Norman says golfers equal, except for Woods’ mental edge, better putting
HUMBLE, Texas - Greg Norman thinks Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are equal in every category, except when it comes to Woods’ ability to sink long putts under pressure.
“Tiger Woods, to me, is the best clutch putter I’ve ever seen in the game of golf,” said Norman, who’s playing in this week’s Shell Houston Open. “I think Tiger’s got him on the mental edge and Tiger has got him outside nine feet. That would be my assessment of the two.”
Woods sank a 12-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole at Bay Hill last Sunday to beat Sean O’Hair. Norman, the world’s No. 1 player for 331 weeks between 1986-98, said only Jack Nicklaus rivals Woods when it comes to sinking putts when they matter most.
Norman shared a dais with Fred Couples in a wide-ranging interview session at Redstone on Wednesday. The two will captain the opposing teams in the Presidents’ Cup in October.
Both say it’s too early to break down the points standings and project which players will make their teams. Norman said he’ll play practice rounds with a few leading candidates for the international squad next week at Augusta.
Couples, meanwhile, said Woods sent him an amusing text message about making the U.S team after winning on Sunday.
“The other day, I congratulated him,” Couples said. “He said, ‘Yeah, I got a lot of Ryder Cup points.’ I said, ‘That’s really nice of you, but it’s the Presidents’ Cup this year.’ (He said), ‘I know what year it is.”’
Woods sat out the Ryder Cup last year as he recovered from knee surgery. The United States beat Europe convincingly without him and Couples said he’s heard some suggest that the team might play better without the No. 1 player.
Couples said Woods addressed that notion in a text message, too.
“ ‘Do you want me on your team? My knee can be bad that week. You guys won the Ryder Cup,’ ” Couples said, relaying the message. “It’s all fun stuff, but I need him on the team.”
If Woods hadn’t won at Bay Hill, Mickelson would’ve had a chance to overtake him this week for the No. 1 world ranking. Couples and Norman expect the two stars to end up going head-to-head down the stretch at Augusta.
Couples said Woods’ victory last week re-established him as the world’s top player, even though Mickelson has six Top-10 finishes since Woods had knee surgery after winning last year’s U.S. Open.
“I don’t really know the facts and figures of how you become No. 1 when a guy hasn’t played for six, seven months,” Couples said. “Phil would have won another couple tournaments and passed him. Yeah, I think at that time, he (Phil) may have been the better player, but Tiger has been the best player for eight years or however long. So it was a little misleading.”
Couples endorsed the idea.
“We’ll sit around for seven days and go play,” Couples said. “Wow. That would be good, though.”
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By Chris Duncan, AP Sports Writer
OK, the tournament still couldn't lure Tiger Woods, who's sticking to his usual routine of not playing the run-up event to a major.
But 15 of the top 20 players in the world rankings did come to The Tournament Course at Redstone for their final tuneup before Augusta, including Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Geoff Ogilvy and Padraig Harrington. Former top-ranked players Greg Norman and Fred Couples are also among the star-studded field, the best in the tournament's 63-year history.
"Word of mouth has been good and important to us," tournament director Steve Timms said. "The golf course's reputation is growing, the players all seem to enjoy it. It's what we hoped for."
Organizers have tried to simulate conditions at Augusta -- fast greens, light rough and fairways mowed toward the tee -- and the Masters-like setup has generated enough positive buzz to lure top players from both the PGA and international tours.
A tournament-record 39 foreign-born players will play, including 21 who've already qualified for the Masters.
"They've definitely done a magnificent job preparing it, as close as it can be, from what we might see at Augusta," said Garcia, playing in Houston for the first time. "There are definitely a lot of similarities you can find."
Harrington, who's won the last two majors, has made Houston an annual stop since 2006, when the Tournament Course became the host. He also appreciates the Augusta-like conditions, but said the Houston Open has gained prestige of its own.
"Nobody's turned up this week who doesn't want to win this tournament," Harrington said. "The idea, when you build your schedule, is to peak for the majors. But you're never going to complain if it happens to be this week as well."
Vijay Singh returned after criticizing the new course in 2006 and skipping the last two tournaments. Singh won the 2004 and '05 Houston Opens at the older Redstone course across the street. After playing a practice round on Tuesday, Singh said the new venue had won him over.
"Surprisingly, I did enjoy the golf course," said Singh, who's made only six starts this year because of a knee injury. "Coming back here and looking at it from a different point of view, I think it's not as bad as I thought. It's a pretty decent setup."
The Tournament Course also boasts one of the toughest finishing holes on the tour. The 488-yard par-4 was ranked as the third-toughest 18th hole in 2008, with an average score of 4.389.
A pond lines the left side of the fairway and guards an elevated green. In 2007, Adam Scott dunked his drive into the water, then holed a 48-foot par putt to beat Stuart Appleby by three shots.
"Every really good golf course should have a great 18th hole," architect Rees Jones said. "If the event is close coming down the 18th hole, the muscles will tighten on that hole."
Last year, Johnson Wagner led the tournament after all four rounds to earn his first PGA Tour victory and first invitation to Augusta. He hasn't won since and has missed six cuts in 10 starts in 2009.
"Maybe every time I get in position on a Thursday or Friday to get the lead or get up close, I start thinking about winning the golf tournament," Wagner said. "I think that's the wrong way to go about it and I know that."
Wagner is one of 107 players this week who must win to earn a trip to Augusta next week. Another is Davis Love III, who had a streak of 70 consecutive major-championship starts snapped when he missed the Masters last year. Love tied for second at the season-opening Mercedes-Benz Championship, but missed the cut at Bay Hill last week.
Norman qualified for the Masters with an unexpected third-place finish at last year's British Open. He's hardly played since, and is back in the Houston event for the first time since 2002.
The 54-year-old Norman played in last week's Champions Tour event in the Dominican Republic, finishing tied for 36th. His son, Gregory, will caddie for him this week, an ideal dry run for the Masters.
"It's a good step for him," Norman said. "He's excited about it and just having him on the bag is going to be a great moment for both of us."
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