Well we're into week four of the 2005 PGA Tour season. For the first time in over a year Tiger has won a stroke play event on the PGA Tour. World's number one Vijay Singh picked up right where he left off last year by winning the second event of the season. Number three Ernie Els has finished top ten in all three events thus far. All three players appear to be near top form, which promises for an exciting season.
Sure Tiger may not have been at the pinnacle of his game last weekend but he managed to outlast his fellow competitors on the difficult back nine at the Torrey Pines South Course.
Luke Donald will be kicking himself for some time after the only two mistakes he made all week came on the closing holes allowing Tiger to leapfrog him.
Charles Howell III was oh so close but the most unfortunate bounce in history kept him in a tie for second. If you didn't see it, Howell's sand wedge from 94 yards on the 18th hole looked like it was headed in the hole for an eagle and a tie for the lead but with a loud ping, the ball hit the cup on the fly and bounced back some 15 yards into the water.
Tom Lehman outplayed Tiger for most of the day but a crucial mistake on 17 sealed his fate and dropped him into a tie for second with Donald, and Howell.
It was tough to swallow for some but an exciting weekend for the fans nonetheless, and it goes to show just how good Tiger is. Even though he was miss-hitting shots on the back nine and appeared to be out of the running for a few holes, he some how managed to find a way to battle back down the stretch and get in a position to win. There is just no one else in the world that can grind like this guy on the golf course.
Yes it all makes for great entertainment. The Big Three should prove to be more competitive than ever with some other players ready to join the fray. The overrated Mickelson and underrated Goosen have been playing well of late. Mickelson looks to be in good position once again at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. Padraig Harrington is past due for his first major victory, as is Sergio Garcia. Campbell, Howell, and Rose all look as though they could become solid top ten players any day now. Throw Cink, Scott, and Appleby into the mix and strap yourself in because 2005 promises to be one hell of a year on the PGA Tour.
SirPuttsAlot