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Welcome to Play Smart, a regular GOLF.com game-improvement column that will help you play smarter, better golf.

Tiger Woods has just about every shot imaginable in his arsenal. Whether the situation requires the ball to go high or low, left or right, the 15-time major winner has the shot in his bag to get it done.

Watching Woods work around the greens you can see his creativity really shine. Rarely on the course does he hit just a stock shot with his short game. Every scenario is a little bit different, and each requires specific adjustments in order to have the best chance of chipping it close.

One of Woods’ go-to shots around the greens comes in the form of a “draw chip.” And in today’s edition of Play Smart, we’re going to hear from the man himself on how to hit it.

How to hit Tiger’s draw chip

Sometimes getting the ball close from short range requires a little bit of creative thinking. For Woods, that comes in the form of shaping the ball left or right to get the ball close.

Tiger Woods

For a shot that needs to move left-to-right — or one that might be affected by a tough lie — he turns to his patented draw chip.

Executing the shot is simple. According to Woods, he opens the face just a touch, keeps his hands forward at address and then when the club head is approaching impact, he tries to close the face down and move his body forward.

“I’ll get more spin,” Woods says. “But I’m also ensuring that I don’t fat it.”

Next time you’re around the greens and are worried about catching the ball a little heavy, try focusing on hitting a draw chip. You’ll be amazed how easy it is to execute — and how useful it is to have in your arsenal.

Tiger Woods is arguably the best golf player to ever live, yet he has never gotten the chance at a gold medal. He has monumental achievements and is still playing the game, so why is he not at the Olympics?

As one of the most successful professional golfers in history, Tiger Woods has built a legacy that will span generations. However, fans and golf experts may argue that his prime was in the early 2000s where he won an impressive 13 major championships, but since then, his abilities and performances have declined.

Golf first debuted in the early 1900s at the Olympic games, but it did not stick around long. It appeared again at the 2016 Rio Olympics and Tokyo 2020. Golf was featured again in the 2024 Paris Olympics, but yet still no sign of Woods. Fans are questioning why the great has not yet gotten a gold medal opportunity, but it may be too late?

The criteria for qualifying for the Olympics goes off of World Golf Rankings. The qualification is clearly explained by the Olympic Rules and International Golf Federation (IGFgolf), see below:

TIGER WOODS

“The top-15 world-ranked players will be eligible for the Olympics, with a limit of four players from a given country. Beyond the top 15, players will be eligible based on the world rankings, with a maximum of two eligible players from each country that does not already have two or more players among the top-15.”

As of now, Woods, age 48, is not even in the top 100 of the rankings, not because of his past dominance, but rather because his performance today does not rank against the new generation of golf stars. Unfortunately for Woods, there are no exceptions to the rule, especially just because one is  not at their prime anymore.

If Golf would have been included in previous Olympic games, there is no doubt Woods would have played as apart of Team USA. From 1997 to 2011, Tiger never fell below the number 3 spot in the World Rankings, which would have secured himself an Olympic spot every single year. The 2012 London Olympics may have been his last chance, but golf was not included in the events. By the time the 2016 Rio Olympics came up, Woods was injured, and back surgery made impossible for him to qualify or play at all for that matter.

Woods came back to show a promising performance in 2020, but due to the pandemic, the Olympics were postponed to 2021, and once again an injury took his chance away.

Fellow golf legend Phil Mickelson is in the same position. With years of unmatched competition and success, Mickelson has yet to be at the Olympics for similar reasons. Age, injury, and opportunity have created many hurdles for them. Even the years they could have qualified, they were no longer performing at that elite level.

The 2028 Los Angles Olympics will hold the golf competitions once again. Some fans are hopeful that Woods will make a comeback and get his gold medal then, but many are also realizing that then again, his chances may have past.

Today’s Sports Highlight in History:

In 2006, Tiger Woods (30) becomes the youngest player to compile 50 PGA Tour wins with a 3 stroke victory over Jim Furyk in the Buick Open.

On this date:

1958 — Glen Davis of Columbus, Ohio, sets a world record in the 400 hurdles with a time of 49.2 in Budapest, Hungary

1966 — Muhammad Ali knocks out Brian London in the third round to retain his world heavyweight title.

1972 — South African Gary Player wins his second PGA golf championship with a two-stroke victory over Jim Jamieson and Tommy Aaron.

1978 — John Mahaffey beats Tom Watson and Jerry Pate on the second playoff hole to win the PGA Championship.

1984 — American athlete Carl Lewis wins long jump (8.54m), his second of 4 gold medals at Los Angeles Olympics.

