Your 2019 Masters Champion

There was a time when I wrote so many posts about Tiger Woods that he had his own "tag."  You can find it on the sidebar, and if you click it you'll see that it's been a little more than 9 years since the last post.  It might as well be a lifetime.

Around the time of this blog's debut, Tiger was on one of those streaks when it seemed as if he would never lose again.  It was late summer, 2006.  He had just won four consecutive tournaments, including the Open at Hoylake and the PGA Championship at Medinah.  Any debate over his passing Jack Nicklaus as the golfer with the most major championships was centered on when, not if, that would happen.  Literally anything seemed possible.  Little did we know, the clock was ticking and his time at the top was almost up.

He won the PGA again in 2007, and at the U.S. Open in June 2008 he turned in one of the most amazing performances in the history of the sport.  Armed with a decade of hindsight, it seems obvious that he should have sat that one out.  Watching at the time, we could see the pain he was in, as he hobbled up and down the fairways of Torrey Pines and did the sorts of things that he always had done - make impossible shots look easy, and make the easy shots better and more often than anyone else.  It was a great triumph.  At my office on the day of his 18-hole playoff with Rocco Mediate, several of us spent the afternoon running back and forth down the hall, towards the one office that had a television.  That day, one of our group speculated that Tiger would end up with 22 majors before his career was over.  Again, little did we know.

Much of what transpired after that triumph was ugly, or sad, or a combination of the two.  It wasn't the first time in the history of sports that we discovered a chasm between an athlete's public persona and their personal lives, but it was certainly one of the most painful.  After Tiger returned to golf, every now and then we'd see flashes of the old brilliance.  For a time, he continued to win tournaments.  He contended in an handful of majors, but never came close to capturing #15.  People stopped talking about his chances to pass Nicklaus, and many people shut down the debate in their own minds about which all-time great was better.  And Tiger's body continued to deteriorate, to the point where he reportedly told friends and fellow golfers that he wondered if he'd ever play again.

Following spinal fusion surgery, he mounted another comeback.  And this time, he began to play well enough that one began to wonder: just how far might he come back?  When he won the Tour Championship last September, it was a wonderful moment.  It would have been enough - he had proven that once again, he could triumph over the best golfers in the world, in an atmosphere that was close to what he'd confront in a major tournament. 

Heading into this year's major season, I really thought he had a chance to win one.  I didn't think it would be at Augusta.  More likely Pebble Beach at the U.S. Open, or even more likely at Bethpage Black, which will be hosting the PGA Championship next month.  He's won majors at both venues, and it just seemed to be asking too much to think that he could triumph at Augusta and don the green jacket for the fifth time.  There's a lot of really great players right now, and unlike the days when Tiger began his era of dominance, nearly all of them are as physically fit as he was in his prime.

It was a busy week at work, so I didn't get to see much more than a few highlights of the first two rounds.  But what I saw, and what my friends and fellow golf fans were telling me, was that from tee to green, he was dominant - clearly better than the field.  His kryptonite seemed to be putts in the 6-12 foot range, and if he could start dropping some of those, who knew what might be possible. 

When the final round began early on Sunday, a lot earlier than normal due to the threat of heavy weather later in the day, I was as nervous as I'd ever been watching a golf tournament.  And as it began to play out on the back nine, it seemed almost like a miracle.  Tiger wasn't quite as dominant as Nicklaus' 30 on the back nine in 1986, but at the same time it felt similar, as the drama and pressure of the moment began to claim one major champion after another - Molinari and Koepka at 12, and then Molinari again at 15 - while Tiger himself did everything he needed to do.

And most notably, while playing smart golf - conservative when the occasion demanded, not trying to take more than the golf course was prepared to give him.  And when he flirted with a hole-in-one on 16, and then made the birdie, it was just a matter of time.  He was going to be the 2019 Masters Champion.  And when it happened, it was glorious moment.  And not just because of the accomplishment, but because of the way he reacted to it.  We've never seen Tiger that happy following a victory, with the possible exception of his first Masters championship more than two decades ago.  Then, he embraced his father.  Now, he embraced his son, then his daughter, and then his mother.  The smile did not go away.  And he seemed to realize just how lucky a man he is. 

