Tiger's tunnel vision
By: John Keim and Craig Stouffer
Washington Examiner
07/02/09 8:58 PM EDT
This is what we learned on the golf course. And not all of it was pretty. Speaking of which: Boo Weekley's outfit. Now, we know he's a popular player and perhaps some will disagree with our fashion sense.
But …
Camouflage shirts on the golf course? Did you see his brown shirt? And the orange hat that looked like someone took a paint brush and flung brown paint on it? If he had played in the group with Michael Allen, Greg Owen and Kevin Streelman then Weekley could have worn anything. Or even nothing. Because nobody would have noticed. Well, aside from the 30 people around the green.
And we learned that the cool thing about seeing the pros up close is to watch the stars of yesteryear. Like Fred Couples -- he's too old to be called Freddie. And much too old to be referred to as Boom Boom anymore. But he's still as smooth as a good Brunello. On the eighth hole, Couples drove into the rough and was blocked by a short hill. His approach landed in a greenside bunker. Then his bunker shot skidded across the green, nearly rolling into more sand. And Couples' reaction is that he swung his club just a bit faster before handing it to his caddy. That coolness is why he's lasted so long.
Ah, but this tourney is about Tiger Woods. Here's a tip: when he's about to tee off, close your eyes and listen. The impact of his club on the ball just sounds more explosive. Just like there's a difference in the reaction when he birdies a putt as opposed to playing partner Lucas Glover. One writer was on the ninth hole when Woods birdied the first. By the roar, he knew what had happened.
It's also interesting to see Woods walk from green to tee. He stares straight ahead, blocking everything else (read: fans) out.
And then there's his other playing partner, Charley Hoffman, he of the long blond locks. Guess where he's from? Here's a shocker: California, dude. We also liked his green glove -- as one little kid yelled to him, "You have a sick glove." Well, he had to match the Alligator green belt with something, right?
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