A Year After Scandal, Tiger Finds His Rhythm -- and Fans -- at Chevron

Filed under: PGA, Sports Business and Media

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - The sun was shining, the Southern California air was crisp, gaggles of paunchy men in cargo shorts and golf shirts were clapping - and Tiger Woods was atop the leaderboard. It almost felt like, well, anytime before a certain driveway car crash turned Woods' life upside down a little over 12 months ago.

The atmosphere here at Sherwood Country Club, home of the $5 million Chevron World Challenge, was certainly more upbeat than it was a year ago. Back then, Woods was in hiding and the speculation about his extra-marital affairs was just tipping into outright mania. He skipped this tournament, which benefits his charitable foundation, and his absence cast a pall over the event - even if it did inspire some entertaining conversations among fans.

Woods was again the main topic of discussion at Sherwood on Friday, but for an entirely different reason: his play. The 34-year-old golfer, who has not won a tournament this year, shot an eagle on the second hole, part of a six-under-par round that extended his lead atop the 18-player field. He's now four strokes ahead of Graeme McDowell and five over Luke Donald and Rory McIlory, the 21-year-old phenom from Northern Ireland who was Woods' playing partner on Friday.

 

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Source: http://golf.fanhouse.com/2010/12/03/a-year-after-scandal-tiger-finds-his-rhythm-and-fans-at-c/

Joanne Montanez Jodi Lyn OKeefe Jolene Blalock