I think it might be over
Friday was the hottest day of the year in the state of Minnesota. I know because I spent 10 hours, give or take an hour or two, sitting beside the 17th green at Hazeltine National Golf Club while Tiger Woods moved ever closer to his fifth PGA Championship victory.
The temperatures were in the mid-90s and the wind was howling, but it didn’t prevent Woods from mounting a four-shot lead midway through the 91st PGA Championship.
He shot 2-under-par 70 on Friday, following up on his 5-under 67 in the opening round on Thursday. The four-shot advantage he took into the third round was the largest since the 2005 British Open at St. Andrews.
Just for the record, Tiger is 8-0 when leading by 36 holes in a major championship. If he finishes the deal, and there’s a pretty good chance he will, it will be his 15th victory in a major, three behind the legendary Jack Nicklaus.
But you already knew that.
Tiger stands at 7-under and there are a host of players at 3-under, including Vijay Singh, who will play in the final group with Tiger on Saturday.
“Tomorrow is all about positioning yourself,” said Woods in his post-game interview. “I know Vijay won’t make many mistakes. He’s got the most win of anybody in his 40s and it should be fun tomorrow. I just have to keep grinding it out.”
Ross Fisher, one of the players who, like nearly every time he shows up, will be chasing Tiger over the weekend, offered this analogy:
“I mean, yes, Tiger is the greatest golfer I think we’ve ever seen, but at the end of the day, he’s just like you and me. He’s just a human being. He just happens to be damn good at golf. So we’ve got to work really, really hard to try and compete and catch him.”
Good luck. It’s going to be a difficult proposition.
Woods saved his best golf for the final hour, making three straight birdies on Nos. 14, 15 and 16. He must have been upset after lipping out a birdie putt on 13.
This was my third PGA Championship and, like the other two, I discovered that the best route is to find a hole and plop down. Watch all the players go through. I know it’s cool to say you followed Tiger, but I’ll bet you didn’t see much.
We’re fortunate that a major championship comes around once every seven years or so, close enough that we can drive there and see the world’s best players in action. It’s at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wis., next year. That’s not that far, either.
So, if you’re a golf fan, jump in the car and drive a few hours. It’s worth it.
And, by the way, this one’s over. Put it in the books.
