Tiger," Mahan said. "He sent me a fantastic text after the Masters. He said, 'Your time is coming soon.' "

In hindsight, Mahan's one-stroke win in the U.S. Open after a final-round 70 wasn't a surprise. Soft conditions from early week rain didn't leave fabled Merion GC as defenseless as feared, and Mahan's ball-striking prowess gave him an edge. Rose, the eventual runner-up, could have forced an 18-hole playoff (à la Ben Hogan in 1950) with a birdie on the 18th but his 4-iron approach from the fairway ran through the green and he had to settle for a par.

"I actually had a dream last night that I was going to win," Rose admitted sheepishly. "Then I saw my ball on 18 near the Hogan plaque and thought maybe that was karma. But it wasn't meant to be."

From there, attention shifted to Muirfield for the British Open, where a year-old storyline boiled over. When Scott came into the press room Monday, he was barraged with questions about the collapse in the final round of the Open the previous year. As the soft-spoken Australian had done in several interviews since bogeying Lytham's final four holes, he insisted the experience strengthened his resolve rather than shattered it. Yet skeptical scribes wondered when, if ever, Scott might be a major champion.

Break the 15 barrier, dude!

Tiger replied, "Uncle Bear, there were not many good players in the past."

Bring in a Major, Tiger!!!