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Tiger’s army growing with every miracle

Tiger Woods nailed his putt to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational in the near-dark, and yet everyone lingered, squinting through the waning light to watch the master celebrate, to let the moment engrave itself into their collective memories.

Watching Woods might seem routine, but how often do we get to see him pull off a come-from-behind victory with his last shot on the final hole? Even that is rare for Woods.

Though my job allows me to cover big events and remarkable athletes, this is one I will remember, not only because I saw an amazing finish, but because I got to walk every hole Woods played.

When I got to the first tee of the first round Thursday afternoon, it was amazing to see thousands of people standing five deep lining the hole. I must have heard, “Way to go, Tiger!” thousands of times last week.

His first shot hooked right, but vintage Tiger came roaring out after his second shot landed in the rough. He holed out from 33 yards for birdie, and someone shouted, “Typical Tiger!”

We saw typical Tiger, but we also saw angry Tiger, dropping curse words when a tee shot went into the water, slamming his bag with a club in frustration. But when it seemed his round would spiral, Woods regained his composure and his control, and found his footing the way he always did.

As we walked day after day, I kept thinking, “What must it be like to be Woods?” After every shot, on every hole, fans in the gallery constantly shouted his name. People tried to get his attention when he walked from hole to hole, whether it was someone holding out a ball or extending their hands hoping for a high five.

On Saturday, a little boy ran under the rope line between the 14th and 15th holes and launched himself at Woods’ legs to give him a hug. People climbed trees to get a better look. Two guys wore tiger masks and followed him.

It was as if he was the only golfer out there. Yet Tiger was oblivious to it all, focused, poised, unflinching.

More than 5,000 people lined the first tee Sunday to watch the start of the inevitable Tiger comeback. Woods emerged, wearing his trademark red, and tipped his cap to the adoring gallery.

His tee shot hit the middle of the fairway and the crowd screamed its approval. The sun emerged after a rainy morning delayed play, and the throng was on the move, ready to walk each hole with Woods, knowing they would be watching something incredible.

A phalanx of cameras and reporters moved, too, at least 50 strong trampling through the rough to chart his every shot, his every grimace, his every eye roll, his every sigh, his every fist pump.

We were in a race against time, too, knowing the threesome of Woods, Sean O’Hair and Zach Johnson needed to play quickly to finish their round before nightfall.

Woods was as steady as ever while O’Hair was uneasy, unsure and unsteady. What really struck me each time Woods stepped to the ball was his control. The crowds shouted his name, the course had changed, the weather had changed, and yet there he was, knowing exactly what he wanted to do with his club each time he addressed the ball.

With each hole, Woods chipped away at O’Hair. Finally, the moment everyone waited for came on the par-4 16, when O’Hair hit his second shot into the water. Woods had landed in the rough along the fairway. He simply chipped out onto the fairway, knowing this was his chance to take the lead.

His third shot was simply incredible, 111 yards from the fairway to 3 feet from the pin. The crowd went crazy. Woods parred and slapped hands with caddie Steve Williams as he went ahead.

Then a mistake on the par-3 17 put him back into a tie with O’Hair. Woods’ tee shot went into a greenside bunker. The crowd gasped. The sun had set. The 18th hole would be played in the cool of twilight.

Walking up 18, there must have been 10,000 people cheering for Woods. Thousands watched from home, too, as Orlando ranked No. 2 among TV markets watching Bay Hill coverage on NBC—coverage that spiked in the final see-saw hour and delivered the best ratings for the event in seven years.

Although cameras were not allowed on the course, those who sneaked them in started using them, and flashes went off left and right.

Finally, Woods hit his ball. It landed onto the green and 16 feet from the cup. It was almost dark. O’Hair missed his birdie putt. Flashes kept going off. Woods stepped to his ball.

The putt was perfect. The crowd was frenzied. Woods roared, fist-pumping and hugging Williams. His sixth victory at Bay Hill ended in the dark, with a hearty handshake from Arnold Palmer, with another Tiger moment.