Why has the world No 1 lost his aura of invincibility? Because he has been left trailing in a technology war, says Bill Elliott
He is known as the genius of the greens, the phenomenon of the fairways and the most awesome golfer ever. But the supposedly unbeatable Tiger Woods has apparently been cut down to size by a golf ball he is not allowed to touch. After months of winning everything in sight, Woods has suddenly lost his aura of invincibility. Rivals worried that they would never win a major?tournament again are at last experiencing the rare taste of victory.?
The golf world has been turned upside down by the introduction of a revolutionary solid-core ball that is helping all Woods’s competitors hit?their shots far greater distances. The Titleist Pro VI has given players?who were previously no-hopers the chance of a swift counter-punch at the?champion.
“For years everyone has been looking for the game’s Holy Grail, a ball that offers maximum distance and then allows a decent player to caress it softly?on to the green,” said one of Titleist’s technicians. “Now the Titleist?players have, if not the Holy Grail, the closest anyone has come to finding it so far.”
The situation is rich with irony. When last year Woods began using a solid-core ball made by Nike, his sponsors, his performances improved from?being simply magnificent to utterly awesome. He won 10 tournaments, became the first player to win three of golf’s four majors in a row?and pocketed millions in prize money.?
Davis Love, one of the circuit’s leading players, said Woods’s use of the Nike ball gave him a distinct advantage and helped explain why he swept all?before him. Now almost all Woods’s rivals are playing the solid-core ball made by Titleist, which is proving even more effective than the Nike version.?
Golfers using it have suddenly begun hitting their drives dozens of yards further. After months of frustration at not being able to catch the Tiger,?they are enjoying the fact that the tables have been turned.? “Last summer Tiger had the ball we all wanted. We were dying to get our hands on it, but we had to wait our turn,” said Love.
“The first time I put it in play I was jacked up. It was a new toy, a new excitement. Now we’ve got the perceived advantage and sometimes that?perception can make you play better.” Phil Mickleson, another leading pro, is also delighted. “I honestly believe that if you are not playing with this golf ball then you are at a distinct?disadvantage to the entire field,” he said.?
Woods is unable to switch to Titleist’s ball because he has a $20-million-a-year deal with Nike that requires him to use their balls and wear their clothing.
Titleist are delighted at their ball’s success, as the golf equipment market worldwide is worth billions of rands. The Pro V1 was introduced in the United States late last year. Subsequently, Billy Andrade became the first of 10 players in seven weeks on six different golf tours to win a 2000 title using it. Previously?pedestrian players suddenly became title-winners.?
Some golfers rate its emergence as one of the game’s great leap forwards, as significant as the switch from wooden to iron clubs.?
Woods has not won an event since the Pro V1 arrived. Where previously the 25-year-old dominated the rankings, now a mere golf ball is doing so. With?three top 10 finishes in five events this year, the undisputed best golfer?in the world is not suffering a serious slump. His stroke average is the?same as a year ago.
Woods is having to get used to the fact that other golfers are now performing as well as, and often better than, he. With the US Masters next?month, it is a bad time to be losing golf’s latest outbreak of technology wars.
Asked if Woods was concerned at the decline in his fortunes and the apparently narrowing gap between himself and the pursuing pack, Mark?Steinberg, the player’s agent, declined to comment.