Woods Finds Satisfaction
With Second Major Win

By Mark Soltau,
SportsLine Senior Writer

MEDINAH, Ill. - When the final putt fell, Tiger Woods was too beat to take the ball out of the hole. He took a deep breath, bowed his head and let caddie Steve Williams collect the souvenir.

Then came hugs from Williams, his mother Tida, girlfriend Joanna Jagoda, swing coach Butch Harmon and runner-up Sergio Garcia. The 23-year-old Woods looked dazed, understandable given what happened on the back nine Sunday at Medinah Country Club.

With the exception of Greg Norman, great players seldom squander five-shot leads with seven holes left, but it nearly happened to Woods.

"It was a tough day," he said after winning his second major title, the 81st PGA Championship. "With all that happened on the back nine, I had to find a way to maintain my composure. It took everything I had inside me."

Saying Woods dug deep is an understatement. Despite how it might have appeared, he never panicked, and as he quickly pointed out, he never surrendered the lead after seizing it with a second-hole birdie.

He got a scare from El Nino, 19-year-old Sergio Garcia of Spain, who missed birdie chances to tie him on the last two holes. This, after Woods let him back into the fray with a bogey at No 12, a double-bogey at 13 and a bogey at 16.

Woods was 4-under-par for the round and played error-free until the slip at 12. He birdied both par 5s on the front nine, the fifth and seventh, reaching the green at the latter with a laser-like 260-yard 2-iron. Though Woods parred both par-5s on the back nine, he was a combined 9-under for the week, the best of any player.

Mike Weir put up a brave front for 54 holes, but was anyone surprised he became a non-factor by the turn? This was his first taste of major pressure, something Woods has become accustomed to, and his game wasn't ready to handle it.

When he bogeyed the par-4 sixth hole a fan yelled, 'Stick with hockey!', a reference to his junior hockey days. Sure, it was cruel. But this is Chicago.

When Garcia mounted his charge, the fans jumped on his bandwagon, a few turning on Woods. "Thousand dollars you don't slice it in the water on 17," yelled a spectator

"I don't think that was fair," said Woods. "I understand that some people just want to be heard."

Woods stood out in a different way. He regrouped for a huge par at 17, holing a tricky, eight-foot, left-to-right putt, which essentially won the championship. He played the par-4 18th flawlessly, with a 3-wood and a wedge, and two-putted without a sweat.

Woods came out a winner on several fronts. Not only did he regain the No. 1 ranking from David Duval, for the most part, his new swing changes paid off. When Harmon helped Woods revamp his swing last year, some thought he was nuts.

Also, Woods quieted the critics who have been hounding him about claiming a second major. When he blitzed the field at the Masters by 12 strokes in 1997, many assumed he would run the table. But when Woods went 0-for-the-majors last year and failed to win the first three in 1999, the questions intensified.

"To finally get No. 2 is definitely a relief," he said.

Woods has now won eight consecutive tournaments when he's led after 54 holes, a statistic Norman would trade his yacht to have. Whether Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 major titles is within reach is open for debate, but Woods won't go quietly. By age 23, The Golden Bear had accumulated three Big Four victories.

"Whether that puts me on track, it's hard to say because he had the Grand Slam by 26," Woods said. "We'll see what happens. Sometimes you win them, sometimes people will give them to you. The main thing is to keep giving yourself chances."

Woods did this year, having good shots at the U.S. Open and British Open. Good friend Mark O'Meara isn't sure if Nicklaus is catchable, but wouldn't be shocked if Woods comes close.

"The guy's just an incredible golfer," said O'Meara. "He's got more talent than I've ever seen in my 19-year career. He wants it. I think he could win 12 to 15 before he's finished."

O'Meara and Woods usually play practice rounds together and continued the routine this week. In fact, O'Meara was so impressed with Woods' game he questioned whether he needed to practice.

Woods said it was difficult to compare Sunday's win with Augusta in 1997. The first had more social ramifications, Woods becoming the first person of mixed race to win a green jacket. At Medinah, Woods lived up the hype and expectations, and more impressively, righted himself when his game seemed to be falling apart.

"It's hard to say which major is more satisfying," he said. "Both were different feelings. It's probably too soon to answer."

Woods said it is premature to say he has a rivalry with Garcia, but it might be the start of something big. At the very least, they have established a foundation, something that has yet to happen with Duval.

"Sergio and I had a wonderful match out there today," said Woods, "but there are so many good players in the 20s. It's very difficult to pick two."

Fine. We'll do it. Like Woods, Garcia is spontaneous, charismatic, aggressive, and loves interacting with galleries. He's also a bit of ham.

Unlike Duval, he loves the attention and seems comfortable with the spotlight.

"Even though he hit a couple of bad shots, I notice he uses that and turnsit around into a positive," Woods said. "You can see his body language. He exudes confidence and it's wonderful to see."

Garcia struck a nerve at Medinah. He helped turned a rout into a photo finish and the fans loved it. Most are already looking forward to a rematch between Garcia and Woods next month at the Ryder Cup.

"The media was all over me for showing too much emotion," smiled Woods. "Hopefully they'll get on him for showing emotion as well."