Tiger Woods won Monday, taking the Farmers Insurance Open by four shots, and not only proclaimed that he is back, but said, “I never left.”
Some may disagree, but this much is certain: except for an unconscionable stretch in today’s final round when he went bogey, double bogey, bogey, bogey, Woods played the week in a dominating fashion that was reminiscent of his glory days of the early 2000s.
And his attitude from then persists.
“The expectation is to go out and win every week,” he said after shooting an even par 72 at Torrey Pines, where he has now won eight times in his career. He has 75 career wins, second most in history behind Sam Snead’s 82.
Fog cancelled play Saturday, forcing the field to play more than one round on Sunday. Woods was masterful, opening up as much an an eight-hole lead. The advantage was seven to start on Monday, with 11 holes to play. He was cruising along until Nos. 14, 15, 16 and 17.
Having to wait on every tee and from every fairway — or the rough, in his case — Woods made bogey from the bunker on the 14th, hooked a tee shot on the 15th that went off the trees and into a patch of ice plant and led to double bogey, and then popped up his tee shot on the 17th on his way to another bogey.
The tournament was already won by then, and Woods was disappointed that he “lost patience,” he said.
Still, his lead was too prodigious. He had a few errant shots off the tee, but said, “I drove the ball beautifully all week.” Indeed, he set himself up for beautifully shaped iron shots. And once on or around the greens, his offseason work on his short game, which he had said failed him in recent years, was a strength at Torrey Pines.
“I think he wanted to send a message,” Hunter Mahan said to The Associated Press. “I think deep down he did. You play some games to try to motivate yourself. There’s been so much talk about Rory (McIlroy, No. 1). Rory is now with Nike. That would be my guess.
“He looked strong. He had great control of his swing. He was hitting some strong shots, different from any other player I saw out here.”
