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NEWSLETTER
April 2, 2008
By Tiger Woods
As you might expect, I'm gearing up for the Masters. It's the first major championship of the year and I'm excited about returning to Augusta National. They haven't made many changes to the course, so I'm not going to play an early practice round this week. I'll keep working at home with Hank Haney and try to sharpen my game.
I know they removed some trees along the right side of No. 11; added 10 yards to the front of the first tee in case the wind blows; and tweaked the seventh and ninth greens.
The bottom line: It's going to be long and difficult, and you're going to have to have all aspects of your game firing. The only thing we don’t know is what the wind is going to do.
Overall, I feel very good about the way I'm swinging the club. Although my winning streak ended at Doral, I'm very pleased about the way I have played and hope the positive momentum carries over to Augusta.
Ever since I joined the PGA Tour in 1996, my goal has always been to win every tournament. That's just the way I think. If you don't feel that way, why enter? Although I got off to a great start his year by winning my first four events, including Dubai, I knew it was unlikely I would go undefeated. That didn't stop me from trying.
As I've often said, you need a little luck and a few good breaks to win tournaments. I had my share at the Buick Invitational, WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship and Arnold Palmer Invitational, but came up short at Doral. Geoff Ogilvy chipped in at a critical time and that's what you need to win.
People have asked me what I enjoy most about practicing. I definitely like chipping and putting, working on my short game. You can use your imagination.
I'm always testing golf balls. I don't ever put a ball in play unless I've tested it pretty hard. Nike always keeps me informed about everything they put out. I hit every club they make, whether it's game improvement clubs all the way through to the wedges. I see everything and always have an idea what's coming out. Obviously, a lot of it doesn't really suit the way I play the game and what I like to do with the golf ball, but it helps a lot of other players out. So that's the whole idea.
It's also interesting to note that this is the first time I have played a production ball, meaning you can buy the exact same Nike One Platinum right off the shelf.
If I make a bogey on the course, I'll sometimes change balls but not always. If I scuff it, yea, it's out of play. Sometimes if I make a few birdies and it's scuffed, I'm still keeping it until it runs out.
I mark my ball with a black line on the side. My ball says Tiger and it's always a 1. I always played 1s on the first day and always played 1s on Sunday. I had to play 2s and 3s on Friday and Saturday. Then when I switched to the Nike ball, they allowed me to have all 1s and I said, 'Perfect.'
On the greens, I always mark my ball with a quarter, heads-up. I've been marking my ball with a quarter since I was about 7. It was the biggest coin I could possibly afford.
I recently shot a few commercials, which you may have seen. I did one for Gatorade where I'm swinging a club on the moon. It took about two hours to shoot and was pretty cool. Those space suits are heavy!
I also did a Buick commercial, where I hit golf balls filled with paint into a canvas. That was interesting because I got paint every which way, including in my hair. I think they're going to auction off the canvas for charity at the Buick Open.
On April 19th, I'll be hosting Tiger Jam XI presented by AT&T at The Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. We've had many great musicians in the past and couldn't be more excited to welcome VAN HALEN, who are re-launching their concert tour. I'm a big fan of the band and look forward to a great night. Tickets are available at the Mandalay Bay Events Center box office and www.ticketmaster.com . Proceeds benefit the Tiger Woods Foundation and select Las Vegas-based charities.
Thanks for reading. I'll check back after the Masters.
Tiger
April 2, 2008
By Tiger Woods
As you might expect, I'm gearing up for the Masters. It's the first major championship of the year and I'm excited about returning to Augusta National. They haven't made many changes to the course, so I'm not going to play an early practice round this week. I'll keep working at home with Hank Haney and try to sharpen my game.
I know they removed some trees along the right side of No. 11; added 10 yards to the front of the first tee in case the wind blows; and tweaked the seventh and ninth greens.
The bottom line: It's going to be long and difficult, and you're going to have to have all aspects of your game firing. The only thing we don’t know is what the wind is going to do.
Overall, I feel very good about the way I'm swinging the club. Although my winning streak ended at Doral, I'm very pleased about the way I have played and hope the positive momentum carries over to Augusta.
Ever since I joined the PGA Tour in 1996, my goal has always been to win every tournament. That's just the way I think. If you don't feel that way, why enter? Although I got off to a great start his year by winning my first four events, including Dubai, I knew it was unlikely I would go undefeated. That didn't stop me from trying.
As I've often said, you need a little luck and a few good breaks to win tournaments. I had my share at the Buick Invitational, WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship and Arnold Palmer Invitational, but came up short at Doral. Geoff Ogilvy chipped in at a critical time and that's what you need to win.
People have asked me what I enjoy most about practicing. I definitely like chipping and putting, working on my short game. You can use your imagination.
I'm always testing golf balls. I don't ever put a ball in play unless I've tested it pretty hard. Nike always keeps me informed about everything they put out. I hit every club they make, whether it's game improvement clubs all the way through to the wedges. I see everything and always have an idea what's coming out. Obviously, a lot of it doesn't really suit the way I play the game and what I like to do with the golf ball, but it helps a lot of other players out. So that's the whole idea.
It's also interesting to note that this is the first time I have played a production ball, meaning you can buy the exact same Nike One Platinum right off the shelf.
If I make a bogey on the course, I'll sometimes change balls but not always. If I scuff it, yea, it's out of play. Sometimes if I make a few birdies and it's scuffed, I'm still keeping it until it runs out.
I mark my ball with a black line on the side. My ball says Tiger and it's always a 1. I always played 1s on the first day and always played 1s on Sunday. I had to play 2s and 3s on Friday and Saturday. Then when I switched to the Nike ball, they allowed me to have all 1s and I said, 'Perfect.'
On the greens, I always mark my ball with a quarter, heads-up. I've been marking my ball with a quarter since I was about 7. It was the biggest coin I could possibly afford.
I recently shot a few commercials, which you may have seen. I did one for Gatorade where I'm swinging a club on the moon. It took about two hours to shoot and was pretty cool. Those space suits are heavy!
I also did a Buick commercial, where I hit golf balls filled with paint into a canvas. That was interesting because I got paint every which way, including in my hair. I think they're going to auction off the canvas for charity at the Buick Open.
On April 19th, I'll be hosting Tiger Jam XI presented by AT&T at The Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. We've had many great musicians in the past and couldn't be more excited to welcome VAN HALEN, who are re-launching their concert tour. I'm a big fan of the band and look forward to a great night. Tickets are available at the Mandalay Bay Events Center box office and www.ticketmaster.com . Proceeds benefit the Tiger Woods Foundation and select Las Vegas-based charities.
Thanks for reading. I'll check back after the Masters.
Tiger
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