When you think of a pro, even one as skilled as Tiger Woods, winning on one leg, it conjures up images of a player bunting the ball 260 yards, then playing precise fairway woods into long par 4s. It does not bring up images of a player bashing the ball miles off the tee.
So say what you will about Tiger Woods’ US Open victory, but let’s cut out this nonsense about him winning it on one leg. Tiger himself said that the knee did not hurt until after impact. So his big challenge – and Tiger is great at meeting challenges of the mind – was to not flinch before contact. Once his club met the ball, Tiger could grimace and twist and sink down in pain all he wanted to. As far as the golf ball was concerned, it was rocketing down the fairway and didn’t have a clue about the agony Tiger was now experiencing.
Here’s proof that negates the one-legged theory: Tiger was second in driving distance for the week with an average of 320.9 yards. The next 12 finishers averaged 28 fewer yards at 292.5 yards. On the 612 yard par 5 ninth, Woods hit a titanic blast that rolled to a stop 360 yards from the tee. Then, on a hole where the majority of the field was forced to lay up, he smoked a long iron onto the green.
There’s more. Woods played the 12 power holes, the par 5s, in nine under (during regulation), an average of 4.25 shots. That’s lower that the field played holes 1, 4, 6, 7, 12, 14, and 15 – which are four pars. On the par 5s, the field averaged 4.8565, or .61 strokes per hole more than Woods.
Woods power play on the par 5s provided him with his entire winning margin on nine of the top 12 finishers. (The players in blue are the ones he beat by crushing them on the par 5s). Not too shabby for a one legged golfer Yeah, right!
Sco.—M-5A—Dr. D.
283—0—0—320.9—Tiger Woods
284—0—7—283.4—Rocco Mediate*
285—2—6—298.9—Lee Westwood
286—3—4—299.1—Robert Karlsson
286—3—4—293.9—D.J. Trahan
287—4—3—306.6—John Merrick
287—4—6—290.0—Carl Petterson
287—4—5—288.8—Miguel Angel Jimenez
288—5—6—292.1—Camillo Villegas
288—5—7—290.1—Brandt Snedeker
288—5—1—285.8—Eric Axley
288—5—4—276.8—Heath Slocum
288—5—7—302.4—Geoff Ogilvy
Legend: Score – M: Margin of victory, 5A: Tiger’s par 5 advantage, Dr.D.: Driving distance.
*No margin after 72 (or 90) holes. Won in sudden death.
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4 responses so far ↓
1 The Armchair Golfer // Jun 22, 2008 at 3:39 pm
I think you’re short-changing Tiger. OK, so it wasn’t literally one leg, but a recent knee operation, torn ACL and stress fractures are huge physical obstacles to overcome. I think just about anyone else on the planet WDs.
2 Matt // Jun 23, 2008 at 4:41 am
Okay…you’re correct. Tiger literally did not compete in the US Open with one leg physically removed from his body. I’m glad that you made this clear to everyone. I think most people with at least half-a-brain recognize the intent of the “one leg” comments. The man won a major golf tournament with a knee that needed to be reconstructed and two stress fractures. To me, that’s as close to playing on “one leg” that an athlete can possibly get.
3 Reggie // Jun 23, 2008 at 5:58 am
Hey, Matt, “as close to playing on on ‘one leg’ that an athlete can possibly get?”
See Youngblood comma Jack.
4 Todd // Jun 23, 2008 at 6:37 am
Yeah, Tiger said it didn’t hurt until after impact, but do you really believe him? What about as he limped down the fairway, was it hurting then? What about after the final round, when he was seen limping noticeably? So, are stress fractures and torn ACL’s really pain-free?
And, how can you offer “proof to negate the one-legged theory?” What is the one-legged theory? That he was missing a leg? I think it’s just metaphorical for saying his leg was hurting really bad. Are you seriously trying to refute that?
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