Tiger Woods has proved himself as the World’s No. 1 again In the November 13, when he opened with two birdies, saved his round with two pars and wound up with a 4-under 68. He completed his world domination by taking out the Australian Masters and said he planned to return next summer - but a clause will again prevent Sydney from seeing the world's biggest sports star.
Despite Sydney hosting the premier event on the calendar - the Australian Open - there is a contract stipulating the world No.1 can only play one event Down Under.
After holding off Australia’s Greg Chalmers to win by two shots at Kingston Health, Woods sad he enjoyed his visit so much he would love to return to Melbourne in 2010.
It is thought that IMG, which runs the Masters tournament and also manages Woods, had clauses inserted in the contract for Woods to play in only one tournament in Australia. Any return to the Australian Masters at Victoria Golf Club next year would almost certainly be the same and rule out a Sydney tournament appearance.
Australian Open organisers have Greg Norman sewn up for the next three years but would no doubt be green with envy about the success of Woods playing at the Masters.
A record six-day attendance figure of 95,027 - with each day sold out - was a staggering sight at the Melbourne course.
Woods' $3 million appearance fee was worth every cent and he completed the script yesterday by holding off the Australian challenge to claim the yellow jacket.
Asked if he had enjoyed his time in Australia, Woods said: "Are you kidding me? It's been absolutely phenomenal.''
Victorian Premier John Brumby said 35,000 of the tickets were sold to interstate and overseas visitors, guaranteeing a huge boost to the state economy that he said would "very, very comfortably surpass'' estimates of $19 million.
But Sydney's chances of seeing Tiger and enjoying such a windfall are slim given Woods' decision to return will no doubt be tied to his deep affection for the sandbelt courses of southeast Melbourne.
Golf Australia boss Stephen Pitt said he was focused on running a good Australian Open at NSW Golf Club at La Perouse from December 3-6 and could not speculate if the tournament would make a play for Woods next year.
"As you saw, he's one of the all-time great players and any tournament would love him but it is really not a focus of ours at the moment,'' Pitt said.
A Tiger fan shows his support whilst watching Tiger Woods of the USA on the 6th hole during the final round of the 2009 Australian Masters at Kingston Heath Golf Club on November 15, 2009 in Melbourne, Australia.
It looks like Byron Nelson's streak is still safe for now. Geoff Ogilvy ended Tiger Woods win streak this morning with 11 pars in 11 holes. Ogilvy didn't have a single bogey until the seventh hole of the final round, whereas Tiger struggled a bit on the greens, and just couldn't find the rhythm he wanted, though he still managed to stay near the front of the pack for the entire tournament.
Though Tiger Woods may not have his perfect season that the media was hyping so much (after only three official events, and five total starts), the way he is playing is absolutely phenomenal. In five starts this season, he has four wins and one fifth place finish. Phil Mickelson, second in FedEx Cup points, on the other hand has seven starts, only one of which is a win, one second place, one sixth place, three top 25 finishes and one 128th.
I doubt that this will affect Tiger's confidence at the Masters and he is still favored to win there in a couple weeks. I am still looking to Tiger to put together a season for the record books.
I just got news that the company that I have worked for since 2004 isn't going to be giving me a raise this year, and unless I'm a member of the GST (Global Sales Team) I can forget about a Christmas bonus either (and that wouldn't come until December 2009 now anyway). It's just a sign of the times that we live in, and another new notch on my already tightening belt. Now if I could only match David Lutterus on tour. For thouse of you who don't know, David Lutterus has made $34,171 on Tour so far this year, which would put him on course for making $100,000 this year assuming he makes an average of 11,111.11 per month and doesn't compete in the Silly Season. See, I'm not greedy. I'm just asking to be good enough to make a decent income on Tour, and once you take out travel expenses and money for my caddy, 100K really isn't a lot, now is it? All that I'm asking is to average 70.94 per round, and make half of the cuts. Though my name suggests that I seek Tiger level fame and game, really, all I want is to not get kicked around by some big corporation that has had my loyalty for almost four years. Is that too much to ask?
