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.
1 comment:
Seriously? You are looking too much into this. Tiger will rebound and will be alright come next year's round of majors. It is simply the law of averages. Tiger has won so much when it comes to major championships it was only inevitable that this would happen at some point. He has won at least one major since 2004, except for this year. Still though, after recovering from a knee injury, he has won 5 tournaments this year. If we are going to compare Tiger to Nicklaus, Nicklaus has the records for most runner up, top 3, 5, 10, 20 and 25 finishes. Tiger doesn't have to win every time out, but as long as he finishes within striking distance, that shows consistency.
- Coward
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