Back in his days of dominance, he attacked the game of golf as if it were his enemy.  There were few things in sports as unpleasant as watching Tiger Woods on a day when his game was off.  I hope I'm not wrong about this, but I don't think we'll be seeing that Tiger Woods again.  He's got nothing left to prove at this point.  During the weekend, someone - it may have been Jim Nantz - noted Tiger had said, "I don't need to win any more majors.  But I want to."  With this one under his belt, it's only natural that we begin to speculate about more - after all, he's already won majors at both Bethpage and Pebble - but everything that comes after this is just icing on the cake.  This was the big one.  This was the weekend where he made his case for being the greatest golfer of all time.  And it was a pretty damn good case.

Tiger Woods.  Your 2019 Masters Champion.

Tom Takes On Tiger

Tom Watson takes a spirited blast at Tiger Woods in this week's Sports Illustrated - not about his extra-marital escapades, but about his behavior on the course.

Having commented on a number of occasions on this site about Tiger's behavior on the course, I'm with Tom on this one. Watching Tiger at his best is pure joy, but watching him at less than that - and mind you, Tiger's standards of play are pretty darn high - can be excruciating.

Tiger

One of the benefits of being so busy the past 10 days (with Thanksgiving, and then my Association’s Annual Conference) is that I’ve had little time to think about the Tiger Woods saga, or even follow it that much. But now that Maureen Dowd has seen fit to comment, I see no choice but to add my two cents worth.

Before I do that, let me get my bias out of the way. Put simply, it enrages me that one of the major newspapers in the history of this country has seen fit to hire Maureen Dowd as a columnist. My disdain for her work is so strong that, even when I agree with the position she is arguing, I find myself embarrassed to be in agreement with her – her thinking is that vacuous and shallow. She’s too clever and cute by half, and what passes for wit in her work would have fit well into the gossip column that we used to concoct in my junior high school newspaper.

But comment on Tiger Woods she has, and with predictable results. Let’s start with this nugget:

After the baseball steroid scandal and the disappointing news that Tiger’s a cheetah, as the New York Post headline put it, it’s time to accept that athletes are not role models. They’re just models — for everything from sports drinks to running shoes to razor blades to credit cards to peanut butter to Buicks to Wheaties.

Wow…athletes are not role models? What a novel concept. What original thinking. But in the end, what arrogance. It’s painfully evident in this passage that Maureen Dowd really knows nothing about sports. Which, according to the rules of the day, is perfectly OK. Imagine if someone who knew nothing about international politics was to write columns about the war in Afghanistan. Or imagine if someone who knew nothing about domestic politics were to write columns about the performance of the President. That would be mocked; that would be derided. But when someone who knows nothing about sports presumes to write about the most prominent athlete of our time, well – that seems to be no problem.

Anyone who has been a serious student of sports (and yes, I modestly appoint myself to that status) has known for years, if not decades, that athletes are not role models – at least not in the parts of their lives that have nothing to do with their athletic accomplishments. That’s not to say that there haven’t been athletes who reach that status – of those playing right now, Drew Brees and Derek Jeter (among others) appear to lead lives that are admirable from all standpoints. Having said that, to this day, it amuses me that people are so offended when athletes fail to achieve the high standards that normal, regular people fail to reach on so many occasions.

But let’s talk about Tiger. Let’s stipulate that he’s been an idiot, that he’s been a jerk – just like so many men before him have been. To me, the story of his adultery and how it will impact his marriage isn’t really that interesting. Let’s be real – when Tiger met Elin, she was a model turned au pair for one of Tiger's fellow professional golfers. Call me insensitive and cynical, but there’s nothing in the mix of professional athlete and au pair that would lead me to believe that this would be one of the inspiring relationships of our time. Which isn’t to say that it couldn’t have been, and isn’t to excuse him of his “transgressions.”

