Tiger Woods Redux

I previous posted about Tiger Woods here. It'll give you a chance to read my mad blogging skills early on!
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The FedEx Cup playoffs have started in the golf world.

This past weekend saw another spectacular and gritty performance by the worlds #1 golfer, Tiger Woods. He didn't win. But his play on Sunday was reminiscent of the 2008 US Open that he won in dramatic fashion on basically one leg...in a 19 hole playoff no less. Taking the rest of the season off after that victory in June of '08, Tiger had knee surgery to repair a damaged ACL and walked around in a cast for some time as the result of stress fractures to the same leg. It was amazing he could walk a golf course for 5 rounds (between 25 and 30 hours of play) and win arguably the hardest golf tournament that is played each year, let alone swing a golf club.

This past week was the top 125 players starting their competitive playoffs for the FedEx Cup championship and the $10 million (you read that right) pay off that goes along with it to the winner.

Tiger came in ranked #1 in the standings as he has done 4 times previous (twice before winning the cup and the cash). After two weeks off from a failed attempt to win the PGA (the years final major tournament) he had to cut his Wednesday practice round short after only nine holes due to a tweaky back he blamed on a poor nights sleep on a bad hotel mattress. (If I had his money I would have my own bed shipped to every tournament. But that's me.)

Thursday's start seemed to be fine and Tiger was in the hunt at the end of the first day...after 11 hours on the course due to 2 rain delays. Friday midway through his second round there were signs of the back tightening up but he commented afterward it was fine and a little physical therapy would have him ready to go on Saturday.

Saturday morning ended the second round and was the worst round for him to this point in the tourney. During Saturday's third round, the back again failed him down the final stretch of holes and he ended up 4 shots off the lead going into Sunday's final round. One of his playing partners actually caught fire and held the lead over night.

As the Sunday round started, Tiger found himself paired with a relative newbie on the tour (at least in terms of being high up on the leaderboard on a Sunday). Tiger and Kevin Chappell teed off in the second to last group right before the leaders.

It was the most intense tournament I have watched in a while as several top players jockeying for the lead...charging...falling back. The third round leader shot himself out of the tournament after one horrendous hole. Tiger tied for the lead and fell back and then charged forward again. Then on the 13th hole, a long par-5, well, watch this short video...




With six holes to go!!! He somehow ended up bogeying this hole to drop a shot and now five holes to play. A par and another bogey and he was three shots back. Every full swing a monumental effort to hit the shot. Then on 16 he hits an amazing shot and birdies the hole...2 back. On 17 another birdie...1 back. Needing a birdie on 18 to tie the leader in the clubhouse (Adam Scott) at 11 under and force at least a 2 man play off. This is one of the hardest holes on the course. Tiger puts his second shot 20 feet past the cup...the crowd is going insane! The 18th hole was surrounded by what looked like every person attending the tournament that day...it was electric. Everyone expected a birdie and a playoff. One inch. The ball stopped 1 inch from going in the hole.



There were probably 6000 to 8000 people following Tiger's group that day. Kevin Chappell, in the end, had no chance. He shot 5 over and went from tied for 2nd to 15th. It is a crush of humanity everywhere when you get paired with Tiger.

I know maybe none of you follow golf or even know much about it. I post this as a way of recognizing the truly and unbelievably talented golfer that is Tiger Woods. He went from being on top of the world in every way to the reality-shattering personal strife and is back on top again. He has won five tournaments this year. No one else has won more than 2. They say he may not win Player of The Year since he did not win a major tournament. They say maybe Adam Scott might win it...since he won the Masters and then this past week. I say ridiculous. Many golfers do not win 5 times in their entire career. Tiger has had that many wins in a SEASON...ten times!!!  He has played 14 tournaments this year and won 5...over 30%. Believe me, it is a difficult thing to do.

I have no comment on his personal fallibility. I hold no grudges. I admire the man for his talent, his ability to focus unlike any other tour player, his grit to fight through injuries and carry on to the end. I do not know of another player on tour who would have continued to play after the shot on 13 on Sunday.  I have tried to play with an achey back and quite frankly I watched in awe as he finished that round. Other players have flamed out and never recovered from various off-course issues.

Another of the playoff tournaments (The Deutsche Bank Championship) where the field is now paired down to the top 100, is starting on Thursday. After that the field will be cut to the top 70. A week off and then the BMW Championship after which the top 30 advance to Atlanta for the final event of the series. Tiger will be teeing it up again in two days.

