Is Tiger really coming back?

Tiger Woods on track for 15th major, says close friend Notah Begay

Tiger Woods may have to battle a bit harder for his next major victory but a 15th title is "not out of the realms of possibility," according to one of his best friends Notah Begay.

Monday, November 12th 2018, 5:00 AM EST

Tiger Woods may have to battle a bit harder for his next major victory but a 15th title is "not out of the realms of possibility," according to one of his best friends Notah Begay.

The former world No. 1 ended the 2018 season on a high with victory in the Tour Championship at East Lake for his first win in five years after overcoming four back surgeries.

Woods, who will turn 43 on December 26, took his tally of PGA Tour wins to 80, two behind the all-time record of Sam Snead, but it is Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 major titles that he has long coveted.

Many thought his multiple back injuries had put paid to that, but Begay, Woods' college roommate at Stanford, says the pursuit of Nicklaus is back on the agenda.

"I think now the first win is out of the way he is focused on getting off 14 [major wins] and on to 15," four-time PGA Tour winner Begay told CNN Sport.

"I do not think that's out of the realm of possibility."

Woods underwent spine fusion surgery in April 2017, paving the way for a remarkable comeback this season in which he briefly led the Open with nine holes to play before finishing sixth and came second at August's US PGA.

He scored three other top-five finishes, and led September's season-ending Tour Championship from start to finish..

Woods famously won all 14 of his major titles when leading after 54 holes but Begay says he will have to get better at coming out of the pack on the final day if he wants to add to his total.

"I don't think he has as much firepower as he used to have and can go out there and dominate like we saw him in so many of his other major championships," said Begay, the only full-blood native American on the Tour.

"I think it's going to be a little tighter and in some cases he may have to come from behind after 54 holes which he hasn't really been very good at in his career."

'Big impact'

Begay is one of the few people in Woods' inner circle, and he admits he feared his friend's career was over.

"I was sat in his living room right after the first surgery [in March 2014] and he was moving around like an 85-year-old man," he says. "I literally thought the career of the greatest golfer I'd ever known and one of my dearest friends in the world was coming to an end."

Woods has been open about the "dark times" he faced, which is why his comeback has been so remarkable, says Begay, who now works as an analyst for Golf Channel.

"We were about two weeks removed from that victory at East Lake and I got a text from Tiger one morning and it was simply like, 'I can't believe I won my 80th golf tournament," he added.

"It still hasn't settled with him, so that's how big an impact it made on him personally and the ripple effect it's having on our game is extreme -- the economic benefits, the TV ratings, the interest in the game."

The footage of vast crowds stampeding after Woods as he wrapped up his East Lake win were a throwback to his heyday in the early 2000s. TV ratings were up 206% on last year and the coverage yielded the highest rating for a non-major all year, third only to the Masters and the PGA Championship in which he chased home Brooks Koepka.

"Half the people watch because they're waiting for a train wreck or want to see him fail, and the other half want to be inspired and relive those historic wins that he had in '97 at the Masters or 2000 at Pebble Beach in the US Open," added Begay.

"Those are nostalgic-type victories that make people that are at different points in their lives remember just how fun sports and golf and Tiger Woods made watching golf."

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Since his last major victory at the 2008 US Open, Woods has gone through scandal in his private life, divorce, injuries and an issue with his medications for back pain which led to a driving-under-the-influence charge in May 2018.

His back story makes him even more compelling, says Begay.

"All of the distractions and challenges Tiger has had off the golf course not only brought in more people to take an interest in whether or not he's going to make the cut or make the putt or win the tournament and you see it in the TV ratings," he says.

"There's not a single player, not even close, that can drive ratings like Tiger Woods. He doesn't have to win, he just has to tee it up."

The story has taken here.

