Wow...So What Do We Do Now??

The greatest closer of all time.

Unbeatable when he has the lead in a major. No, really, 14-0.

Tiger Woods would NEVER lose a major on the back 9 on Sunday, right? He couldn't. He's Tiger F. Woods. When he is in his red shirt on Sunday in a major everybody around the world drops to their hands and knees in awe and wonderment while the collective golfing world hands Tiger another major championship because it's what is supposed to happen. Especially those who are unlucky enough to play with him on Sunday in a major. You can never succeed if you play WITH Tiger Woods in the final round of a major. Why? Well... that's what all of the experts tell us, umm, that's just the way it's supposed to work. Sure he can't tackle anybody, or clap some thundersticks together, but he is just supposed to make anyone that comes near him on Sunday in a major fall apart by some sort of tidal forces effect. He's Tiger.

That's the way the universe works. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. The earth rotates on a 23.5 degree axis. Brett Favre annoys everyone by coming in and out of retirement. But most certainly of all, Tiger Woods wins majors when he has the lead on Sunday.

Except this Sunday, he didn't.

So what do we do now?

Somehow, some way, some guy named YE Yang did what nobody thought was possible. He beat Tiger Woods on Sunday in a major. Yang shot 70, while Tiger shot 75. The first win for an Asian born player to win a major. The first man to come from behind and beat Tiger.

We NEVER thought we'd see it happen.

Except it just happened.

Yang hung in there all day. He chipped in for eagle on the 14th hole to take the lead (left) and never looked back. He hit the shot of his life, and perhaps anyone's life on the 18th hole. A 3 iron hybrid, from the rough, over a tree, to a pin tucked behind a bunker, to 8 feet from the hole. Then, he made the putt for birdie, like a major champion. No one can say that he didn't win the PGA and took it away from Tiger.

Tiger missed putt after putt all day long. He was never under par on the day. He missed putts that would have taken the lead, that would have tied for the lead, and that would have kept him in contention. When he needed that great, trademark, I'm Tiger Woods and You're Not shot... he missed the green completely. No one can say that he didn't give the PGA Championship away to some guy that only hardcore golf fans have heard of before.

Yang won AND Tiger lost. All credit to YE for taking it, all blame to Tiger for blowing it. One or the other didn't happen. Both happened.

So where do we go from here?

My bro Y2 actually noticed something that really struck me. On the 17th Green, after Tiger bogeyed the hole one back, we had a close up of him cursing himself under his breath. For the first time in his golfing life, Tiger looked panicked. He looked like he didn't know what to do. He looked human.

Mike Tyson got knocked down by Buster Douglas, and was never the same.

Roger Federer finally got beat at Wimbledon, struggled, but came back to the top to take his record 15th major.

Which path will Tiger Woods take?

OK, so Tiger's not going to end up in prison like Tyson, but Tiger has now gone an entire calendar year without winning a major, including a missed cut in the British. He hasn't won a major since coming back from knee surgery. Sure, he's won other tournaments, but not majors, which define his career.

How does he handle falling from the top of the pedestal that all the Tiger-worshippers have put him on. I'm a Tiger fan, but the constant excuses and adoration from the sports & golf media is a little ridiculous. That's part of the reason Yang succeeded yesterday. He doesn't eat, breathe, and sleep Tiger 24/7 like everyone else. He isn't immersed in the Woods machine where guys like Phil, Ernie, Sergio, etc know they can't beat him because that's what everybody tells them. Yang doesn't even speak English! That was the best thing going for him yesterday. He didn't see Tiger as a golfing god, but as a human being.

So how does Tiger handle his own humanity? Will this be the crushing blow that sends him hurdling towards mediocrity like Douglas' knockout of Tyson? He has a surgically repaired knee. He isn't getting any younger. He's now missing cuts and blowing leads in majors. Is this the end of an era in the world of golf? We all thought Tiger would easily pass Nicklaus' 18 majors, but what if he doesn't?

Or will this loss bring back the real Tiger Woods? Will he come out at Augusta in April and shoot -20. And lap the field like he used to. And make the golfing world crumble at his feet. Will this be the defining moment that brings back the Tiger Woods of 2000? The real Tiger Woods. The Tiger that brought the game of golf to the main stage of sports.

