Woods, Cejka produced TPC dud
8 p.m. ET: Tim Finchem and the folks here at the Ponte Vedra Beach offices couldn't have written a better script for the final round of their crown jewel, The Players Championship.
Take a journeyman player -- in this case, Alex Cejka -- spot him a 5-stroke lead over No. 1-ranked Tiger Woods, pair 'em together in the final round and watch the fireworks unfold as Woods attempts to chase down the lead and Cejka tries to keep from losing his lunch.
Instead, the show turned out to be a dud. Didn't even start a spark.
Though Woods did catch and surpass his playing partner Sunday, each was an afterthought by the time they made the turn, as far as the overall result of the tournament was concerned. Henrik Stenson proved to be the eventual champion at 12-under 276; Woods shot 73 to finish 7 strokes behind, Cejka carded a 79 and was 1 shot further back.
Together, their long walk throughout TPC Sawgrass was more spoiled than month-old milk, the entire journey an exercise in futility. They were a combined 5-over through four holes. Neither posted a birdie until No. 6. And if this was a worst-ball competition, the twosome would have posted a cringe-inducing 11-over 83.
Separately, they each had the effect of a pitcher coming to the plate at the end of a loaded batting order.
After leading the field with a driving accuracy percentage of 83.3 over the first three rounds, Cejka found the short grass only half the time Sunday afternoon. When he did finally reach the greens, he got his money's worth, taking a total of 33 putts -- nearly seven more than his average entering the final round.
If the Czechoslovakia-born, Germany-raised Las Vegas resident can take heart in anything, though, it's this: At least he was never expected to win the tournament. A guy who had never triumphed in 194 previous PGA Tour appearances, Cejka simply ran out of gas before the finish line and broke down on the final lap.
"It's a positive thing," said Cejka, who just last week underwent a procedure to fix a pinched nerve in his neck. "It doesn't matter what I shoot. I still finished top-10. It's good. Obviously, I was leading by a couple. I played with the best golfer in the world, and I didn't play well and neither did he."
No, he didn't. Unlike his opponent, Woods has set his own personal bar so high that he is enveloped with disappointment anytime he fails to claim a title. On so many occasions, the 66-time tour champion has shown up to the first tee on a Sunday afternoon in his patented red shirt and in-the-zone demeanor, and left all competitors in his wake while burrowing his way to the top of the leaderboard.
This time, though, he was more Superbad than Superman. In the final round, Woods found just 6 of 14 fairways and 10 of 18 greens -- each of which was his lowest number of the week. Additionally, he took 29 putts, a total surpassed only by his opening-round tally of 33.
"It's not that bad," Woods said of his game afterward. "If I had a two-way miss, then obviously I'd be a lot more concerned than I am now, but just a one-way miss like today, you can aim for it, at least I can take out one side of the golf course, and as I said, on a golf course like this, if you're not on, it's really hard to shoot a good number."
Stenson was able to shoot a good number, upstaging the final pairing -- and everyone else -- in the process. As for Woods and Cejka? Well, at least misery loves company.
"We talked a little bit," Cejka said, "but I think he was mad with himself."
He wasn't the only one. The PGA Tour's storybook ending was thwarted when Woods and Cejka went off script by failing to produce the dramatic conclusion that was expected. While Stenson kissed the trophy in front of cheering spectators and flashing cameras, the guys in the final pairing were left to wonder where it all went wrong at TPC Sawgrass.
6:41 p.m. ET: As noted by the TV guys ... Tiger Woods will claim his 17th straight top-10 in a stroke-play event, with 10 wins over that span.
I'll be back later with a final blog post on whether TW has raised the bar too high for himself or not.
For now, though, hats off to Henrik Stenson, the 2009 Players Championship winner by a 4-stroke margin.
6:32 p.m. ET: Hey, look! Tiger Woods and Alex Cejka are still playing!
Well, this certainly isn't anticlimactic or anything ...
Woods is currently in eighth place; Cejka is tied for ninth.
I alluded to last week's final round at Quail Hollow and how today has been so reminiscent for Woods. In that one, he was in a share of second place entering the final 18, only to shoot 72 -- the worst score of anyone in the eventual top-10 -- and finish solo fourth.
