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The Tiger question To be intimidated or not to be intimidated
Updated: Saturday March 17, 2001 2:49 PM
To see Tiger Woods in full flow last year was to be afraid -- very afraid. Well, at least if you were on the receiving end of one of his golf maulings. But Denmark's Thomas Bjorn struck a blow for the underdog at the recent Dubai Desert Classic, going head-to-head with Tiger and beating him on the 18th. Bjorn's belief: Don't be intimidated by Tiger and you can defeat him. But to what extent does intimidation play a part in the outcome of golf tournaments? Can a player in a winning groove truly psych out the opposition? Here's Tiger's take on it. "I think in this game it's very difficult for a player to intimidate another player because you're not going out there and physically beating 'em," explained the World No.1. "In other sports yeah. If some guy six-foot-five is gonna run over you -- he's 250 pounds and you're 180 pounds -- that's intimidating, that's a little tough. "But in this sport maybe it's more mental than physical." OK Tiger, so you concede it does exist? That established, is Tiger Woods the greatest of intimidators after his romp to three majors and nine U.S. PGA Tour wins last year? Not necessarily. "I think a lot of guys have gone over that hurdle of the Tiger factor," said South Africa's finest, Ernie Els. "I think a lot of guys are just trying to play their game."
To overcome the Tiger hurdle is one thing. But according to many players on the PGA Tour, the air of intimidation need not only come from the man atop the world rankings. Any player can find a rich vein of form and give off a certain vibe, which his opponents can't fail to notice. Two-time U.S. Open champion Lee Janzen shed some light on this notion. "A player gives off a presence which says, 'I'm totally confident in my game, I'm not worried by any outside agencies, I'm gonna play as good as I can.'" Janzen continued: "When I'm playing at my best, I'm unaware of that. But I've talked to players afterwards who've said, 'I could see it in your eyes and you were not gonna be denied.' "I know Ray Floyd was one. Guys could see it in his eyes and it could bother them." Scott Dunlap, who held his own going head-to-head with Tiger at last year's PGA Championship, said, "It's just an energy you feel out there. A guy who's in that frame of mind, he's just exuding confidence. You look at him and say 'he's gonna do something good.' "You can tell when someone's in that groove and assume that, hey, he's gonna shoot how-many-under-par," Dunlap continued. "It's up to you to hitch up your skirt and come along or trail." Affable PGA Tour player Rocco Mediate tries to make it work in his favor whenever possible, saying, "I use it the other way. I try to feed off it and try to get something out of that. I try to steal from them." Of course, there are players who don't have faith in this concept -- like Australia's Robert Allenby. The fact he emerged victorious from a recent six-man playoff would suggest he has nerves of iron and would back up his theory. "I'm not intimidated by anyone, it doesn't matter who it is," declared Allenby. "I can only talk for myself, but believe if you can hold yourself when the pressure's on, as long as you can control your nerves and your destiny, that's just the way it is." So to be intimidated or not to be intimidated, that is the question? 'Tis nobler not to be. But human nature demands, all evidence gathered, that it's only normal on occasion to succumb to the man in the zone.
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