1991 — Debbie Doom of the U.S. pitches her second consecutive perfect game in women’s softball at the Pan American Games. Doom threw a perfect game at the Netherlands Antilles in the opener and matches that performance against Nicaragua, winning 8-0.

1992 — Carl Lewis leads a U.S. sweep in the long jump in the Olympics with a mark of 28 feet, 5 1-2 inches on his first attempt. Mike Powell takes the silver and Joe Greene the bronze. Kevin Young demolishes one of track’s oldest records with a time of 46.78 seconds in the 400 hurdles. Bruce Baumgartner becomes the first American wrestler to win medals in three straight Olympics, taking the gold in the 286-pound freestyle division.

1994 — Jeff Gordon wins the Brickyard 400, the first stock car race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

1995 — Canada’s Donovan Bailey wins the 100 meters at World Track and Field Championships in Goteborg, Sweden, marking the first time since 1976 an American fails to win a medal in the event at a major meet.

1999 — Tony Gwynn goes 4-for-5, singling in his first at-bat to become the 22nd major leaguer to reach 3,000 hits, as the San Diego Padres beat the Montreal Expos 12-10.

Tiger Woods

2001 — Two-time champion Marion Jones is disqualified and has her string of 42 consecutive 100m final victories snapped by Zhanna Pintusevich-Block of Ukraine at the World Athletics Championships in Edmonton, Canada.

2006 — Floyd Landis is fired by his team and the Tour de France no longer considers him its champion after his second doping sample tested positive for higher-than-allowable levels of testosterone.

2006 — Sherri Steinhauer wins the Women’s British Open for the third time, and the first since it became a major.

2008 — Sammy Villegas, a former University of Toledo basketball player, is charged with point shaving. Villegas is accused of shaving points during the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons.

2008 — Kim Terrell-Kearney wins the first professional championship match featuring two black bowlers, beating Trisha Reid 216-189 in the U.S. Bowling Congress’ U.S. Women’s Open. Terrell-Kearney collects her second U.S. Women’s Open title and third career major title.

2010 — Tyson Gay upsets the defending world and Olympic champion Usain Bolt in a race between the two fastest runners in history. Gay beats the Jamaican at the DN Galan meet in 9.84 seconds at the same stadium where Bolt last lost a race two years ago. Bolt finishes second in 9.97.

2015 — Ryan Lochte becomes the first man to win the 200-meter individual medley four consecutive times at the world swimming championships. Lochte comes home strong on the freestyle lap and touches first in 1:55.81 in Kazan, Russia.

2017 — I.K. Kim won the Women’s British Open, hanging on with a 1-under 71 for a two-shot victory over Jodi Ewart Shadoff and her first major championship.

 

The two sporting legends have never got a shot at a famous gold medal

Despite winning 21 golf majors between them, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson have never had a chance to win an Olympic gold medal, so why does the most famous sports event in the world continue to evade them?

Phil Mickelson VS Tiger Woods

The pair became synonymous with golf and Woods arguably transcended it as they forged an exceptional rivalry in the 2000s but with the sport only being an Olympic event once in the last century, they’ve never had a true shot.

Golf experienced a 112-year hiatus from the Olympics between 1904-2016 before it was left off the list of events again in Tokyo 2020 meaning that Woods and Mickelson only ever had Rio de Janeiro eight years ago as their chance to become Olympians.

But unfortunately for the pair, it missed the peak of their careers and they were considered ineligible for selection by the Olympic Rules and International Golf Federation.

“The top-15 world-ranked players will be eligible for the Olympics, with a limit of four players from a given country,” the governing bodies ruled at the time. “Beyond the top 15, players will be eligible based on the world rankings.

“With a maximum of two eligible players from each country that does not already have two or more players among the top 15.”

Thank you for watching

Both were particularly and cruelly unfortunate. Two years prior, Woods was still the world number one, which was a spot he held since 1997, whilst Mickelson was the world number two ever since 2001.

Yet Woods suffered injuries and Mickelson‘s age and flirtation with LIV Golf saw them both lose their opportunities to become Olympians, even though the event will also be hosted at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Who did the USA send to the 2016 Olympic Games, and who won the men’s gold?

Despite their esteemed history in the sport, Team USA could not claim gold in Rio in 2016 as that award went to Great Britain’s Justin Rose whilst Sweden’s Henrik Stenson claimed silver in South America.

Tiger Woods

The USA didn’t leave empty handed, however, as Matt Kuchar took bronze.

