You’d think Tiger Woods would be tired this week after playing five tournaments in a little over a month. However, the golfing phenom seems to be thriving off the competition and pressure. After winning his fourth tournament start in a row, Woods hopes to continue the dominance and winning streak at the TPC of Boston.
Last Year
Olin Browne had waited a long time – six years to be exact – to capture his third Tour victory, but boy was it a sweet one.
Browne outlasted a field that included the likes of Ryder Cup teammates Tiger Woods, Vaughn Taylor, and Brett Wetterich by building a three-shot advantage on the back nine before eventually coasting to the win.
Browne broke out of a five-way tie for the lead after the third round with precision putting and ball striking. The $990,000 Browne earned guaranteed him more money than he had ever made during his 11 years on Tour.
I guess there is a reason why Browne said he was speechless after the final round win. Maybe it was because of all those zero’s on the end of that check.
Tiger Woods was never in the picture on Sunday, as he finished a with 3-under-par score of 281. Woods has mentioned before that winning at the TPC of Boston is a big goal of his since golfing legend Arnold Palmer is the current host.
The Course
The TPC of Boston‘s 7,415-yard layout is intimidating at first glance. But get the chance to play the track and you’ll see why Tiger Woods is back for the second straight year.
The par-five second hole is 554 yards off the tee with some severe bunkering around the current landing area. The next shot is a lay up in front of the lake before hitting to a three-tier green. This isn’t for the faint at heart.
At 600 yards, the par-five seventh might be the best hole to see an eagle from a bomber like Tiger Woods. The hole is straight as an arrow with little off the tee in terms of hazards. If Tiger can rip one off the tee, there is no reason he can’t hit a soft 8-iron or wedge in here. I’m kidding about the wedge, but probably not the 8-iron.
The 18th at the TPC of Boston is something out of a dream for most golfers. While the course consistently shows golfers different facets of terrain, the course decides to put all types of hazards in the way on the par five. The tee-shot happens to be a 250-yard shot over a fairly large wetland with some massive rock hazards hanging on the left side of the fairway. If the average tour pro can knock the ball over the hazard on the left, then there is no reason why eagle can’t be had.
14-under par won last year on the semi-difficult track in the tournament’s first year on schedule. I doubt we see the winning around 14-under par this year. If players gets hot on Friday, there is no reason why we can’t see the winning score around 17-under-par. 7,400-yards used to be a big deal – now it’s just another Tour course.
Who’s Hot
Tiger Woods nearly missed being placed on the list due to the fact that “hot” doesn’t begin to describe his play of late. Woods is going for his fifth consecutive win, but some wonder when the mental “wall” will hit him after a whirlwind schedule.
Adam Scott hasn’t won a tournament all year, however, that isn’t hurting him from having a consistent season. Scott’s worst tournament finish in the last month has been a T10 at last week’s Bridgestone Invitational.
Who’s Not
David Duval looked like he was finally hitting his mid-season peak with a T16 at the U.S. Open, but since that point, Duval’s highest finish is a T56 and he’s missed his last two cuts. Time to hop off the Duval bandwagon
Olin Browne might be the defending champion of the Deutsche Bank, but that doesn’t mean he has to be playing well right now. Browne’s best finish is a T19 at the International. The worst number of all, though, is his best finish since March 2007 – a T40!
TV Coverage Times
All times eastern (ET) unless otherwise noted.
Fri, Sep. 1 USA 5 - 7 pm Sat, Sep. 2 USA 3 - 6 pm Sun, Sep. 3 ABC 5 - 7 pm Mon, Sep. 4 ABC 3 - 6 pm
Photo Credit: © Getty Images.