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SPORTS Thursday 22 February 2018

Curiosity, hope and big crowds follow Tiger Woods

By DOUG FERGUSON "pretty wild." The next day is
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. when he appreciated the
(AP) — He is the only two- amount of attention Woods
time winner on the PGA gets.
Tour this season. He has "It was just bizarre because
been No. 1 in the FedEx those first two days, there's
Cup standings the past six so many people," he said.
weeks. "And then Saturday morn-
And when he sees the No. ing, there was nobody.
544 player in the world Rory and I were walking up
Thursday morning on the to the tee and we're like,
first tee of the Honda Clas- 'Where is everybody? Does
sic, these could be his first he really bring that many
words. people?'"
"Hi, I'm Patton Kizzire." Yes. And odds are, they will
Kizzire can't recall meeting be seeing Kizzire for the first
Tiger Woods except in pass- time.
ing. That would have been Also in the group is Brandt
last year at Torrey Pines, the Snedeker, who has been
only time they were in the through the drill. Snede-
field. ker played with Woods in
The 31-year-old from Ala- the final round of the BMW
bama, who is the image of Championship that Woods
southern comfort with his won in 2009 by eight shots.
polite demeanor, is the lat- He played with him in the Tiger Woods watches his tee shot during the Pro-Am for the Honda Classic golf tournament,
est to experience the hype penultimate group of the Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
surrounding Woods in his final round at the 2012 Brit- Associated Press
return from a fourth back ish Open, and the open-
surgery. ing two rounds of The Play- step into that arena one "I'm just learning how to He was runner-up in 2012
"First time," he said Wednes- ers Championship when week and go back out. play tournament golf when he closed with a 62.
day. "It's something I've Woods won in 2013. More He's there all the time. And again, and unfortunately There's no telling what this
looked forward to as a kid. recently, he played with good luck coming into his I've made some mistakes, week will bring. The wind is
I always looked up to him." Woods on Saturday at Tor- world." and that's just part of it," he supposed to blow hard, as
It's not easy being Woods, rey Pines. The crowd, the buzz, the said. "As far as catch-up it does in South Florida this
who has been golf's big- No one has dealt with big energy is still great, mainly mode, no, I don't feel like I time of the year. It's rare
gest star since his 12-shot crowds like Woods. out of curiosity and hope am. I know most of the guys to find a hole that doesn't
victory at the 1997 Masters. Nick Faldo once said that that Woods can win again have been playing tourna- have water. Little mistakes
He copes with the larg- when he helped Woods after being out for so long ment golf a lot more than I can turn into big numbers.
est galleries, the incessant into the green jacket at the with so many injuries. have. As I said, I'm looking It will be another step for
movement, the endless dis- 1997 Masters, he thought at What's different is the mys- forward to April, trying to Woods. It will be a new ex-
traction. the time it might be the only tique, which starts with the get my game solid for April. perience for Kizzire, though
Rory McIlroy played with major Woods could win be- scores. And I've got some work to he feels he is not entirely
him last week at Riviera cause Augusta National Woods has gone 10 straight do." unprepared. Kizzire played
and suggested the gallery creates a buffer zone — no rounds on the PGA Tour Woods is playing PGA Na- with Thomas and Jordan
costs Woods a half-shot a press, no photographer, and European Tour with- tional for the first time since Spieth the weekday rounds
round. practically nobody inside out breaking par dating to 2014, when he withdrew at the rowdy Phoenix Open,
But at least he's used to it. the ropes except players August 2015. Woods tied during the final round with and he survived the 16th
Justin Thomas played with and caddies. for 23rd on a tough track back spasms. He tried to hole arena on Saturday.
Woods in the Bahamas be- "Now it's his greatest asset," at Torrey Pines last month, play the following week at "Phoenix was a good prep
fore only a few hundred Faldo said in a 2007 inter- and then he missed the cut Doral, fell out of conten- for me," Kizzire said. "I had
people. He experienced view. "Everyone joining him at Riviera with poor putting tion in the final round with Jordan and Justin the first
the full Tiger show during on the weekend at a major in the second round. Every- a 78 and then had the first two days, and then Satur-
the opening two rounds at goes into his world. That's Ti- thing is geared toward the of four back surgeries a few day was really crazy. I ex-
Riviera and described it as ger's arena. Other guys will Masters. weeks later. pect something like that."q