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| Tiger Woods |
Woods played as conservative as possible with three birdies and two bogeys. Now that Woods has a feel for the course and the rest of the players, he can gauge how to play the next three rounds. He could still choke and fall further behind the leaders.
Or, Woods can wait for the leaders to falter before making his moves.
The Washington Post reports Woods was happy with his opening round. There is still a lot of golf left to play, which is what makes Woods so dangerous.
As with most Masters tournaments at Augusta, first-round leads are rarely safe. The first-round leader is Rory McIlroy, who is just 21 years old. Expect August National to eat him for breakfast April 8. Now that Woods' practice round is over he can turn up the heat.
As evidenced by birdie putts he could have made, Woods still has some work to do in order to dominate like he used to. But for now, the Tiger trap has been laid. Golfers ahead of him think he's off the radar until suddenly at the end of 18 holes he's close to your score.
Because Augusta National is so tough, leads are never safe. The weather is supposed to be hot and dry for the second round, so there's nothing too drastic to worry about in regards to wind or rain. The only concern golfers should have is a relaxed familiarity with the course. Not being careful on a single hole at Augusta will ruin the entire tournament.
Will McIlroy win the thing? Not likely—he's only 21. Woods can still school the youngster. If McIlroy can pull out a victory, Woods may as well give him the Nike hat to wear permanently.
Like any good predator, a tiger looks into his enemy's eyes and then finds a weakness before pouncing. Woods knows the young guys ahead of him are vulnerable. Yes, golf is just man against nature but when it comes to Woods making a move on the golf course, he always knows when to strike.
Sources: http://sports.yahoo.com
