http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/news/story?id=2320113 Woods beats Els in playoff to win Dubai Classic Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- For Tiger Woods, one close shave deserved another. Now he's 2-0 for the year. Woods won the Dubai Desert Classic over Ernie Els on Sunday, forcing a one-hole playoff against the defending champion with birdies on the last two holes of regulation to go 19 under. On the playoff hole -- the 18th -- Woods reached the back of the green in two. Els put his drive into a grove of palm trees, and then hit his second shot into the water protecting the green to end it. Woods finished with a par and Els declined to putt out after missing his par attempt. "Somehow I got lucky," Woods said. "Today it was very fortunate because I didn't really have it, but the other guys didn't run away either." Woods, who shaved the goatee he'd been wearing before rallying Saturday to grab a share of the lead, won his first tournament of the year last weekend in the Buick Invitational in San Diego, also in a playoff. It was his first event after a six-week break, the longest of his career. Sunday's victory was Woods' 57th worldwide -- 47 of them on the U.S. PGA Tour. It was also the 10th country in which he has won an official tournament. Along with titles in the United States and the United Arab Emirates, he has won in Thailand, Germany, Spain, Britain, Canada, Ireland, Japan and Malaysia. The long vacation hasn't hurt, and neither did a 20-hour flight across 12 time zones to reach the Middle East. This was Woods' third attempt to win on this desert course on the Arabian peninsula. Five years ago, he led after the third round but lost on the 72nd hole to Dane Thomas Bjorn, dumping a shot into the water hazard on 18. Two years ago, he watched Florida neighbor Mark O'Meara win. Els and Woods were tied at 19-under 269 after regulation. Richard Green shot a 68 to finish 18 under and Miguel Angel Jimenez (69) and Anders Hansen (71) came in at 17-under 271. Retief Goosen shot 71 for a 16-under 272. Els, a three-time champion in Dubai, shot a closing 5-under 67. Woods, who was tied for the lead with Anders Hansen after three rounds, closed with a 69 to go with rounds of 67-66-67. "I cannot complain," said Els, who is coming back from knee surgery last year. "After all the hassle I had with the leg to come back ... and to almost win is fine." Woods is nearly impossible to beat in playoffs. He's 12-1 in playoffs worldwide and 9-1 on the PGA Tour. His only loss was in 1998 to Billy Mayfair. For Woods, it was tough to get going Sunday. He struggled with his driver and hooked drives badly on Nos. 2, 6 and 8 -- each time into sandy areas under palm trees. He saved par twice -- with a bunker shot to inches on No. 8, and with a 10-foot putt on the second -- but failed to recover on No. 6, missing a 20-foot par putt. The turn-around hole was the 14th. Woods hit his drive into a rocky bank surrounding a pond. He pitched his second over jagged stones into the fairway, left his approach 20-feet short -- and then holed the par-saving putt. "It was hit and hope, really," said Woods, who stayed two behind Els with the save. Asked what was wrong with his round, Woods replied: "I was all over the place. That's not a fun way to play the final round of a championship. I just tried somehow to eliminate one side of he fairway where I'm hitting nothing but a sweeping hook." Playing in the threesome behind Woods, Els grabbed a share of the lead on No. 9 with a 12-foot birdie putt to go 17 under and join Hansen. Hansen bogeyed No. 8 a few seconds later to fall out of the lead for good. Els moved to 19 under with birdie putts on 10 and 18. Woods birdied the last two holes to reach 19 under. He drove the green on the 359-yard 17th, and got down in two from 25 feet. On 18, he sailed a fairway wood over the water-protected green into the rough just off the back edge, and again got down in two with a birdie on the 547-yard hole. Woods received $400,000 for winning the $2.4 million event, adding that to the $3 million in appearance money he is widely reported to be receiving. Dubai was one in a half-dozen tuneups for the Masters, which he won his fourth time last year. "My list of things I need to work on is a lot shorter than it was last year at this time, which is great," Woods said. "So looking toward Augusta I don't have a big laundry list of things I need to work on.
great thing about it if you bet on games, is bet that tiger will always win. seriously, has he ever lost a major no matter how many shots he's been down by? the answer? no.
note to self: become one of the most famous people in the world. it's amazing how Woods can come up with birdies whenever he needs them. it's one thing to be a clutch guy getting pars to stave people off, but to get birdies on demand to come back in golf is unreal. and he almost always pulls it off.
This still in: watching golf on TV is nowhere near as interesting as playing it. (However I admit, Tiger would kick my ass anyday)
He has won more majors during the time he has been a pro than anyone else during the same time, but TMac640 wrote that Woods has never lost a major.
Just ignore Tmac640. He's doing his unfunny "Refer to a made-up amazing acheivement" schtick again (Like his constant yapping about the 82-0 Bulls).
Freakin' A did you watch JB Holmes this week. The kid averaged over 330 and he hit every fairway. If he can somehow qualify for The Masters it will be GAME ON! He's fat an ugly like John Daly (well he doesn't have a mullet) but his future's so bright he has to wear shades.
I recorded the entire final round of the Dubai on DVD. It was a pretty good round to watch. In truth, Tiger got lucky to win. There was a guy named Green who was shotting some really great golf and went up two strokes over the rest of the field as he went to the 18th hole. But he choked on the 18th and got bogey.
LOL! You're more correc than you know! Tiger birdied the last hole to finish tied with Ernie Els, who was playing very strongly all day and was probably pretty surprised to see Tiger catch up to him. So, Ernie and Tiger started a playoff. Ernie choked in the first playoff hole, finishing with double-bogey and giving Tiger the win.
Muscle tension is difference in golf, it's why so many of us are Ranger Ricks that can hit any shot on the range but stub, flub and shank on the golf course. When our muscles get tense (especially in the forearm) they resist the free flowing movement of the swing. If you know how it is to tighten up and skull a flip wedge in a $2 Nassau , imagine how it feels to a young golfer with tens of thousands of dollars riding on every swing. Also, I try to keep a fairly reptitive routine for every shot and it's just six steps. But even at that, if the wheels are coming off I can get over the ball and forget what the hell I'm doing. To help wth the muscle tension, you need to be aware of your grip pressure. My first step in addressing the ball is "fingers". I want to make sure I grip the club in my fingers and not slip into a meathanded grip. It's a lot harder to choke the life out of it in you fingers...where it's supposed to be. (see Hogans five fundementals)