Barclays Singapore Open

World Number One Rory McIlroy from Northern Ireland will grace the fairways of the Barclays Singapore Open this year along with Australia’s Adam Scott, a three-time winner of the event, and American star Phil Mickelson.
The three golfing powerhouses, along with a wealth of other marquee names , will compete in the US$6 million event at Sentosa Golf Club, in Singapore, from November 8-11.
Their sights will be set on the US$1 million winners’ cheque in a tournament which joined The European Tour International Schedule in 2009.
Reigning US PGA Champion McIlroy will arrive in the Lion’s City on the crest of a wave, having emphatically cemented his position as the world’s leading golfer by winning the BMW Championship for his third victory in four outings on the US PGA Tour.
The 23 year old won both the 2011 US Open Championship and this year’s US PGA Championship titles by a staggering eight shots, and his explosive driving and deft touch will no doubt be in full effect at the Barclays Singapore Open – which will again be co-sanctioned by The European and Asian Tours.
McIlroy first played in the tournament in 2008, a year after turning professional, finishing joint fourth.
Scott has made Singapore’s national Open his own, having won the tournament a record three times in 2005, 2006 and 2010. He also finished third in 2007, and in a tie for third in 2009.
The World Number Six came agonisingly close to winning his first Major this year when he led The Open Championship by four shots with four holes to play, but lost by a single stroke to South African Ernie Els.
Four-time Major winner Mickelson has competed in the last five Barclays Singapore Opens, with his best finish coming in 2008, when he finished in ninth place.
With three Masters Tournament titles to his name, plus one US PGA Championship, he will be eager to conquer Sentosa’s famous Serapong Course.
“I am delighted that the 2012 Barclays Singapore Open will once again welcome the world’s best golfers. Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott and Phil Mickelson are some of the most sought after players in the game, and their presence will further enhance one of the world’s premier tournaments,” said Quek Suan Kiat, Country Manager and Chief Operating Officer of Barclays Bank PLC, Singapore.
A total of 156 players will complete, with 63 from European Tour and a further 63 from the Asian Tour. There will also be 10 sponsors’ invitations, whilst three spots will go to amateurs nominated by the Singapore Golf Association, and a further three places made available to professionals selected by the Singapore Professional Golf Association who are not otherwise exempt.
A qualifying tournament will be held on Sunday November 4 on the Serapong Course, where the top three finishers will progress to the main event.
“This year marks the 49^th staging of the Singapore Open, and thanks to Barclays and Sentosa everything is once again in place for Asia’s showpiece golfing event. The Singapore Golf Association are the guardians of our national Open, and we are proud that it now ranks as one of the world’s premier events,” said Bob Tan, President, Singapore Golf Association.
“The Barclays Singapore Open continues to set new standards for golf in the region, which is something that it has always done since its inauguration. With a list of past champions that dates back to 1961, the Singapore Open has earned its place in the history books as a tournament that helped build the foundations for the development of tournament golf in Asia,” added Tan.
For the past two seasons, Sentosa’s Serapong and Tanjong Courses have hosted the event, but this year only the former will be used.
“This is the eighth year the Singapore Open is being held at Sentosa Golf Club and we are excited to continue attracting some of the world’s greatest golfers to The Serapong course”, said Low Teo Ping, President of Sentosa Golf club. “ The team is priming the character of the rough, the shape of the fairways and raising the mowing height to challenge their golfing skills and talent.”
Spaniard Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño triumphed in the Barclays Singapore Open last year after he pipped Filipino Juvic Pagunsan to the title by draining a ten foot birdie putt on the second play-off hole on Monday.
The duo ended the weather-shortened tournament tied on 14 under par 199 after the third and final round on Sunday, but thunderstorms thwarted attempts to finish the play-off.
When play finally resumed early on Monday morning, it was the 31 year old Spaniard who got the better of the man from the Philippines on the second play-off hole.

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GolfWRX

You want to swing the fastest right at impact....right?

The Best Drill To Get The Most Speed...At Impact!

You want to swing the fastest right at impact....right? You don't want to swing fastest at the top of your backswing or at the end of your follow-through.

Nope, when you impact the ball you want your golf club swinging at max speed.

But how on earth can you learn to do that?

Well, today you're in for a treat because I have for you the best drill to teach you how to do exactly that.

Now interestingly this drill doesn't involve swinging a golf club, but instead you will be swinging a rope. And doing this will give you get instant feedback as to whether the power in your golf swing is NOT at impact. For example, if you have a lot of power at the end of your swing you'll get hurt - and that will be great!

Why would getting hurt be great?

Because us human beings learn quickly to avoid pain. So when you do this drill you'll quickly learn how to apply the most power to the impact zone. This will result in much longer golf shots.

Sound good?

OK, to do this drill you'll need to get a 3 and 1/2 foot rope. And you'll need a pretty thick rope (roughly an inch or so thick would be good), thin rope won't work for this. You'll also need some duct tape.

Once you have your rope then put some duct tape around one end of the rope where you're going to be holding the rope like a golf club (enough that your hands will be holding duct tape not rope) and then a smaller amount down the other end.

After your rope is ready then setup to an imaginary ball with your rope, holding it at the end where you have the most duct tape. From your setup position make your normal backswing move with your body. But here's a tip - you should start your backswing with the big muscles of your back and shoulders to get the rope moving away smoothly.

Once you get into your final backswing position then STOP so the rope is resting on your back. Then from this top of the swing position you then need to start your downswing.

To do this you must:

Start your downswing by moving your weight from your right foot to your left foot. At the same time move your hips laterally to the left and turn them as fast as you can.

This should all happen very quickly however so you won't be able to easily distinguish the difference between your weight being transferred and your hips moving and turning.

If you don't start the downswing correctly with a weight shift and a lateral shift and turn of the hips you will get hurt doing this rope drill.

The rope will come through very fast at the finish of your swing and hit you - and that will hurt.

But like I said at the beginning of this article, pain is great feedback and you'll probably only do it once!

To help you so this probably won't happen make sure you don't do anything with your hands after they've reached the top of the backswing position. Your hands are simply pulled through the downswing by your powerful lower body.

Also do nothing with your shoulders and arms. Because like the hands they are moved as a result of your lower body movements. There should be no conscious thoughts as to how to move them in the downswing, or follow-through for that matter.

And when you do this drill correctly the rope will lightly tap you at the end of your swing. It won't hurt you at all.

Why?

Because with the correct transition from the backswing to your downswing the majority of the power in your swing is generated at the bottom of your swing -- which is just where it should be.

At the end of your swing the rope should be moving very slowly as it should have very little power. That's why this is such a great drill because you learn to use your body to get the club moving the fastest just where it needs to....through impact. 

For Consistent Golf,

Jeff Richmond
Director Of Instruction
The Consistent Golf School
http://www.TheConsistentGolfSchool.com