Now all I need is an instructor who will take me to that level of play. If you can help an inexperienced, 24 year old golfer who has yet to break 100 to get to just a tad better than scratch, contact me. Payment will be received after I reach my desired skill level. Any takers?
Thank you for reading today's rant.
I heard on the radio this morning that Ladbrokes was taking bets at 12/1 odds that Tiger would win the Grand Slam. Well, I just checked out the site for myself, and it looks like Ladbrokes is a little more confident that he will, as it the odds are now 8/1. The odds are only twice as good (4/1) on the site that Tiger wins zero majors. I am not a betting man, but if I was, I would prefer going with the 8/1 odds that Tiger will win the Grand Slam. I think that anyone who bets against Tiger even winning a single major this year needs to get his head examined.
I don't know how many of you have been following the PGA TOUR so far this year, but Tiger Woods is on fire! He is putting like the Tiger that made me select my name, hitting the greens so close to the pin that it almost doesn't matter, and he is a lot more accurate with his drives so far this year. He has won every tournament that he has entered, and in only two official PGA TOUR events, he has nearly 1,000 more points toward the FedEx Cup than Phil Mickelson does in five events.
If Tiger is ever going to win the ever-elusive Grand Slam (all four majors in one calendar year), this is the year that it will happen. Tiger is on such a hot-streak right now that it will be very surprising if he doesn't win the Masters next month. The US Open is at Torrey Pines, which Tiger has won at seven times, so they might as well give him the trophy and the check right now. The Open Championship (British Open) is at Royal Birkdale, which Tiger has only played at once, but it is a set-up that he will do well in. Finally, the PGA Championship is at Oakland Hills, which is another Tiger Woods favorite.
Now, I'm not such a homer that I'm saying that Tiger Woods is a shooin for the Grand Slam, but if he is ever going to do it, the conditions are almost perfect this year for him to do so. You could say that the conditions are right for a perfect storm. And all I can say is I would love to see history made.
I post at least one new article every day on my web site. Often they are helpful, at other times somewhat provocative. If you are considering relocating to a golf course community, or just interested in the subject of golf community real estate, you will find something of interest on my site. I posted the following within the last 10 days:
Tiger Woods' first foray into golf course design is in the desert terrain of Dubai. His second one will present an entirely different challenge.
Last week, the world's best golfer confirmed that he will design a mountain layout for the Cliffs Communities at High Carolina, between Asheville, NC, and Greenville, SC. The course, which will be laid out especially for walkers, will sit at an elevation of 4,000 feet amid a community of homes priced well into the millions of dollars. Scheduled opening is sometime in 2010.
Tiger, who is chasing Jack Nicklaus' record 18 PGA victories in major tournaments, will have to do some catching up at the Cliffs as well, where Jack has his name on two courses. Other designers in the Cliffs portfolio of built and planned courses include Gary Player, Tom Fazio, Ben Wright and Tom Jackson, whose Cliffs at Glassy design is at about the same elevation as the property where Woods will work his magic.
Membership in one of the Cliffs courses confers membership in all. The current initiation fee is $125,000, with dues nearing $500 a month. The longest drive (car drive, that is) from the Cliffs at Walnut Cove (Nicklaus) to the Cliffs at Keowee Vineyard (Fazio) is about an hour.
Anything Tiger does stimulates interest in the golf world, and it will be interesting to see if his designs in Dubai and South Carolina reflect his own style of play the way Nicklaus' early designs did. The Nicklaus designs of the mid to late 1980s tend to force us commoners to hit high, Nicklaus-like approach shots to well-protected greens, as at the Melrose Course on Daufuskie Island, SC, and Pawleys Plantation in Pawleys Island, SC. In announcing the Cliffs venture, Tiger said he wants to design a course his "friends" would enjoy playing. Given the company he keeps, High Carolina should be tough.