Capelle On Golf

The great sportswriter Bernard Darwin once wrote about Walter Hagen that, “The difference between Hagen and the other players is that he just wins and they just don’t.” Maybe it’s really just that simple when it comes to comparing today’s golfers at their best and Tiger Woods. Whenever he and his opponents are locked in head to head competition it gets down to the end, he just wins – and they just don’t.

Let’s take a look at his three close matches this week. J.B. Holmes was as sure a winner as any golfer could be against Tiger when he strode to the 14^th tee with a 3-up lead. A lackadaisical iron shot opened the door for Woods, who planted his iron shot 14’ from the cup. He rolled it in, then canned putts of 17’, 22’, and 35’ on the next three holes to take a 1-up lead to the 18^th tee. Holmes had his chance to send the match into extra holes on the home hole, but he missed his 8’ birdie putt. Tiger just wins and they just don’t.

In the fourth round, a rejuvenated Aaron Baddeley pulled even with Tiger on the 16^th hole. Two hole later he faced a 10’ putt to win on the 18^th. He missed, On the first playoff hole his 12’ eagle putt grazed the edge of the cup, but failed to drop. Woods closed the deal on the 20^th hole with a 13 footer that seemed as inevitable as the sun in the morning. Tiger just wins and they just don’t.

It seemed like Woods might get his comeuppance in the semifinals. Defending champion Henrik Stenson was riding a 10 match winning streak in this event. Furthermore, he was playing with the kind of detached cool that made you think ice water traveled through his veins. This feeling was intensified when he canned an 8’ par putt to remain one down with three to play. Then on the par 3 16^th, he calmly rolled in a 12 footer. Take that Tiger. Sixteen holes and they are dead even. Golf had found the man that can hang with the Great One. But an errant drive on the reachable par 5 17^th opened the door for Woods, who hit the fairway with a 334 yard power fade. A few moments later Tiger found himself with a 15’ putt for the lead. Winning Time, Tiger over the ball, and the ball naturally breaks perfectly into the cup. After a fine tee shot on 18, Stenson botched his second shot, ending any hope of a match tying birdie. Tiger wins and they just don’t. End of story.