The caddie’s instincts sometimes make a champion! And one of golf’s greatest collabs turned this into reality. In a revealing throwback, Steve Williams shares his crucial role in Tiger Woods‘ legendary 2008 US Open win. As Woods’ former caddie of 12 years, he sheds light on the bold move that made all the difference. Meanwhile, his 2015 memoir reveals the behind-the-scenes story of their iconic partnership.

That gutsy move came on the 72nd hole at Torrey Pines, where Williams convinced Woods to ignore the yardage book and trust his instincts on club selection. “I convinced Tiger to ignore the yardage book and hit the club I felt would deliver the best outcome. It was a hell of a discussion, but my gut feeling on how he would execute that shot proved correct,” recalled the 60 year-old-caddie in his book, Out of the Rough: Inside the Ropes with the World’s Greatest Golfers on Page 28.

It was a pivotal moment, as Woods needed a birdie for a playoff spot. Consequently, Woods’ trust in the caddie’s instincts paid off, as he sank a 15-foot birdie putt on 18 to force a playoff with Rocco Mediate. Mediate, however, missed a putt to save par at the 19th hole and Woods took advantage, sealing his 14th major victory in a sudden death hole. Ultimately, Williams’ decision and Woods sticking with it led the pair to the coveted US Open title, their last major win jointly.

In hindsight, Williams’ decision proved even more crucial, as he reflected, “ If he’d gone with the normal club for that yardage he’d probably have hit the ball too far and given himself a much tougher birdie putt.” The caddie’s decision-making and feel for the game proved invaluable in that moment. This incident showcased the pair’s trust and chemistry, a key factor in their 12-year partnership.

Steve Williams and Tiger Woods
REU8512935 TIGER WOODS AND NEW CADDY STEVE WILLIAMS, 1999-03-20 (photo); (add.info.: Tiger Woods stands with his caddy Steve Williams (L) on the 10th fairway at the Bay Hill Invitational in Orlando, Florida March 20. Woods just made the cut for the third round, giving him a streak of having made 25 consecutive tournaments cuts.
CWL/RC/ME); REUTERS.

As Woods acknowledged, the win was a surprise even to him: “I don’t know how it even got this far, but I’m very, very fortunate to have played 91 holes and come out on top.” This sentiment sets the stage for understanding the unlikely nature of Woods’ win at the 2008 US Open.

Tiger Woods’ unlikely win at Torrey Pines

The odds were against Tiger Woods from the start. He had not played a competitive round in 2 months and 2 weeks, and his ailing left knee was a constant concern. Moreover, his opening round of one-over-par 73 did little to inspire confidence. It was an inauspicious beginning to a week that would ultimately end in triumph.

The 83x PGA Tour champ in the post Tournament presser, reiterated, “I dealt with a few things this week and just had to keep plugging along. I wasn’t feeling my best, I didn’t get off to the greatest of starts and when I finally got off to a good start (in the play-off), I screwed that up by finding the bunker on three.”

The severity of Woods’ knee injury became clear after the tournament when he announced that he would undergo season-ending surgery. Moreover, the bond between Woods and Williams proved to be the winning formula, for their iconic partnership in golf history. Do you remember this classic incident from the 2008 US Open?

Since 2019, when Tiger Woods grabbed his 15th major, the GOAT Debate has been never-ending. On one hand, it’s the 48-year-old, and on the other, it’s 18-time major winner Jack Nicklaus. The Golden Bear has the majors, while Woods has total PGA Tour wins (82). One thing is common though: Both have 0 Olympic wins. However, in a recent viral post on X, Jamie Kennedy posted a theory about the majors crowing players like the Olympics with gold, silver, and bronze medals. And surprisingly, there too, Nicklaus dominated Woods. Massively! As per their current standings, the 84-year-old would have amassed 18 gold 19 silver, and 9 bronze medals, representing his marvelous first, second, and third finishes at the majors. Woods, on the other hand, would have 15 gold, 7 silver, and 4 bronze medals. And while this is nothing but a theory, it does show that when it came to the big 4 events in golf. Jack Nicklaus was a force that perhaps even Tiger Woods could never keep up with. https://twitter.com/jamierkennedy/status/1817871304583729209 Interestingly, currently, Woods and Nicklaus have reversible ages. The veteran is 84 while the golf champ is 48. Yet these debates of one being better than the other persist. But when it comes to internal relations between the two, things couldn’t be more friendly. Woods looks up to Nicklaus as a mentor. He often even seeks out his advice. As for the senior golfer, he’s always rooting for the 25-time major winner. Even now!

