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Did Nike develop a brand new, cutting-edge driver that can keep up with the alleged illegal drivers out there? Or has Tiger Woods decided to join 'em by getting an illegal driver of his own?

Neither. The "new" driver he's touting is anything but new. It's old. So old, that the model, the Titleist 975D, is no longer in production. So obsolete that you could probably find the exact same driver in your local golf shop's used club bag selling for around $100.

So why would the world's best player, who is the top commodity of the behemoth known as Nike, Inc., and therefore privy to some of the best club designs in the market, choose to switch to a club that has been collecting dust in his closet ever since he's ditched Titleist as a sponsor?

Two words: Oak Hill.

Oak Hill is the site of this year's PGA Championship, an event that takes on even more meaning for Tiger because it will be his last chance at a major in 2003. If he fails to win, it will be the first year since 1998 in which he failed to capture a leg of golf's grand slam. Perhaps more importantly, Tiger knows that a four-peat for the Player of the Year award is far from locked up. Sure, he's won four times this season and holds a narrow lead in the money rankings, but without a major, he faces stiff competition from Mike Weir, Jim Furyk, and Davis Love III.

But success at Oak Hill comes only with precision off the tee. The fairways average 23 yards in width, a U.S. Open-like measurement, which gives the straightest hitters in the field an advantage. Guys like Jim Furyk should fare well at the classic Donald Ross design, and should someone like Furyk win, Tiger Woods will suffer his first losing season since 1998.

That's why Tiger, who is ranked 128th on the PGA Tour in driving accuracy, decided it was time for a change. So he'll be using the same club that he used in setting records at the Masters, U.S. Open, and British Open. But Woods isn't necessarily looking to set any milestones at Oak Hill, only to come out on top.

What will make things even tougher on Woods is that Oak Hill is just long enough to force him to hit drivers quite often, yet not long enough to make his length a huge advantage.

Oak Hill's layout features nine par 4s of at least 430 yards in length. Add in the course's two par 5s and you have 11 holes where Woods could hit driver. That does not include the 372 yard 12th-hole and 323 yard 14th-hole, both of which could be reachable for Woods with his driver. If he struggles to hit fairways on these most difficult holes, he will be giving himself stroke penalties thanks to the rough and overhanging trees blocking his view of the greens.

But even if Tiger does find his rhythm with his old driver, Oak Hill will not play so long as to exclude top-tier players who cannot keep up with the longest of hitters on tour. At 7,098 yards, no players will be overwhelmed with the size of the course, provided that they keep themselves in play. That means players like Furyk and Kenny Perry have excellent chances at the Wannamaker Trophy, regardless of how well Tiger Woods drives the ball. In any case, Woods' foes may be as daunting as his driving woes.

Perhaps this is a temporary move for Woods, a stopgap in a leaky tee game. Or maybe Tiger needs a boost of confidence before playing one of the tightest courses ever designed. Oak Hill's narrow, tree-lined fairways are as inviting as sidewalks to a struggling golfer. Players who stand on the tee with anything less than absolute confidence have no chance there.

Whether or not Woods decides to stick with his old driver, manufactured by his former employer, Titleist, is not quite as interesting as the switch itself. We know now that Tiger leaves nothing to chance; it does not matter how much Nike is paying him to play their clubs. What matters is giving himself the best chance to win. And for now, at least, his best chance lies with a driver past its prime.

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