And he will be there at the end. Don't bet against him.

Today's Apocalypse Sign: Tiger Woods

Okay, I had to finally work up the courage to write this post. It is a big thing for me.

I have been a golfer all my adult life. I have enjoyed golf both playing and spectating. I was a fan of Jack back in the 70's. But I was pretty much fanless up until Tiger came on the scene playing amateur golf.

All golfing "dynasties" (is there such a thing in a non-team sport?) were all mainly before my time except for Jack and Arnie. And Arnie was winding down when I really got into playing. For over 20 years I had no one to really rally around in the sport of golf.

But then in the mid-90's here comes this phenom golfer that learned the game from his dad almost before he could walk. The story started and kept growing...the name, "Tiger", mixed-race, focused on Jack's Major record...he is all over the sports news. Golf has a saviour and his name is Tiger Woods.

Golf is a hard game. If you play you know that, if you don't play, go try it sometime. It is a really hard game to do consistently. It is the only major sport where if you do not make the cut each week, you make no real money. If you do not make the top 125 on the money list (no matter how long you have been a pro) you have to go back to qualifying school just to be able to play the next year. In basketball or football you have the potential of getting paid millions of dollars for not even playing (injured, benched, second string)...not in golf. If you don't play, you don't eat...so to speak...and I mean play well.

So here comes Tiger to save the entire sport of golf. The pressure has crushed many a golfer before him. It crushed David Duval (who I am a fan of). I watched him play some brilliant golf and then I watched him play some horrid golf and he was literally out of the game for several years. Tiger after winning two Amateur titles was being hailed as the second coming of golfing Jesus.

While so many before him had, Tiger did not disappoint. He had an aura about him from the minute he turned pro and stepped on the course. I can say I played the TPC course in Las Vegas a couple weeks before Tiger's first tournament at the Las Vegas Invitational. (I also saw Joe Peschi on the driving range).

Without making a 40-mile long post regaling all of Tiger's accomplishments, I will now fast-forward to the apocalypse sign that is Tiger Woods.

His life could not have been more perfect. Gorgeous trophy wife, 2 kids, literally a billion dollars in net worth, Jack's record within 3 or 4 years of breaking, over 70 tournament victories on the PGA, tons of lucrative endorsments...and I fear, a deep sense of invincibility. How the mighty fall.

It had started to amaze me the last 3 or 4 years. Every tournament he played in I wanted to watch. No matter where he started the weekend there was this sense that he could win...no other golfer put off that vibe. His playing in a tournament made it electric. The galleries were crushing. Players who had the misfortune to be partnered with him faded in the background. If it was the final round of a tournament, NO ONE wanted to be partnered with him because they knew they had no chance. This mystique has gone on for years.

Some may identify with having major reconstructive knee surgery. Tiger comes back 8 months after that and ends the year winning 7 tournaments...and a second $10 million dollar FedEx Cup! Are you kidding me?? Up until Thanksgiving it was an unbelieveable fantasy year. Then the bitches got the best of him!

I know it's easy for us regular people to sit back and say, "How the hell did that happen?" He had everything and threw it all alway for some booty calls. Ironically I actually feel better now that there may be something to this sex addiction thing. Seriously, his wife is still really smokin' hot after two kids and who wouldn't be satisfied with that, coupled with all his money and fame?

Now who knows when or if he will ever play again. The Majors without Tiger (and most tournaments in general) are just not that fun to watch if he is not playing. Do not for a minute think that all other golfers are glad his future is uncertain...he was the game, he saved the game (read: sponsors) in the tough economic times. TV ratings when he was playing were always spiked which means advertising (read: sponsors) rates went up. Everybody won...mostly Tiger.

I am not even looking forward to the Masters all that much. Chasing Jack's record was a huge draw for golf fans. Really, is anybody lining up to see if Kenny Perry, Angel Cabrera, or Lee Westwood might win this year. Their chance of missing the cut is just as good. Without Tiger, golf is just up for grabs. And that my friends is what makes it hard to get up for (no series of puns intended).

I wanted Tiger to be the golfing Messiah to the end of his career, sadly that may have already come true...on both counts.

Damn it Tiger...I am so disappointed! You double-bogeyed your life my friend.

Fore Right!