When he looked himself in the mirror this morning, what did he see? Did he have the panicked look we saw on the 17th green? Or did he have the icy stare that we have all come to know from the most dominant athlete in sports?

Only Tiger Woods knows which path he will take.

Well, actually, we here at RSS know, or at least will pretend to know. Check back this week for the return of our 1 vs 2 debate on the future of Tiger Woods. Will he fade into Bolivian like Tyson? Or will he rise back to the top on a wonderous chariot of gold? Which path will Tiger take? We debate and you decide.

What Are The Odds - PGA Championship

It's that time again, Glory's Last Shot, the PGA Championship. The PGA doesn't have the history of Augusta, the toughness of the US Open, or the Britishness of the British Open, but it has provided some compelling theater over the years (see Tiger v Bob May above). It's also provided us with some yawn-inducing champions (paging Shaun Micheel and Rich Beem). Time for us to tell you who the smart money is on for this year's PGA Championship at Hazeltine (not that we are actively promoting gambling, key word being actively).

Tiger Woods - 4/5 - How can you put Tiger as anything but a better than even money favorite? Usually everyone likes to play the game of Tiger vs the field, in this case take Tiger. He's won 2 straight tournaments, he hasn't won a major yet this year, and he finished 2nd at Hazeltine in 2002. He's playing great golf and he will be extra motivated to not go the entire year winless in the majors. I'll be shocked if he doesn't win this weekend.

Paddy Harrington - 5/1 - If anyone is going to take on Tiger, it will be Paddy Harrington. The defending champ gave Tiger everything he wanted last week at Firestone before his snowman on the 16th. But, Tiger sticking up for Harrington and outing the PGA rules official for disrupting Harrington's rhythm tells me how much Tiger respects Harrington as a legit contender. His swing and confidence looks back in shape, and he'll contend again this week.

Hunter Mahan - 12/1 - Mahan is the pick this week out of folks looking for their first major. He contended at Bethpage and has all the talent in the world to pick up a major victory. The relative easiness of the PGA compared to the other majors might help Mahan tear up Hazeltine and ease some of the pressure to win on Sunday.

Euro Trip - 30/1 - Guys like Soren Hansen, Henrik Stenson, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, and yes, still Sergio Garcia are all talented Euros to have never won a major. If there is one out of the bunch to watch this week it is the steely Stenson who has proved himself to be a pretty talented player. I would be very surprised if Sergio even sniffs the front page of the leaderboard this week.

Cink/Glover/Cabrera - 40/1 - A double major winner in 2009 doesn't appear to be on the cards. These three guys were all somewhat surprise winners this year in the majors, and it would be even more of a surprise if one were to repeat. Glover has been just as anonymous after winning the US Open than he was before. Cabrera has the major pedigree with his 2 wins, but is wildly inconsistent. Cink has the best chance of the three, but he won't have a senior citizen in his way this week.

Els/Singh/Goosen - 50/1 - Over the hill major winners, who might have one last shot to claim another important victory. Seriously where have these guys gone?? These three were all once big stars, and serious contenders for any major. Now, they are constantly down the leaderboard fighting it out with the Briny Baird's and Pat Perez's of the world. Those who complain of a lack of a rival for Tiger Woods can look to these three as prime examples.

Phil Mickelson - 75/1 - Of course everyone will be rooting for lefty, but it will be incredibly hard for him to contend this week. Yes, he did well at Bethpage with all of the off-course family issues he has had to deal with. However, taking a couple months off leading up to a major has never been a recipe for success. The gallerys will root him on, but I'm just hoping for a quality tournament for Phil.

Micheel/Beem - 150/1 - If anyone really places real, actual, non-Monopoly money on either one of these two to win a 2nd PGA Championship they should see a doctor immediately, even with these odds. At least we won't have to see that dance again!

John Daly - 1000/1 - Yes we follow him on Twitter (he updates quite a lot actually, and follows all of us who follow him, how nice). Yes he has won two majors. But he has a better chance of winning the Biggest Loser than this year's PGA.