For a guy who so often has thrived in the final round, Woods has faltered a few times recently.
6:27 p.m. ET: It's all over!
Henrik Stenson makes par on the final hole to finish up a 6-under 66 and a 4-stroke victory.
Great win for Stenson, who simply played much better than anyone else when it mattered. Very deserving champion.
6:23 p.m. ET: Line of the week comes from NBC's Johnny Miller, while watching Henrik Stenson and caddie Fanny Sunneson discuss yardage in Swedish on the 18th hole:
"That's the only part of the telecast that Elin Woods is enjoying."
6:18 p.m. ET: E-mail from Mike in East Setauket, N.Y.:
What are the chances that Two-Tone will pull a Jerry Pate at 18?
Hey, don't give him any ideas!
Stenson has been known to strip down to his boxer-briefs to go into a water hazard before, so it only makes sense that he'd do it again, right?
In other news regarding Stenson's underwear, here's this from my Weekly 18 column of a few weeks back ...
Ever since stripping down to his skivvies to hit a shot from that water hazard at Doral, Stenson has handled the reaction with a proper measure of humor and sarcasm.
Recently, he intimated the nearly Full Monty may have been a profitable move, as well. The boxer-brief man was approached by Hanes to represent the undergarment company, though he was forced to say no.
"I'm under contract with Hugo Boss," Stenson said, "and that would be sort of a conflicting issue."
You could say the offer was buffed. And that's the naked truth.
6:15 p.m. ET: Dead solid perfect for Stenson on 18.
Right-center of the fairway and he can now chunk the ball all the way to the green from here and still win the tournament.
6:13 p.m. ET: Nice 2-putt par for Stenson on 17 and he's going to have 3 shots to play with on the final hole.
All of which begs the question: What does he do here?
Driver off the tee? 3-wood? An iron?
Looks like he's going 3-wood ... or maybe it's a 5-wood.
6:08 p.m. ET: So ... here's guessing that if I told you prior to the round that Alex Cejka and Tiger Woods would be tied through 15 holes today, you probably would have been pretty excited to see it, huh?
Each player is now at 4-under, in a share of eighth place.
6:05 p.m. ET: John Mallinger can't get up-and-down from short of the green on 18. He makes bogey and finishes at 7-under, the clubhouse leader for now (with playing partner Kevin Na about to join him).
In three PGA Tour seasons, Mallinger owns five third-place finishes -- and looks like he may add a sixth one today. And it's definitely the biggest one of his career.
6:03 p.m. ET: As suspected, Stenson just hits it on the left side of the 17th green. No point in getting too risky with that shot.
6:01 p.m. ET: Round of the day so far is 6-under 66 from Aaron Baddeley ... and Henrik Stenson is now 6-under with two holes to play, as well.
Stenson two-putts for birdie on 16 -- his sixth birdie in his last 10 holes -- and extends the lead to four.
With the pin front right on 17, you can bet he'll stay far away from it and just knock one on the green.
5:58 p.m. ET: Ian Poulter pulls (Pouls?) the birdie putt on 17 and will salvage par. Stays at 8-under, in a share of second with John Mallinger, who will need to get up-and-down from short of the 18th green to remain there.
5:53 p.m. ET: Just in case Henrik Stenson does falter down the stretch, Ian Poulter may be the guy waiting to capitalize.
Currently 8-under, Poulter just barely carried his tee shot onto the 17th green and will have a makeable birdie attempt from there.
If he makes it, he'll be solo second ... for now.
5:51 p.m. ET: Henrik Stenson is easily in the middle of the 16th green in two. Eagle putt from there, but here's guessing he'd love to just lag one down there and make his birdie.
After that? If he doesn't aim for the absolute middle of the green on 17, he's crazy.
5:45 p.m. ET: When Henrik Stenson won the Match Play two years ago, I wrote this column, which was more a criticism of the OWGR than Stenson himself.
If he holds on to win today, though, he'll likely jump into the world's top five -- and deservedly so.
This is a guy with a ton of talent, who has only gotten better the past few years. Definitely worthy of being considered amongst Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia and Geoff Ogilvy.
5:39 p.m. ET: Great shot by Henrik Stenson into the 15th green, stiffing it to 2 feet, 7 inches.
