Tiger takes route 66 to success Tiger takes route 66 to success

THIS is the scorecard (right) for the round of golf that told Tiger Woods he was destined to become arguably the greatest golfer the world has ever seen.

According to his father, Earl Woods, these 66 shots in the second round of the Open Championship at Royal Lytham and St Annes in 1996 convinced the then 20-year-old amateur that he had what it takes to tackle and beat - the professional elite.

Five summers on and Woods returns to the Lancashire links as defending Open champion and the winner of six majors, 38 tournaments around the globe, 25million in prize money and acclaimed as the world's greatest active sportsman.

"That round, it all made sense to him," said Woods Snr. "He found what it was like to play like a pro, and he found that he had the ability to go out and shoot low. I watched it happen. I watched him mature right in front of my eyes. This was his coming-out party."

Having carded a first-round three-over-par 75, and received a rebuke from Jack Nicklaus for shooting so high, Woods followed the 66 with two rounds of 70 for tie of 22nd place and the Silver Medal as leading amateur.

A month later Woods claimed a third successive US Amateur Championship, turned pro, and within a year had stunned the golfing world with a record 12-stroke victory in the Masters at Augusta.

Woods recalls his route 66 to fame and fortune with affection.

"I'll always have fond memories of the Lytham Open in 1996," he said. "Up until then I had never played well as an amateur in a professional event.

Then, in the second round, I had eight birdies in 11 holes. I just blitzed it and it gave me an inkling of what I could achieve."

In its way, the first round was just as significant for Woods's future. He remembers Nicklaus taking him to one side and delivering a lecture about the importance of the opening 18 holes of a major.

"I don't ever want to see you shoot 75 in the first round of a tournament," said Nicklaus.

Woods's response was the 66, the first of three sub-par rounds.

"Jack gave me a little lecture," he said. "It was kind of neat that he cared about me that much.

"I came to understand that to win a major, or any golf tournament, you can't win it on the first day but you can lose it on the first day."

Copyright 2001
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.