by Jon Weinbach
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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