Failing to win for my dad still haunts me

TIGER WOODS bids to end his Augusta drought this week admitting he is still haunted by his failure to retain the Masters with dad Earl close to death in 2006.

And he says the fact that he has not won at Augusta since makes that memory all the more painful.
Woods, who has failed to add to his tally of 14 Majors since winning the 2008 Open, does not like to talk about his flops.
But he confessed: “That Masters hurt. There’s never been another defeat that’s felt like that.
“I’ve lost tournaments before, and I’ve been through some tough defeats over the years, but nothing like that because I knew my dad would never live to see another Major championship.
“At the time, going into that final round and on the back nine, as I later admitted, I pressed too hard and I tried to make putts, instead of just allowing it to happen. I tried to force it.
“I knew he was at home watching, and I just really wanted to have him be a part of one last Major championship victory. And I didn’t get it done.
“That hurt quite a bit. Obviously, I didn’t do very good at Winged Foot later that year, but I won the British Open, and it’s one of the reasons why I bawled like a little baby.
“It was because he was never going to be there again. But that Masters hurt. There’s never been another defeat that’s felt like that.”
Woods admitted he is surprised he has failed to add to the four green jackets already hanging in his wardrobe.
He said: “I will say that if I had known after I won for the fourth time in 2005 that I’d still be waiting for number five, I wouldn’t have been happy with that.
“It does feel like a long time. I put myself in the mix every year but last year, and that’s the misleading part – it’s not like I’ve been out of there with no chance of winning this championship.
“I’ve been there, and unfortunately just haven’t got it done. I’ve made runs to get myself in it. I’ve been there in the mix on the back nine, either not executed, not made enough putts or didn’t take care of the par fives, or whatever it may be.
“I’m obviously not real happy with the fact that I haven’t won more.
I’ve been in the mix and as I said, just haven’t gotten it done.
“But the whole idea is to give myself opportunities, and as of right now, I’m tied for second on the all time win list here. So that’s not too bad, either.”
Woods is a hot favourite this week after reclaiming the world No 1 spot with back-to-back wins at Doral and Bay Hill. He says those victories reflect the fact his life is far more “balanced” this year.
After the sex scandals that wrecked his marriage he has found love with downhill skier Lindsay Vorm. And he says he is convinced his best golf is till to come now that he has finally shaken off his recurring injury problems.
He explained: “I think life is all about having a balance, and trying to find equilibrium and not getting things one way or the other. And I feel very balanced.
“For me, that helps me find the focus that I had when I first came out here. It’s not harder as a parent, because life is better since I’ve had kids. It’s just a beautiful juggling act.”
One of the men who knows Woods best, former US Ryder Cup captain Paul Azinger, said he sensed Woods was capable of becoming the game’s dominant force again once he stopped “beating up on himself”.
Azinger explained that the turning point for Woods was finding a way to forgive himself for becoming involved in scandals that sparked a stream of sordid headline.
Azinger said: “Some people will never forgive Tiger for what happened, but that’s unimportant to his success.
“For a person who makes mistakes in their life, they have to have the ability to forgive themselves before they can come to grips and really have that peace again.
“I think that is what Tiger required to play the way he has recently.
So I think it’s a good sign for him personally that he’s playing the way he has been.”