Has Woods found his ideal partner?

IT WAS in the gloom of a cool October Sunday five years ago when Tiger Woods stood to the back of the 18th green at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club and watched his American teammates celebrate a Presidents Cup win over the International Team.

Though the bulk of the good cheer was being led by the likes of Chris DiMarco and Fred Funk, Woods had provided much of the muscle. The smile was proof of that and as he basked in the joy of the moment, Woods pushed his hat back, smiled brilliantly, and said, “I’ve finally found a partner.”

He meant the man to whom he stood next to, Jim Furyk. They had gone undefeated in three matches at RTJ and thus had this team business finally turned out in a positive way for Woods. Prior to 2005, Woods had been at the focal point of seven team competitions and there had been just two victories, the 1999 Ryder Cup and the 2000 Presidents Cup.