Drains the birdie putt from there. Take a look at these scores over the last nine holes: Birdie-par-birdie-par-birdie-par-birdie-par-birdie. He has yet to make a bogey today and has once again extended his lead to 3, at 11-under. Three pars coming in should be enough to win this championship. He could probably even afford a bogey or two.
5:36 p.m. ET: Aaron Baddeley teed off as a single at 8:30 this morning and walked off exactly three hours and four minutes later with a 6-under 66 that moved him to 4-under.
Six hours later, Baddeley has climbed all the way to T-8 on the leaderboard. Dude could be halfway to Australia for all we know right now and is earning more money with every passing minute.
5:26 p.m. ET: E-mail from Tom in Parts Unknown:
I can't help but root for Mallinger or Crane or Davis -- the no-names. The overblown rhetoric surrounding "The Players" is as ghastly out of place as the Finchemansion clubhouse is tasteless. Craig Perks won this thing. TPC Sawgrass is a tricked out, over-baked, under-watered real estate sucker's bet masquerading as "a great track."
Finchemansion? Not bad ... but not as good as my name for it: "Tim Finchem's Rock of Love Clubhouse."
Seriously, that building looks just like Bret Michaels' pad. I half-expect a few dozen tipsy "dancers" to stumble out of there every time I walk past it toward the driving range.
5:21 p.m. ET: Retief Goosen has just doubled his second straight par-3 hole. And each one came after back-to-back birdies.
After leaving one in the bunker on No. 8 and 2-putting earlier, Goosen found the water off the tee on 13 and made another double.
Talk about wasting some good scores. That's two three-hole stretches in which he played even-par without making a par or bogey.
5:15 p.m. ET: Last year, Kenny Perry was in the final pairing with Paul Goydos at this tournament, only to drop all the way to T-15 by day's end.
Today, Tiger Woods is in the final pairing with Alex Cejka ... and right now, he's dropped all the way to a share of 15th place.
TW is 3-over for the day, making only one birdie so far, while hitting 4-of-10 fairways and 5-of-12 greens in regulation. That's a second straight Sunday disappointment for a guy who so often has looked like Superman in a red shirt in final rounds.
5:09 p.m. ET: Jim Furyk finishes with three birdies and six pars on the back nine, shooting 69 to finish at 6-under.
Good thing the Ponte Vedra Beach resident doesn't have a long drive home, because he should stick around here for a little while. With one player at 10-under and four others at 7-under, it's unlikely that his number will hold up, but he should stay here nonetheless.
5:05 p.m. ET: It's official. This is Henrik Stenson's tournament to win or lose right now.
Stenson pours in a birdie on No. 13 to move to 4-under for the day and 10-under overall (uh, forget what I said about anyone getting back into double-digits). He's now in the lead by 3 over John Mallinger, Ian Poulter, Brian Davis and Retief Goosen.
5:03 p.m. ET: So many players in contention right now that it's not out of the realm of possibility that someone we've barely discussed could pull it out in the end.
One of those guys is John Mallinger, who just holed a birdie putt on 14 to move to 7-under while seeking his first career PGA Tour win.
In related news, Retief Goosen also just made a birdie -- this one on 12 -- to move to 7-under as well.
5:01 p.m. ET: Tweet, Tweet ...
redsox33redsox@JasonSobel so it seems like cejka will be lucky if he ends up spotting only 5 to the field by day's end...ideas on his final number?
Not so fast, my friend.
Back-to-back birdies to start the back nine for Cejka. How ridiculous would it be if the 54-hole leader opens with a front-side 42, then comes back and wins it down the stretch? He's now 3 behind Stenson and still very much in contention.
4:56 p.m. ET: I know most casual fans are probably more familiar with the likes of Jim Furyk, Retief Goosen and even Ian Poulter than Henrik Stenson, but our current leader is certainly one of the world's best players.
Ranked ninth on the OWGR -- above each of those aforementioned players -- Stenson owns one PGA Tour win at the 2007 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship and five others on the European Tour.
Not sure exactly how much he'd move up with a victory today, but it could be top-five, perhaps as high as No. 3, surpassing Sergio Garcia.
4:50 p.m. ET: With his birdie attempt on 17 ... Jim Furyk burns the edge.
That one almost went in, but he runs it about 5 feet by and now has a decent-sized comebacker for par.
He makes it. Remains at 6-under.
4:46 p.m. ET: Jim Furyk is safely on the green at No. 17, though he'll have a long birdie putt coming up.
At 6-under, Furyk has a chance to be the first player at better than 4-under to get in the clubhouse and post a score. I'm not sure 6-under will hold up, though. If he makes a birdie coming in? Could be a whole different story.
4:32 p.m. ET: Brian Davis.
There, just wanted to mention his name since the guy has been flying under the radar for three-and-a-half days.
Currently at 7-under through 11 holes, he could actually win this tournament without ever really being thought of as a major player for much of the week.
4:23 p.m. ET: While it seems like everyone on the leaderboard is backing up, that's not really the case.
Of the top 17 on the board right now, everyone is below par except for Retief Goosen (1-over), Alex Cejka (6-over), Kenny Perry (even-par) and Tiger Woods (2-over).
For the record, TW is now in a share of 12th place after starting the round T-2. Still plenty of holes left, but he and Cejka may have the embarrassment of finishing up in the final pairing while just trying to pull a top-10 finish.
4:18 p.m. ET: Dire straits at Team Cejka headquarters in Portland, Ore. From fan club president Jeff:
Wow. This is hard to watch. Whole new ballgame. Had to leave the premises for awhile to collect myself, which led others to come see if I was alright. Wondering if his injury flared up. Don't worry, we're not blaming your Blog Jinx. He's a fighter, so not giving up hope.
Maybe not, but in a matter of less than two hours, Cejka has gone from 5 strokes up on the field to 3 down. Will take a near-miraculous turnaround to regain his previous position on the leaderboard.
4:11 p.m. ET: Back on the eighth hole, Alex Cejka's chip comes up 5-6 feet short. Staring bogey in the face, he burns the left edge, makes bogey to drop to 5 under.
That's 6-over through eight holes. Even if he pars in, he shoots 78. Not exactly the number he had in mind when he woke up this morning.
4:06 p.m. ET: What a difference two days makes.
After Alex Cejka opened with scores of 66-67, many players were estimating that it would take a score of 16- or 18-under to win this event.
Two days later, as the greens have gotten so much firmer from the hot, dry conditions, the leader is now at 8-under and it's not inconceivable that a number even lower in relation to par will win this thing.
Unless someone gets really hot down the stretch, don't expect anyone to get it back into double-digits.
4:03 p.m. ET: I'm on the ninth tee box waiting for Goosen and Byrd to hit their shots, but a source close to the situation is reporting the following:
Crane's third shot on No. 9 from the rough just short of the green ... rolls it all the way through the green, over the back. Has to get up and down just to save par from there ... and does.
Stenson, playing with Crane, has a long eagle try and just misses it ... should have an easy birdie putt to take the outright lead ... and it's good to get to 8-under.
4 p.m. ET: Lesson for the kids out there: Never leave your bogey putts short.
Goosen just ignored that rule and was forced to tap in for double, dropping to 5-under after back-to-back birdies on the last two holes.
3:58 p.m. ET: From that buried lie, Goosen pops one up and onto the green.
He'll have about 15-20 feet left just to save bogey and remain only one behind the leaders.
3:55 p.m. ET: I'm at the eighth green, where Goosen and playing partner Jonathan Byrd are both in the back left bunker.
Both have decent lies and plenty of green to work with, though the green is sloping away from them.
And here's Goosen ... oh no.
So much for that decent lie. He fluffs it, leaves it in the bunker and -- worst of all -- now has a buried lie right underneath the lip.
Just went from a not-too-difficult shot to an extremely tough one.
3:49 p.m. ET: Just walked ahead to the day's second-to-last pairing at the seventh green, where Retief Goosen just made birdie and is currently 7-under -- now tied for the lead after Ben Crane bogeys No. 8.
Been saying it for a few days now, but when he's on, Goosen is one of the world's top fast-greens putters. As these greens continue to get baked out during the afternoon, he may be the man who ultimately makes a few more putts than the other guys.
3:46 p.m. ET: Birdie for Woods on No. 6 and -- somehow -- he's still just 3 off the lead.
And he's only one behind Cejka, who just carded another bogey, falling to 6-under for the tourney, 5-over for the day.
3:44 p.m. ET: One more note on Cejka's decline, one that I brought up in the final post of yesterday's blog ...
This isn't about there being an "intimidation factor" while paired with Tiger Woods. After all, the game's No. 1-ranked player isn't looking very scary right now. No, it's more playing with the lead for a third straight round, which is tough for any player, let alone one who has never won in the U.S.
I know some will want to chalk up Cejka's performance to an inability to deal with playing with Woods, but I don't get the sense that things would be any different for him had Henrik Stenson or Jonathan Byrd or Ben Crane landed in the final pairing.
3:31 p.m. ET: Of the top 20 on the leaderboard right now, Cejka is the worst of the day at 3 over. Tiger is second worst at 2 over, tied with Jonathan Byrd for that "honor."
Make that 4-over.
Cejka's bid for par on the fifth somehow stays out of the hole. He falls to 7-under.
Tragic start for the 54-hole leader. Not sure if he works with a mental coach or not, but now is the time that one of those guys would be telling Cejka to forget everything that's happened already and just remember that he's still in contention in what is the biggest round of his career.
3:29 p.m. ET: Alex Cejka looks like an Exxon Valdez captain right now: The leader is leaking tons of oil.
Middling chip from just off the green on No. 5. He'll have a decent-sized par putt to remain in a share of the lead.
3:22 p.m. ET: Current leaderboard shows Alex Cejka and Ben Crane tied for the lead at 8-under. Ian Poulter, Henrik Stenson and Woody Austin -- earning his first mention, I believe, in the blog this week -- are each 2 shots back.
Tiger Woods? At 4-under, he's not even in the top-10 anymore.
Already starting to remind me of last Sunday, when Woods shot the highest score of any top-10 finisher at Quail Hollow.
3:16 p.m. ET: Mediocre fifth shot from Cejka. Little meat left to make double from there.
Meanwhile, Tiger slides his par attempt past the hole. That's a second bogey in four holes so far. Drops to 4-under and though I wouldn't say he's out of it just yet, it's definitely not looking good right now.
Cejka cleans up his double. He's also dropped two shots -- the final pairing is a combined 5-over through four -- and is now tied for the lead with Ben Crane at 8 under.
3:08 p.m. ET: With a tough stance and tough lie, Tiger can only advance one down the fairway.
Cejka from further up in the bunker ... and he flies it into water on the left. Wow. Biggest mistake of the week so far, trying to go at that pin on the left side of the green.
And the door to this tournament may have just opened up immensely.
3:07 p.m. ET: Tee shot on No. 4 ...
Cejka pushes it well right. He was leaning the whole way.
Tiger hits 3-wood again and it fades on him. Once again, he finishes with one hand on the club. I don't think he's kept both hands on a swing since the first drive of the day.
3:01 p.m. ET: On No. 3, Cejka goes just over the stick to the back fringe, Tiger hits it pin-high to the right fringe.
From there, Woods gives it a good effort, but misses about 2 feet long or so. Par from there.
Same story for Cejka. No blood.
2:55 p.m. ET: Like Cejka, Woods gives it a nice roll, too, but barely misses.
That's a bogey for TW to drop to 5-under.
If you had "one hole" in the "When will Cejka win back honors?" pool, you're a winner.
2:52 p.m. ET: Second hole, second chip from behind the green for Cejka ... and the second time he hits it well past the hole.
He's still away, but putting for birdie -- and nearly holes it!
Great roll by Cejka. That's a par.
2:48 p.m. ET: After Cejka knocks one safely down the hole, Tiger drops one ... because that second shot is sleeping with the fishes.
Now hitting his fourth from about 180 yards or so, he gets it on top of the slope. Will have a 30-foot downhill putt for par left from there.
2:45 p.m. ET: In the pine straw on the left, Woods is a long way out, but has a shot from here, at least.
He pushes it right, finishing with one hand on the club and a disgusted look on his face for the second shot in a row. Ends up in the drink.
2:43 p.m. ET: Even though I'm just following the last pairing, this isn't exactly a two-man tourney.
Ben Crane has birdied each of the opening two holes. He's now 2 behind Cejka at 8-under.
2:41 p.m. ET: Anyone want to take a guess as to when Cejka wins honors back on the tee?
Could be here on No. 2. Woods take a huge lash at it with his 3-wood and immediately points left and yells, "FORE!!!" He's been there before.
2:37 p.m. ET: Good lag putt for Tiger. Routine par to start.
I'm about 3 feet away from him right now as he watches Cejka line up his par putt. Can tell you that he's definitely got the Sunday Tiger game face going right now.
Cejka misses the par, cleans up for bogey. Tiger: "Nice putt."
2:35 p.m. ET: I know it's difficult to "see" nerves, but I don't get a sense that Cejka is feeling the heat of playing either with the lead or with Tiger.
Then again, he's not quite showing the cool demeanor, either. His bump-and-run from behind the green runs well past the hole. Long one coming back for par.
2:31 p.m. ET: How firm are these greens right now? Cejka just hit an iron that trampolined off the putting surface and off the back.
Woods finds the right side, lengthy birdie attempt from there.
2:26 p.m. ET: Packed house around the first tee box. Standing O for both Cejka and Woods in the final pairing.
Cejka plays first, into the left rough but very playable. Tiger bangs 3-wood right down the middle.
2:22 p.m. ET: Been outside for about 30 seconds. Sweating already. Slightly warm out here right now.
Good news for the players, though, is that the wind is more like the first two days (about 5-10 mph) than yesterday, which was stronger.
2:12 p.m. ET: A few quick e-mails before I head out to the course ...
From Jason in Parts Unknown:
I've got some cash on Tiger to win the Players. I figure he needs a 68 or better this afternoon. Tell me 68 should get him a W.
That would put him at 10-under, which I think may be the number to win it. Could put him -- or any of the other guys at 6-under -- in a playoff with Cejka.
From Buster in Parts Unknown:
Why is Tiger in the final group? There were five other guys at 6-under.
It's the first-in, last-out rule. Since Woods was the first of the 6-under guys in the clubhouse yesterday, he's the last one out in today's round.
From Matt in Parts Unknown:
Thanks to the Blog Jinx, I foresee Alex shooting a front nine 40 and becoming a non factor.
Yup, I'm sure the fellas at Team Cejka headquarters in Portland, Ore., are cursing me right now.
2 p.m. ET: A few years ago, directly after winning a PGA Tour title on a certain holiday, Vijay Singh took a seat in front of the assembled media contingent at the press room, looked out among the friendly faces, and proclaimed, "I'd just like to wish a happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there."
Well, uh, allow me to echo those sentiments today. Sort of.
This latest edition of Mother's Day boasts what should be an exciting finish to the Players Championship. Alex Cejka enters the day leading by 5, but will be paired with Tiger Woods in the day's final tee time, 25 minutes from now. How will the 54-hole leader handle the pressure? We'll have to wait and see.
Still seeking his maiden tour victory, Cejka has only held the lead entering a final round once in his career -- and that wasn't even in the U.S. At the 2001 British Open, he shared the honors with Bernhard Langer, Ian Woosnam and David Duval, only to shoot 73 the next day to finish in a share of 13th place.
The only thing hotter than Cejka so far has been the weather here in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., as temps are expected to reach a record high of 94 degrees. Many players spoke of the greens getting baked out during yesterday's third round, so don't be surprised to see more of the same today.
How is the course playing so far? Well, depends whom you ask. There are numbers to be made out here, as evidenced by Aaron Baddeley's 6-under 66 and a 67 from Mr. Mom himself, Vijay Singh. Then again, there are much bigger numbers to be made, too; Ryan Moore struggled to a front-nine 46.
Prediction time: I don't see a repeat of Bay Hill, where six weeks ago Tiger came back from the same deficit to defeat Sean O'Hair. Give me Alex Cejka and a 5-stroke lead for the win. Of course, if that's not a Blog Jinx waiting to happen, I don't know what is.
As always, send your questions and comments to PlayersBlog@gmail.com or Twitter username JasonSobel. Let's get going ...
