The pressure on the No. 1 player in the world is immense. Pressure affects golfers in many different ways. Pressure drove Bobby Jones away from competitive golf at age 28, after he won the Grand Slam in 1930. He was weary of having to live up to others' expectations. Pressure never suited Byron Nelson, who retired to a tamer lifestyle on his Texas ranch a year after his greatest season when he won 11 consecutive tournaments and 18 overall in 1945.
Pressure seems to energize Woods.
Woods makes the critical shot when he absolutely, positively has to make the shot. He makes the extraordinary seem routine. At Pebble Beach, he eagled from the fairway to spark a back-nine rally from seven shots back and extend his winning streak to six. Bob May. At the Bell Canadian Open, he ripped a shot from a fairway bunker, over water and the pin to clinch his rare Triple Crown - victories in the U.S. Open, British Open and Canadian Open. Recent events illustrate more of the same.