"The conversation went good shot, good shot, good shot"

Column highlights filed following Tiger's win at Memorial, starting with Helen Ross writing for PGATour.com:

And Woods put on a clinic Sunday -- hitting all 14 fairways for the first time since he won at Bay Hill six years ago. In fact, he only missed the short grass seven times all week and his driving accuracy percentage of 87.5 equaled the best of his career.

"The conversation went good shot, good shot, good shot," said Michael Letzig, who got the up-close-and-personal view while paired with Woods on Sunday.

Woods' iron play was extremely sharp, as well. He hit 53 of 72 greens in regulation -- none as precise as the approach at the 72nd hole that stopped 14 inches from the pin and stamped the victory with an exclamation point.

Thomas Bonk on the win:

Forget all the fallout from Woods' perceived problems closing in his last three tournaments -- the Masters, Quail Hollow and the Players Championship -- this one was an instant classic. Now with 19 wins in his last 35 PGA Tour events, Woods is clearly back on track, and he's pleased with the timing.

Rex Hoggard notes this from Jack Nicklaus:

Just ask Nicklaus, perhaps the only man alive who can relate to Woods’ brilliance.

“If he drives the ball like that it won’t be a contest,” Nicklaus said. “Can you imagine, 14 of 14 fairways (hit) today, seven (missed) fairways all week. That’s pretty good...”

And Steve Elling adds this from the Golden Bear:

The host of the event, a guy with 18 major championships, was slack-jawed at Woods' performance and even made Woods blush during the trophy-presentation ceremony on the 18th green.

"Tiger, you're not known for hitting the ball straight, are you?" Jack Nicklaus said into the public-address system as thousands laughed and Woods pulled the cap down over his eyes.
Then the Golden Bear uttered the words that everybody was thinking: Woods, the defending U.S. Open champion who will seek his 15th major beginning June 18 on Long Island, has never seemed like a stronger pick.

"I suspect that No. 15 will come to Tiger Woods in about two weeks," Nicklaus said. "If he drives the ball this way, and plays this way, I'm sure it will. If not, it would surprise me greatly."
Thanks for saving me from having to state the obvious, Jack.

Bob Harig caught up with Hank Haney and quotes the vindicated instructor:

"I heard people on TV say he was lost," said Haney, who arrived for the final round Sunday. "How can anybody say he's lost? It makes no sense. I thought he deserved an opportunity to get himself back feeling good. It was a pretty serious injury [ACL reconstruction] for an athlete. And then you consider how long he was out of competition. This was a huge confidence boost for him."