2020-05-01_Golf_Digest

76 golf digest | issue 4. 2020

dom furore

a few more on Friday, and by
Saturday, a lot more people
were starting to believe it.
dustin johnson: As loud as
those roars were, it’s kind of
hard not to pay attention.
brooks koepka: Never heard
a Tiger roar that’s not loud.
tiger woods (asked after
the round if he still feels
pressure): The day I don’t feel
pressure is the day I quit....
If you care about something,
obviously you’re going to feel
pressure.

‘THE PERFECT STORM’

A rainy forecast necessitates an
early start on Sunday. Molinari
enters the final 18 leading
Woods and Finau by two shots,
Koepka by three, and Ian
Poulter and Webb Simpson by
four. Dustin Johnson, Xander
Schauffele, Oosthuizen, Matt
Kuchar and Justin Harding
are five back.
● ● ●
joe lacava: With the weather
moving in, we got a break
by going in threesomes
on Sunday—otherwise we
wouldn’t have been in the last
group. The fact that Tiger’s in
the last group [with Molinari
and Finau], and everyone’s
pulling for Tiger, that certainly
helped our cause.... People
were texting me, going crazy
’cause Tiger said on the air
that he had to get up at 3
o’clock to get that tee time.
I said, “To be honest with ya,
he’s usually awake at 3 or 4
in the morning.” So I’d much
prefer to have a tee time at 9
o’clock, because by the time the
3 o’clock in the afternoon tee
time comes, which is normally
when it is, he’s been up for 12
hours; he’s exhausted almost.
Most people sleep till 7 o’clock
in the morning. He just doesn’t
do that.
nick faldo: It was the perfect
storm for Tiger. It really was.
Jim [Nantz] asked me Sunday
morning, “So what’s going
to happen?” I said, “I think
Tiger’s going to win.” Before
we went on the air. I’ve never
seen the patrons go from 10
deep to 12, to 15, to 20 deep,
and he hadn’t arrived yet.

padraig harrington: Sitting

in the clubhouse, we knew

he was coming 15 minutes

before he appeared. The

security started to get ready.

And people lined up just to

see him walk past. Then he

arrived and made his way

through the crowd. Everyone

stepped out of his way. He had

his head down. He made eye

contact with nobody. And he

smiled at nobody. He was the

old Tiger.

mark steinberg: I couldn’t

breathe all day.... That’s

as nervous as I’ve been. His

mother, Tida, texted me, like,

“You OK?” And I was so frickin’

far from OK.... I think I threw

up twice in the first six holes.

joe lacava: The warm-up

looks great. His kids [daughter

Sam and son Charlie] are

coming in; I know he’s

pumped about that. He

doesn’t need to be more

motivated, but I know he

wants to win in front of

his kids. The only thing

I thought was a bummer:

I went out to try to get some

pins [locations] like all of us

do on tournament week there.

I went out there at 6, 6:30,

and nothing’s going on. Guys

were out there, the lights were

on, but they had just started

[to cut the pins]. I could have

done them all, but I would

have been back at 9 for his 9:20

tee time. I had to be back at the

clubhouse by 7, so I couldn’t

give him a whole lot of

knowledge before the round,

but he understood.

nick faldo: As he walked

off the first green, I said,

“You know what, if he

plays this like running the

marathon... ” It doesn’t

matter how good you’re

playing, how confident you

are, there’s that history

and aura of the back nine

of Augusta. If things are going

to tighten up, you can’t stop

it—it’s almost like a flood.

joe lacava (on Woods

bogeying the par-4 fifth hole

all four days; on Sunday he

parred the first and second,

then birdied the third before

bogeying the fourth and fifth):

I’m thinking, What the...

what do I gotta do here? Going