As a fan of “the athletic drama of human competition,” as Jim McKay used to say, the more interesting question to me is how all of this is going to effect the trajectory of Tiger’s career, and his public image. Frankly, I doubt it will have much long-term effect on either, and in the unusual way that sports often work, could end up making him more popular.

I say that because, for all of his success, at the moment of his public disgrace Tiger was not a beloved figure in the sporting world. Yes, he was widely respected, if not held in awe – after all, he is the greatest golfer the world has ever seen, and being the best in the world at anything is worthy of respect. But as I’ve commented on a number of occasions (just link to the Tiger Woods posts on this here blog), Tiger has never been a “sportsman” in the Sports Illustrated sense of the word, despite the fact that SI has named him Sportsman of the Year twice –something that has never happened for any other athlete. But just like the rest of us, SI was blinded by Tiger’s magnificence on the course, and failed to consider much beyond that.

After the 2007 Masters, I wrote this:

“And one thing is for certain - Tiger's play was as joyless an exercise as I've ever seen, in any professional sport. Frankly, it was excruciating to watch - he was clearly pissed off nearly the entire time, and should probably give that some thought once he cools down a bit.”

And that, in a nutshell, is Tiger Woods. As previously noted, he is the greatest golfer of our time and one of the great athletes of our time – but that does not make him a perfect person. He has always approached golf and life as if it were a business; something to succeed at, something to strive for perfection at. Fans love him when he does well, because when that happens, there is nothing more stirring. What he’s never learned is how he should act when he fails – and to this point, when that happens he has generally acted like an asshole. And right now, when he is living through one of the epic public failures of our time, he’s struggling with how to turn that around. Right now, I’m not sure how it will turn out.

But if the subject is hand is how history will treat him, I’m not entirely sure all of this will matter. Because the public loves nothing more than a story of redemption, a story of a flawed man (or woman) who overcomes their shortcomings to achieve even greater heights. And that kind of story works especially well in the sporting world – just look at last week’s media coverage of LaGarrette Blount if you have any doubt about that.

So we shall see. The one thing I am certain of is that Tiger Woods will be remembered long after Maureen Dowd has been forgotten. And for me, that is how it should be.

Tiger's Injury

The news is both shocking and unsurprising at the same time. For it to keep Tiger out of the year's remaining major tournaments, not to mention the Ryder Cup, you know it has to be pretty bad. No doubt there will be some speculation about what this does to his chances of catching Jack Nicklaus' major championship record. There may even be some who question the wisdom of Tiger playing in last week's U.S. Open.

But what it really does is take the legend of Tiger Woods and add to it a chapter even more extraordinary than those which came before. I mean, come on - you mean to tell me that all those months he was playing with a damaged ACL, and then at the U.S. Open was also dealing with a double stress fracture of his left tibia?

The mind reels. Well, guys on the PGA Tour, here is your chance - two major tournaments, with the presumptive favorite at home nursing an injury. Better take advantage of the opportunity now, because I've got this strange feeling that Tiger might want to celebrate the year of his return to competitive golf with that Grand Slam that's been eluding him for so long.

Worth 1000 Words, U.S. Open Edition

(Los Angeles Times photo)

Tiger Woods, Your U.S. Open Champion

As excruciating as it was to rely on intermittent Internet updates, in the long run it was probably good for my health, not to mention my sanity, that I didn’t watch the playoff on television. After the weekend, I’m not sure I could have withstood that level of drama. But when things moved to the 18th hole with Tiger trailing by one, I had to watch – and joined a handful of others to commandeer the one office in our building with a working television. Fortunately for the sake of our incursion, the owner of said office was at home waiting for air conditioner repair.

And what did we witness? Just some normal ho-hum stuff from Tiger. What’s that? I need to birdie the 18th hole of the U.S. Open for the second consecutive day just to stay alive in this thing? No problem.

