Tigermania settling down

The last time Tiger Woods made a victorious walk up the 18th fairway at the Western Open, thousands of fans broke through the security ropes to follow him.

Woods headed for the green with a sea of people in tow, just wanting to be close to him, just wanting to bask in "Tigermania" if only for a few minutes.

On Sunday, Woods took his victory walk alone. Maybe it was the tighter security. Maybe his victory was anticlimactic after leading the second and third rounds.

Or maybe Tigermania is finally settling to a low roar.

"To be honest with you, I don't think so," he said when asked if the near-hysteria that followed him in 1997 will ever be repeated.

"Because of the fact I was new to the scene. I came out new and fresh. Most fans don't pay attention to amateur golf," he said. "Then, when I came on the scene, the huge endorsement numbers got everyone's attention. Then coming out and winning twice in seven weeks and getting my card that way, getting the Tour championship, people kind of took notice of that.

"Winning the Masters by 12. Being a person of color, doing that at a tournament that historically has denied access. So a lot of different subplots."

But Woods, who regained the No. 1 world ranking with his victory at the Western, can still draw a crowd. The rest of the field Sunday at Cog Hill Golf and Country Club played in relative obscurity. Relative, that is, because those were about the only people paying attention to the other golfers.

Thousands of people lined every hole he played. People staked out spots at upcoming holes hours ahead of time. There were cheers of "C'mon, Tiger!" and "Go get 'em, Tiger!" after every drive and every hole. Marshals repeatedly had to ask fans to stop walking or talking, reminding them others were still playing.

"I knew that people would be pulling for Tiger big-time," said Mike Weir, Woods' playing partner Sunday. "I just had to block that out and play my own game and not pay attention to what he was doing."

What Woods has been doing lately is playing his best golf since 1997 -- even better, actually. Despite steamrolling through the Masters and winning three other tournaments that year, he was horrified when he looked at videotapes of his swing. So he ripped it apart, changing just about everything.

The effort to make the changes second nature to his game showed. Though he held the No. 1 ranking and led the tour with 13 top-10 finishes, he "only" won one PGA Tour event.

"Being No. 1 in the world and not winning like I was doing in '98, that's not that great," he said. "I was having consistent finishes, but also changing my game. And I knew it was going to take me awhile, so I understood that.

"But I liked winning," he said. ``I don't like going home and knowing that somebody beat me."

This year, he's already won three PGA Tour events. Including a tournament in Germany, he's won three of his last four starts. He also leads the PGA Tour with 10 top-10 finishes this year.

The long, jaw-dropping drives are still there. His bunker game is vastly improved, and his putting is stronger, too. And his killer competitiveness is as sharp as ever. When Weir pared his lead to one stroke with a birdie on No. 7, Woods responded by rolling the ball within 8 feet of the pin on his second shot and then making the putt for birdie.

Weir, who missed his own birdie putt, never threatened again.

"The key is just keep hitting good shots and give yourself a chance at some putts," Woods said. "I'm rolling the rock well. I'm controlling my trajectory, driving it pretty good. Overall, my game is coming around. I like it. I'm very pleased."

He now takes his new and improved game to the British Open, which begins July 15. With the way he played this past weekend, Weir said Woods must be among the favorites.

If Woods wins, all those predictions of someday becoming the best golfer ever -- the talk that dogged him after the Masters -- probably will return.

"It would be nice," he said. ``But if it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. But I know one thing: I'm going to try."

AP