Tiger Woods 

Jack Nicklaus believes Tiger Woods has a lot more to give

Can Tiger Woods still roar? Golf legend Jack Nicklaus certainly thinks so! At the 2000 PGA Championship, Woods’ unbelievable performance convinced Nicklaus, then 60, to hang up his golf clubs. But now, 23 years later, Nicklaus still believes that 48-year-old Woods still has what it takes. Nicklaus, who, keep in mind, was the biggest thing in golf back in the late 1900s, has been impressed with Woods’s recent performances, including the display he put on at the Masters earlier this year. Woods made the cut with an impressive first 2 days. And even though he finished dead last on Sunday, Nicklaus believes he has it in him to win. Tiger has the ability to still play,” Nicklaus said at the Legends Luncheon according to Golf Digest. “He doesn’t play, obviously, quite as well as he did, but I think a lot of that is his physical ailments.” And well, it is true. Tiger Woods has had his fair share of injuries in the past couple of years. From his knee to his back, Woods has had several surgeries too, and that has affected both his skill and appearance on the greens. But the 15-time major winner remains adamant that he can win. And with the other GOAT in golf agreeing, who’ll dare contest that?

Steve Williams worked with Tiger Woods at the height of the golfing great’s success, but the New Zealand native got the boot for temporarily switching allegiance when the American was injured

Steve Williams caddied for Tiger Woods during the height of the superstar’s success but was sacked for temporarily jumping ship to another player.

The New Zealand native accompanied Woods on some of the world’s most challenging courses between 1999 and 2011, undoubtedly an asset to Wood’s 15 major career wins and record 82 PGA Tour titles – nine ahead of legend Jack Nicklaus. For his efforts, Williams became one of the world’s most notable caddies in golfing history, racking up a reported net worth of £15.7million ($20m) following the unprecedented string of success – largely part to his salary and percentage of Woods’ winnings.

With Williams at his side, Woods would win 64 of his tour victories, 13 of his 15 majors, nine Tour Player of the Year awards, and spend 281 weeks at World No. 1 between June 2005 and October 2010. But the good times would soon come to an end for Williams, who has previously opened up about the reason that he was sacked by Woods.

Speaking in the Woods documentary of 2021, Williams said: “After the Masters, Tiger took a little bit of a break away from the game just to get his mind fresh as well as to deal with some niggling injuries. As a caddie of Tiger Woods and a great friend of his I wanted to deeply respect what he was going through but I still didn’t know when he would be playing again.”

Tiger Woods

 

He added: “I was just expecting a phone call at any moment to say ‘I’m playing again next week, get your s*** together and get over here’. There was a lot of uncertainty. So when a friend I had caddied for before called me and asked me if I could caddie for him, I ran that by Tiger and he said absolutely no problem.”

However, Woods is said to have changed his mind on the situation soon after, calling Williams to say that if he caddied for someone else then it would be the end of their professional relationship. Williams explained: “But a couple of days before the tournament, Tiger changed his mind.

“He had his agent call and he said ‘If you go and caddie for your friend, that will be the end of your time caddying for Tiger’. I thought there was no way the guy is going to fire me. But a couple of days after the tournament I got the phone call to say our time had ended.

“I believe in my own heart I gave 100 per cent when I was caddying for Tiger the entire time I was with him and for him to fire me over that kind of thing. I found that pretty unusual.” Adam Scott would be the man Williams caddied for in the incident, filling in at the 2011 US Open while Woods was sidelined.

For teaming up with Scott, Williams also noted how he hadn’t just lost an employer, but had also lost a long-time friend. He added: “When he fired me, I thought he was firing me as a golf caddie and not as a friend. Tiger was the best man at my wedding, I didn’t think we’d have no communication for the rest of our lives. That just didn’t even enter my mind. To this day I find that a hard pill to swallow. Someone you spend 13 years with, with all your time and all your effort, and the guy can’t even speak to you.”

Williams would work with Scott until 2017, before caddying for Jason Day briefly in 2019. He would take to the courses with Scott again between 2022 and 2023. Woods, meanwhile, hasn’t won a major title since the 2019 Masters tournament.

What do you think is common between Tiger Woods and Michelle Wie West? No, it’s not sport-related at all! Rather, it is the list of injuries instead. The world knows the troubles Woods has had in his legs and back for so many years. But in the past, West has had numerous injuries too, just like the 15-time major champion. Who would have thought that this series of injuries would create a connection between the two? No one!

Recently, West was on Pablo Torre’s Finds Out YouTube channel, and they talked about a lot of things in a 50-minute-long video. As the conversation continued, she discussed her experiences on the professional greens and her battles with injuries. Later in the video, she was also asked “When you run into Tiger Woods what do you talk about? Is there any sort of connectivity between the two of you on the level of like being people who grew up young in the spotlight and had to navigate all of the stuff”

While responding to the question, the 34-year-old came up with an interesting answer and said “No but every time I see Tiger the first thing we go through is the list of injuries that we had I’m like how’s your neck? he’s like how’s your wrist? how’s your back we like go through all the body parts first and be like okay good, good….oh it’s getting better you know, and then we can have a normal conversation.” Later she added that usually, five minutes of their talk is all about the injuries.