It will take a while to put this triumph in perspective, but over time it may come to be appreciated as Tiger’s greatest and most impressive victory. As I said a couple of days ago, here was a guy who hadn’t play a round of competitive golf since April, and one who was prone to sharp pains in his surgically repaired knee at any given time. If nothing else, viewers got to hear Johnny Miller talk about torque more often than one would have thought possible. And yes, on a U.S. Open course, designed to punish less than a great shot and send the maker of a bad one through golf’s gates of Hades.

And yet, another win, in compelling and especially dramatic fashion. Some strange shots, some inexplicable decisions, some ill-timed temper tantrums (sometimes I wonder if Tiger realizes that he loses fans when he does the kind of stuff that he pulled on 18 yesterday?), and of course, some drama for the ages. Tiger’s back nine on Saturday was not perfect, but it is right up there with Nicklaus’ back nine at Augusta in 1986 for sheer drama – not to mention historical importance.

It will be interesting to see what happens now. Just how bad is the knee? Will we see Tiger at Royal Birkdale for the Open in July? Right now, nothing he does would surprise me.

Tiger's Agony and Ecstasy

As much as I try to avoid using the word "quintessential," I think today we may have witnessed the quintessential U.S. Open round. Final day, pressure unlike that which most of these golfers have faced in their lifetimes, and a course that the USGA overseers have ensured will forgive nothing. Survival is the name of the game.

It was far less dramatic than yesterday, primarily because Tiger just couldn't pull it all together. And that just about says it all - the best player in the world, wounded from an injury, for whatever reason lacking the mental focus that sustains him 9 days out of ten, still manages to make the playoff. By making a putt on the 72nd hole. Needless to say, such is the stuff that legends are made.

So now Tiger will face, in this corner, Rocco "Rocky" Mediate, who now stands a good chance to play Jack Fleck against Tiger's Ben Hogan. That's not entirely fair to Mediate, who after all has had a good career, but I think it is a fair representation of the odds against him tomorrow.

The amazing thing about Tiger's round today is that he did just about everything imaginable to give it away - the most striking thing was not the physical issues, but rather the mental lapses. His play of the 13th hole was inexplicable; that was where he had a chance to wrap everything up, and through a bad choice almost gave everything away. But I have a feeling that he will be looking at some film tonight, and probably will be making some very different choices tomorrow.

But you've got to love Rocco - no one in the world thinks he has a chance tomorrow, so he is quite likely to go into the playoff with the perfect mind set - a la Lee Trevino vs. Jack Nicklaus in 1971. If Rocco pulls a fake snake out of his bag on the first tee, then make the bet right then.

Good stuff.

The Most Amazing Half Hour In Golf History?

You be the judge. When Tiger stepped up to the chip shot on 17, I was thinking to myself that he needed to stay within 2 of Westwood to have a chance tomorrow. Well, he managed to pull that one off, didn't he?

Tiger and Phil

"If you're the type of person who likes to compare, on Saturday Woods beat Mickelson on the 13th hole by six shots. On one leg."

- Gary Van Sickle, Sports Illustrated

Ouch.

There's Your Leader!

Who knows how long this one will remain up. Enjoy it while you can. I especially enjoy the incredulous tone in the voice of Johnny Miller at how Tiger has read the putt. I guess he knows what he's doing.

Tiger Woods - When Words Fail You

Saying that a third round of a U.S. Open was one of the greatest sports moments of all time is a little like saying that the 6th inning of a World Series game, or the 3rd quarter of a Super Bowl, made history. It just doesn't make sense to say something like that.

And yet - if there is a more dramatic moment in 2008 in the world of sports than what we witnessed today at Torrey Pines Golf Course, then it will likely be provided by Tiger Woods. Johnny Miller called him "the human highlight reel." Even Tiger himself seemed incredulous at what was happening. The simple fact of the matter is that, if you saw what happened today in a film, you'd snicker, thinking "that sort of sh*t just doesn't happen in real life."

You have to put this in perspective. Think what you will about the course setups of the USGA, but they are designed to award the last man standing. You are going to suffer on a U.S. Open course, whether you win, finish 40th, or miss the cut. You are one of the very best in the world at what you do, and this course will humble you.

So...Tiger had knee surgery in April. He has not played competitive golf since the Masters. He is in obvious pain on the course, if not agony. To finish would be a testament to his will and his ability. It is not possible for a human being to do what he did on the back nine this afternoon and evening. And yet, he did it. He leads the U.S. Open, heading into the final round. Were he healthy, people would be closing the books as we speak. But he is not healthy, and thus there is heavy drama heading into the final round. Lee Westwood is just the kind of guy that is unflappable enough to shine in this kind of moment. Geoff Ogilvy is lurking. Rocco Mediate is looking to make history.

My money is on Tiger.

(AP Photo)

Tiger Lurking

Had he been completely healthy, this would have been the easiest call in the history of golf - Tiger Woods would win the 108th U.S. Open at Torrey Pines.

The knee surgery cast doubts on that, but after today's round, Tiger looks poised to capture his third Open. A lot can happen between now and Sunday afternoon, but I wouldn't want to bet against him. Only on the back nine (actually the front nine of the course, but the back nine for Tiger) did he begin to look like his old self, and if he can maintain that play for two more days, it's all over.

It would be just another amazing chapter to add to the greatest story in the long history of the sport. (Photo credit: Richard Hartog, Los Angeles Times)

Great Masters Moments: 2005

Posting has been light this week because it's taken longer than usual for me to mentally recover from my trip to Orlando. You wouldn't think three hours difference would be such a big deal, but for some reason this time a lot of the California contingent was expressing similar complaints. Of course, staying up way late to watch basketball probably didn't help much.

I had hoped to catch up completely on the Bruce shows, but that isn't going to happen, since the Sacramento show is tonight. Bruce has had four days off since the last concert, so maybe tonight will be something special.

But in the meantime, something I never get tired of watching: Tiger Woods' famous chip on the 16th hole, at the 2005 Masters. One of the greatest shots in Masters history. What has already become forgotten to history is that Woods bogied the next two holes to end up in a playoff with Chris DiMarco, which he won. So it could be said, I suppose, that this was the winning shot.

Just In Case You Forgot About THIS Guy

Tiger and History

Based on yesterday's performance it's obvious that fatherhood has taken a huge toll on Tiger Woods. With a 12-stroke victory in his grasp, he flailed away to an embarrassing 71, finishing with a deeply unsatisfying 8-stroke margin.

Needless to say, that's meant to be tongue-in-cheek, but it shows to what lengths you have to go these days to bring Tiger back down to human level. Based on his demolition of Torrey Pines this weekend, it's hard to imagine him not winning the U.S. Open there in June. In all likelihood, the biggest challenge will be the pressure that comes with being the heaviest favorite in the history of the event.

At the age of 32, Tiger has already laid his claim to being the greatest player of all time, but as Gary Van Sickle reminds us, there are a few records left for him to play for:

· Ben Hogan, 64 career victories
· Jack Nicklaus, 73 career victories
· Sam Snead, 82 career victories
· The Grand Slam
· Sam Snead, 8 victories at the same tournament
· Jack Nicklaus, 18 majors
· Byron Nelson, 11 wins in a row
· Most consecutive victories in a single event
· 58
· Byron Nelson, 18 wins in one season

For more detail head to the link, but of these records, it will be a major upset if Woods doesn't end up with all but two - 11 wins in a row, and 18 wins in one season. The Holy Grail of golf, the Grand Slam, may also be out of his reach, but the stars and the schedule have aligned this year to make 2008 what may be his best shot. Truth be told, it's one of the few things that makes this season worth looking forward to.

One More on Tiger

Here's hoping that folks can stand one more post on Tiger Woods. Actually, a link to a good post by Dean Barnett over at, of all places, Hugh Hewitt's site.

I'm not sure I'm quite ready to endorse Dean's nomination of Tiger as the most dominant athlete in any sport ever, which might be a bit premature (especially with the way that Roger Federer is playing tennis right now). However, you won't hear me quibble too loudly.

However, I completely agree with Dean's assessment of Tiger's primary weakness:

IT’S TRUE THAT I’VE OCCASSIONALLY been critical of Tiger. I don’t retract any of my prior critiques. It’s said that you don’t “work” golf, that you play it. Tiger’s joyless on-course visage may ultimately overturn that old saw. I’m just about finished writing a story that I’ve spent a lot of time researching on golf course architecture. The great architects seldom go three sentences without mentioning that they want their courses and their sport to be fun. Tiger is the public face of golf to the rest of the world, and on a typical Sunday he looks like he’s having as much fun as a guy passing a kidney stone.

I absolutely agree with that assessment. After the Masters, I wrote this:

And one thing is for certain - Tiger's play was as joyless an exercise as I've ever seen, in any professional sport. Frankly, it was excruciating to watch - he was clearly pissed off nearly the entire time, and should probably give that some thought once he cools down a bit.

I suspect Tiger will take a good, long time off now and spend quality time with his family. Far be it for me to give him advice, but I will anyway - he should give some thought to this aspect of his game, because in the end it may become part of how his career is ultimately defined, just as much as it will be defined by his unmistakable greatness.

Tiger Transcendent

SI’s Alan Shipnuck says it best:

…We are in the midst of one of those stretches in which Woods is making history in real time, a day-after-day display of unrelenting brilliance that is as dazzling as any golf he has ever played. Enjoy it. Wallow in it. This is the kind of transcendent athlete that comes along once every quarter century, if you’re lucky…

Indeed. In retrospect, golf fans needn’t have worried about understanding the FedEx Cup point system. Was there any doubt that Tiger would end up winning it all? His lead was such, and his late-season play so sharp, that even with a week off, followed by a week where he was out-dueled by arch-nemesis Phil Mickelson, he was able to shift into another gear and win easily, coasting across the finish line, roughly the equivalent of Secretariat roaring down the stretch at Belmont Park, 31 lengths in front. One is left only to wonder whether, a la Ron Turcotte, caddie Steve Williams looked over his shoulder as Tiger walked down the 18th fairway to see where the competition had disappeared to.

Because at this point, there really is no competition.

Tiger to PGA: Thanks, but no thanks

Geoff Shackelford wraps it up nicely. Essentially, Tiger Woods' decision to skip the first tournament of the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup is a public relations disaster that can't be spinned. Think Titanic. Think Hindenburg. That bad.

I don't blame Tiger, and I believe him when he says that he needs a week off. And the whole idea was ludicrous to begin with. I mean, come on - if Jim Furyk wins the FedEx Cup, how many people are going to think that he is the best golfer in the world? Show of hands, please?

Trying to generate interest in golf at just the moment baseball's pennant races heat up and the NFL season kicks off was a dumb idea from the get-go. If the PGA brass had any brains, they would shorten the tour, thereby making it more likely that the best players would appear from week to week.

Ho Hum...Another Major

Except there wasn't anything easy about this one. For once, Tiger's competitors managed to make things interesting, though Ernie Els sure could have made it a lot more interesting if he'd managed to make some very short birdie putts at 9 and 11.

For me it was very reminiscent of Tiger's first PGA Championship, 10 years ago this August. At that tournament, it looked as if he had things well in hand, and then faltered on the back nine while a hard-charging teenager by the name of Sergio Garcia started playing as if he were the second coming of Arnold Palmer. I'll never forget the look of relief on Tiger's face after hitting a tough par putt on 17 and then sinking a slightly shorter one on the final hole.

Ten years later, Garcia has yet to win a major, and on top of the shattering defeat at Carnoustie his PGA ended in disaster, DQ for signing an incorrect scorecard.

And Tiger? Just one more step on the way to the mountaintop, to becoming the greatest golfer of all time. The only obstacle that remains? Jack Nicklaus' 18 majors. At this rate, I'd say it will happen 5 years from now, in August, at the PGA Championship.