Cink vs Woods in WGC Final

Filed in archive Golf News on February 23, 2008

Courtesy: GolfWeek

It's Saturday evening in the Eastern time zone, the eve of the World Golf Championship finale.

Tiger Woods has just won his semi-final nail-biter against the defending champion, Henrik Stenson.

And, given whom he's up against, Woods looks like a shoe-in for victory tomorrow.

Bold words?



Well, I won't lose my house if I'm wrong but "bold"? I don't think so. As Johnny Miller said at the end of the TV coverage today, Tiger has a one in five chance of losing on Sunday.

Granted, there's a lot of golf to play - 36 holes - but he's facing Stewart Cink. Not to disparage Cink, however the guy hasn't won in four years.

And he's never gone up against Tiger in the final of a match play event. His play on the back nine against a massively choking Justin Leonard was not confidence-building.

However, in match play, anything can happen. That was evident by how hard Woods had to battle against a superb Henrik Stenson.

Their match was all square at the turn; Woods birdied the par 5 10th and then Stenson birdied the par 3 16th. All square again. Woods then birdied the par 5 17th to go one up.

Stenson's 3-wood tee shot on the 18th found the fairway. Woods pumped his driver about 30 yards past Stenson- his approach shot was only 91 yards, routine for the world number one.

Stenson appeared to chunk his wedge on his 124 yard approach. It hit the false front on the green and trickled back onto the fairway. It was all over at that point, the entire match having been won and lost from inside 125 yards on the final hole.

The key to tomorrow's play will boil down to one thing: the ability to avoid fatigue.

Today, the semi finalists all played 36 holes. Tomorrow, the two finalists will play 36 holes. Stewart Cink admitted to being tired at the end of his afternoon match with Leonard.

Tiger, of course, looked as fresh as a daisy after his afternoon round - which was a lot more intense.

So Woods guns for his latest WGC victory and his latest win in 2008 while Stewart Cink looks for his first win in anything in four years.

I wouldn't bother to do the math.