Mar 29

Written by: KrisF
3/29/2009 

I got a call from a friend of mine in Seattle Sunday afternoon (KIRO's Chris Sullivan) and he told me that he had been wearing the Bay Hill hat I'd recently given him.  He's a Tiger fan and was hoping to see a little magic over the weekend.

Oddly enough, he got it.  While some are willing to chalk up Tiger's win on Sunday to the game's best player being himself, I'd say that there were a lot of factors that went Woods' way in the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

First off, there's Tiger's skill.  He made a bunch of clutch putts coming down the stretch that continuously put pressure on Sean O'Hair.  It's hard to play with the crowds that follow Tiger, and even harder to play when he's making great shots and whipping those crowds into a frenzy.

Second, there was O'Hair's attitude going into the final round of the tournament.  Right from the start, he looked like a beaten man, like he knew he was going to end up on the short end of the stick when the tournament was over.  He just wasn't ready to get over that hump.

So what if Tiger had been facing a more seasoned veteran?  Someone like Phil Mickelson or Ernie Els likely wouldn't have folded and Tiger would still be looking for his first post-surgery win heading into the Masters in two weeks.       

Tags: