The Masters: By power, putting or preparation, Tiger devours his rivals

AUGUSTA, GA. — We see the fist pumps in victory and the incisors in advertisements for cars, razors and golf clubs. Few of us have gotten to see Tiger Woods becoming Tiger Woods, though; few have peered inside the chrysalis.

Woods offered a glimpse Tuesday, after playing nine holes at Augusta National in preparation for what is almost expected to become his fifth Masters championship. He spoke of the psychological tricks his late father, Earl, played on him decades ago, then referred cavalierly to his hopes of becoming the first golfer ever to win the modern Grand Slam.

Back in the Twin Cities, Kris Atteberry, the Twins radio network studio host, was offering a more specific memory about Woods' will to prepare to win.

It was Woods' freshman year at Stanford. Atteberry was working for the student radio station, returning to Maples Pavilion after a trip, when the team stumbled upon Woods practicing.

On the basketball court. With his putter. "It was late at night, and we came to the Maples loading dock and were carrying all the equipment in," Atteberry said. "The lights were half-dimmed, and Tiger Woods was in there alone, putting along the lines on the court.

"He'd try to get it to stop at half court or the free-throw line, and then putt across the court and back around. We stood there slack-jawed."

Putting a golf ball across a basketball court with any degree of control is virtually impossible, which makes it ideal preparation for Augusta National's laminated greens.

A few years after practicing at Maples, Woods would alter the landscape of golf with a record-setting victory at the Masters in which he took no more than two putts on any hole.

We marveled at Woods' raw power during the first of his four Masters victories in 1997, but it was his putting stroke and discipline that has helped him maintain, if not increase, his dominance even as many competitors have negated his advantage off the tee.

The New York Times hired statistical analyst Mark Sweeney to detail Woods' recent dominance -- he has won seven of his past eight tournaments.

Sweeney's calculations placed Woods 38th in driving distance and 167th in driving accuracy on the PGA Tour this year, but first in greens in regulation and putting, and second in scrambling.

Instead of buying bigger drivers, the average golfer would probably do well to putt on the local basketball court, or have a close relative issue taunts on the green.

Earl Woods, Tiger's late father, would jingle his change or car keys while Tiger stood over a key putt in their matches during Tiger's youth.

"I asked my Dad to do that to me, to make me a tougher golfer, to make me a tougher person, so he did," Woods said. "He put me through the same stuff that he had to go through in Special Forces, all the psychology part of it.

"It was fun to me. It was frustrating at first, because I didn't understand how to deal with it, but I just had to figure it out. He used to pull all the little tricks.

"It got to a point where it was amusing and we would laugh about it. He would try it and it didn't work, and I would hit better and better shots."

Perhaps this is why Woods is comfortable tempting fate, and history. He has described winning this year's Grand Slam as "easily within reason" even though it has never been accomplished in one calendar year in modern golf history, and only five golfers have ever won all four majors in their careers.

"Well, I've done it before," Woods said Tuesday, meaning he once won the "Tiger Slam" -- four consecutive majors in two different years. "I've won all four in a row. I think I'm the only guy who has done that, in the modern configuration."

Woods is golf's modern configuration. He has won with unprecedented displays of power, and now he is winning with cunning and control, while making the Grand Slam sound like something you pick up at the grocery store on your way home from work.

"I think he's the only player capable of doing that," said Wisconsin's Steve Stricker. "And, you know, I wouldn't be surprised if he does do it."

That is one thing most golfers have in common with Tiger Woods.

Jim Souhan can be heard Sundays from 10 a.m.-noon on AM-1500 KSTP. • jsouhan@startribune.com