Like father, like son: Tiger Woods has been proudly showing off a video showing the swing of his 15-month-old son to his fellow prosAway from the madding crowd, the unforgiving paparazzi and the inquisitive press, picture Tiger Woods in the role of proud dad, flicking open his mobile to show off the golf swing of his 15-month-old son Charlie to his fellow pros.
This was the Tiger no-one outside the inner circle ever gets to see but the one on view in the Dunraven Arms in Adare on Monday evening.
'His lad's swing is quite incredible,' said Ian Poulter.
'The grip, the swing, it's all incredible. Given those genes I reckon we've got about 13 years left to win majors. By the time he's 15, he will probably be winning the Masters by about 25 shots.'
In a normal world, Woods would have gone from sprinkling stardust all over this corner of Ireland in the JP McManus pro-am to acclimatising for next week's 150th Open by playing some links golf and going fishing.
In his currently abnormal world he was on a plane back home to Orlando barely two hours after his finishing time, making it clear where his priorities presently lie.
'I need to get home to see my kids,' he said, before getting quite emotional when asked whether matters off the course had normalized to the extent he could concentrate on his golf.
Head strong: Woods hopes to taste glory at St Andrews next weekendThe sadness in his eyes was plain. For just a moment he looked like any other man who knows he has screwed up, and is attempting to deal with the pain.
'Golf is something that I've done for a long time but there are times when it gets put in perspective,' he said.
'One was when my father passed away and another is obviously dealing with what I have been going through lately.'
Woods will practice at home and then return either next Sunday or Monday to his favourite place in golf.
Some Americans needed time to warm to St Andrews, like Bobby Jones and Tom Watson. Not Woods, who will be attempting to become the first man to win three Opens at the Home of Golf.
'It was definitely love at first sight,' he said.
'Carnoustie and St Andrews in 1995 - that's as good as it gets for your introduction to links golf. I fell in love with St Andrews because the lines and the angles are so different to what people think. Hit it miles left, everyone says. Well, you can hit it miles left, but you will have no angle to the green.
'I love the fact i t takes imagination to win. Look at the past champions at St Andrews. They all had great imagination and great ball control.'
Woods was an interested spectator when the last four-hole challenge for past champions was held on the eve of the Open in 2000. 'My buddy Mark O'Meara was out there and so I came to watch,' he recalled.
'He said to me: "One day, your name will be on this trophy." Well, it happened to be my week, and now I'm looking forward to playing in this latest champions' challenge next Wednesday.'
The people of Limerick made it plain they couldn't care less what Woods got up to off the course. They were there to acknowledge his gifts as a golfer not pass judgement on his feats as an adulterer.
Having a laugh: Woods shares a joke with jockey Ruby Walsh, who was caddying for Tony McCoy at the Adare Manor Hotel & Golf Resort in LimerickThey could hardly have been more adoring if they had fallen at his feet. Organisers had hoped for 40,000 people over the the two days. In the event, they got at least that on each of the two days, and there was no doubt that the vast majority came to watch Tiger.
Why fly so far for so short a period he was asked.
'I believe in supporting my friends and JP has meant a lot in my life,' he said.
All smiles: Darren Clarke poses with the trophy after winning The JP McManus Invitational Pro-Am event'I truly believe in what he is doing to help others, and that is why I am here.'
It was at the Open last year that the first alarm bells began to ring that something was wrong in Woods' seemingly perfect world. In practice he had been playing better than ever but once on the course he threw his clubs straighter than he hit his irons.
Whether the rumour that his now estranged wife Elin turned up unnanounced to confront him about his behaviour is true or not, the fact is he missed his only halfway cut in 14 appearances at the Open.
This time we'll see a chastened Woods. Anywhere else and you wouldn't give much for his chances, given all that is still going on outside the ropes.
But it is St Andrews, and for Woods that will always be the place where magic lives.
So don't rule out a story yet that would put him on the front pages for all the right reasons, for once.
source: dailymail