Tiger Woods

Throughout her career in professional golf, Michelle Wie West has achieved 49 top-10 finishes and five career victories on the LPGA Tour. She was also the youngest player to qualify for the USGA amateur championship at the age of 10. Thanks to that, she was once dubbed the next Tiger Woods, but multiple hand and wrist injuries became a major setback for this former pro.

After the birth of her first child, a daughter who she named Makenna Kamalei Yoona West, the 34-year-old announced her retirement from golf at the end of the 2023 LPGA season. Yes, they talk about each other’s health whenever they meet, but West has known about Woods since childhood.

Did Michelle Wie West like Tiger Woods growing up?

In 2023, West joined Golf.com’s podcast and talked about how the 15-time major champion became her role model because of her father. While doing so, she said, “My dad had a photo of his backswing in his wallet, you know, in the clear part of your wallet where you usually put your kids’, like your book photo in there.” As the conversation continued, she further added, “I think I was like forced into loving Tiger as a kid.”

Thanks to her father’s love for the GOAT, West also had swing sequence photos on her bedroom walls, which made her admire Woods. Michelle Wie West might cherish the memory of growing up admiring Woods and being called the next Tiger Woods. What do you think about the friendship between these two?

ESPN released a list of the top professional athletes of the 21st Century, with Tiger Woods ranked eighth, raising debates on the ranking of athletes based on their achievements since 2000.

By the Numbers

  • Tiger Woods is ranked 8th on ESPN’s list of top athletes of the 21st Century.
  • Only 13 of Woods’ 18 major wins have come since the year 2000.

Yes, But

Some argue that Woods could have been ranked higher based on his impact on golf compared to other athletes on the list.

State of Play

  • The ranking considers accomplishments since 2000, leading to diverse opinions on the placement of different athletes.
  • Woods’ influence on rejuvenating golf is highlighted as a separate factor from his on-course performance.

What’s Next

Future discussions may continue surrounding the ranking of athletes and the criteria used to assess their impact within their respective sports.

Bottom Line

Tiger Woods’ 8th position on ESPN’s list acknowledges his significant impact on golf but sparks discussions on the relative ranking of athletes across diverse sports.

Tiger Woods has confirmed that he will play PGA Tour Champions events when he turns 50, according to comments made by Padraig Harrington.

Tiger Woods has plans to play senior golf. 

At least that is the contention of multiple major champion Padraig Harrington.

“I met Tiger recently and he said he was looking forward to coming out onto the Champions Tour,” Harrington said.

“I think his words were, ‘I can’t wait to beat you out on the Champions Tour’, or something like that.

Woods is now 48 years old and will be eligible to compete on the PGA Tour Champions circuit when he turns 50.

And he would also be able to use a golf cart. Whether he does that remains to be seen.

Legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus hinted in previous interviews that Woods would be willing to use one.

Woods doubles down

The 2024 Open Championship marked Woods’ eighth start in a major since his car crash three years ago.

His results do not make for pretty reading.

In fact, it’s quite hard to watch the golfer being a bit-part player on a stage he owned for so long.

Woods made a shocking return to the sport in the 2022 Masters at Augusta National.

Since then, his results in the majors reads as follows:

  • PGA Championship at Southern Hills – WD
  • The Open at St Andrews – MC
  • The Masters – WD
  • The Masters – 60th
  • PGA Championship at Valhalla – MC
  • U.S. Open at Pinehurst No.2. – MC
  • The Open – MC

There was one immediate question after his latest performance at Royal Troon.

Why is he doing this to himself? 

There are other questions as well.

What pleasure does he derive from these performances? What does he have to prove?

In fact, he was positive about the future.

“I’ve gotten better, even though my results really haven’t shown it,” he said.

Tiger Woods

“I just need to keep progressing like that and then eventually start playing more competitively and start getting into kind of the competitive flow again.

“I’m going to just keep getting physically better and keep working on it.”

“I’ve always loved playing major championships,” he said. “I just wish I was more physically sharp coming into the majors.

“Obviously it tests you mentally, physically, emotionally, and I just wasn’t as sharp as I needed to be.

“I was hoping that I would find it somehow, just never did.”

Woods has also confirmed he will be at The Open next year when the major heads to Royal Portrush in Ireland.

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