Vegetables Recipes - The flyover was timed to the second, the kind of precise operation the old boys at Augusta National Golf Club really might have appreciated under different circumstances.
A few moments after Tiger Woods hit his first competitive tee shot in more than five months, he was striding down the first fairway, applause all around from the largest gallery these eyes have seen at the Masters, when the little airplane came into view above the tree tops, churning into the wind and tugging a sign in its wake.
“HEY TIGER, DID YOU MEAN BOOTY-ISM?” said the sign.
This was a flippant reference to Woods’ comments that one of the reasons for his many sexual “transgressions” is that he grew apart from Buddhism, the teachings he says used to keep him centred.
Whatever. Yes Tiger will remain the butt of jokes but, if nothing else, these 18 holes of golf he played yesterday answered two of the major questions hanging over his head. One, is he ready to play? And, two, “Does anybody care that Tiger has been revealed as a serial philanderer, as long as he’s playing golf?”
Yes, Tiger is ready. He shot 68, his lowest first round ever at the Masters.
“I expected to shoot something under par,” Woods said. “Guys were just tearing this place apart. Most of the tees were up. If you drove the ball well you could get some short irons in your hands.”
As for No. 2, from the moment Woods appeared on the first tee, with patrons lined 30-deep on each side of the fairway, there wasn’t a patch of open grass anywhere near one of his fairways. Humanity occupied every open space. They cheered and called his name, watching his every move.
“The reception was incredible all day,” Woods said. “From the putting green to the practice tee back to the first tee, just incredible. I was saying thank you all day. The people were just incredible.”
They went berserk when he eagled the par-five eighth but the moment that everyone will remember that says “Tiger is back” occurred one hole later.
With skies darkening and a tornado watch already in effect, Woods knocked his drive down the left side of the ninth fairway, totally blocking his vision of the green and the pin, 207 yards away. He needed to hit a big sweeping hook with his five-iron to even catch a piece of the green, let alone access the pin witch was back left.
He took a mighty swipe and then ran, bad knee, achilles and all, a-la Sergio Garcia, circa 1999, toward the fairway to get a look. So much for the calmer, less demonstrative Tiger. The ball hooked on command, bouncing up the green past the hole. It settled for a moment on the fringe then trickled back toward the pin, coming to rest 12 feet from the hole.
Of course he made the delicate downhill putt and the crowd made its own thunder. This was what everyone had been missing. This is why he is the most recognizable face in the world of sport. This is why he’s sport’s first billionaire (at least temporarily). This is why all these people came: The man does things on a golf course nobody else can do.
Nobody is going to forget the stunning revelations of the past five months. Some will not forgive but most believe it’s none of our business. Still, Woods has been stained, perhaps for life.
A few moments after Tiger Woods hit his first competitive tee shot in more than five months, he was striding down the first fairway, applause all around from the largest gallery these eyes have seen at the Masters, when the little airplane came into view above the tree tops, churning into the wind and tugging a sign in its wake.
“HEY TIGER, DID YOU MEAN BOOTY-ISM?” said the sign.
This was a flippant reference to Woods’ comments that one of the reasons for his many sexual “transgressions” is that he grew apart from Buddhism, the teachings he says used to keep him centred.
Whatever. Yes Tiger will remain the butt of jokes but, if nothing else, these 18 holes of golf he played yesterday answered two of the major questions hanging over his head. One, is he ready to play? And, two, “Does anybody care that Tiger has been revealed as a serial philanderer, as long as he’s playing golf?”
Yes, Tiger is ready. He shot 68, his lowest first round ever at the Masters.
“I expected to shoot something under par,” Woods said. “Guys were just tearing this place apart. Most of the tees were up. If you drove the ball well you could get some short irons in your hands.”
As for No. 2, from the moment Woods appeared on the first tee, with patrons lined 30-deep on each side of the fairway, there wasn’t a patch of open grass anywhere near one of his fairways. Humanity occupied every open space. They cheered and called his name, watching his every move.
“The reception was incredible all day,” Woods said. “From the putting green to the practice tee back to the first tee, just incredible. I was saying thank you all day. The people were just incredible.”
They went berserk when he eagled the par-five eighth but the moment that everyone will remember that says “Tiger is back” occurred one hole later.
With skies darkening and a tornado watch already in effect, Woods knocked his drive down the left side of the ninth fairway, totally blocking his vision of the green and the pin, 207 yards away. He needed to hit a big sweeping hook with his five-iron to even catch a piece of the green, let alone access the pin witch was back left.
He took a mighty swipe and then ran, bad knee, achilles and all, a-la Sergio Garcia, circa 1999, toward the fairway to get a look. So much for the calmer, less demonstrative Tiger. The ball hooked on command, bouncing up the green past the hole. It settled for a moment on the fringe then trickled back toward the pin, coming to rest 12 feet from the hole.
Of course he made the delicate downhill putt and the crowd made its own thunder. This was what everyone had been missing. This is why he is the most recognizable face in the world of sport. This is why he’s sport’s first billionaire (at least temporarily). This is why all these people came: The man does things on a golf course nobody else can do.
Nobody is going to forget the stunning revelations of the past five months. Some will not forgive but most believe it’s none of our business. Still, Woods has been stained, perhaps for life.
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