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His round truly had it all, including three birdies on his first four holes, a gorgeous chip-in on the 12th hole that really gave him momentum, a mammoth tee shot that reached the green on the par 4 17th hole, and a climactic birdie on the 18th where he was able to recover from a difficult lie behind the green and make a long downhill putt - punctuated by his famous fist pump - to finish with a scintillating 65.
Tiger, winner of his four previous tournaments prior to this week's event, was a completely different player today compared to his round on Saturday.
In the third round he was erratic with his driver and putter, and he looked almost indifferent at times as he lost shot after shot to the field. He ended the day four strokes behind the leader, Ernie Els, but in hindsight it almost seems like he was intentionally giving himself a challenge, as these days his dominance in golf is at a level that no other player has ever achieved.
Chasing Tiger
Galleries who follow Tiger know they are seeing a player who is truly a once-in-a-generation type of athlete, and arguably the greatest golfer of all time. It is amazing to see people, young and old, running just to catch a glimpse as he passes by.Golf is as much a game of inactivity as action, since most of the time during the five-hour round players simply stand around waiting to hit. Yet galleries still find themselves mesmerized by Tiger even when he is idling, watching his every move, gawking really, at the man whose face is as recognizable as anyone's on the planet.
One wonders how it must feel to be under the constant gaze of the public. Yet clearly he is thriving on it, as his dominating performances show.
Tiger has written another great chapter in his career, and Dubai is fortunate to have him here. Let's hope he keeps coming back for more.
See also
Video: Tiger Woods speaks out in Dubai
Video: Tiger tees off at Emirates Golf Club
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Jeff Florian, Senior Reporter
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