Image: Keith Allison/Flickr
Yes.
Last fall, I wrote about how The Tour just isn’t as interesting without Eldrick in the field. During the spring, I wrote a special article for The Armchair Golf Blog lamenting that same thought.
Yesterday illustrated why The PGA Tour is an entirely different animal when Tiger is playing. Spectacular shot after spectacular shot, Woods sizzled his way to a 65, taking The Memorial crown and telling the world that he’s completely back from injury and entirely ready to kick butt and take names at the upcoming U.S. Open.
Whether it was the ridiculously clutch shot on 18 or the one handed pitch out of the rough on 11, Tiger showed yet again why he is the greatest golfer—and one of the greatest athletes—the world has ever known.
At the risk of sounding like a fanboy, I’ll say you can put him up there with Ruth, Ali, Jordan, Aaron, Thorpe, Phelps…you name it. Woods rarely disappoints. He not only meets the hype; he exceeds it. He transcends sport.
Sure, he might not seem as socially-conscious as Ali or Aaron, or maybe he’s too buttoned-up and politically correct for some people—let’s face it, Woods is no Charles Barkley. But the man is the template in the golf world.
Let’s hope he’s playing into his 50s. Maybe he’ll be the first player to seriously forgo the Champions Tour and stay playing with the big boys all the time. Fifteen years from now, I could see Tiger doing that. Enjoy it while you can.
June 8, 2009 at 4:16 pm
Just not interesting enough.
June 8, 2009 at 5:38 pm
Tiger isn’t interesting enough? My post isn’t interesting enough? Please explain.
June 8, 2009 at 5:58 pm
Nice post. I was going to leave a one word reply similar to your one word first paragraph, but your post deserved much more. (and much, much more than jmo1025) Face it, if you love Tiger, as I do, you cannot get enough. If you do not, you have already had enough.
Don’t look for much of Tiger when he decides he cannot win every single time he tees it up, whether that be age 40,45,50. But, I will bet the farm you’ll never see him on the Seniors Tour (I refuse to call it Champions).
I will look and find it but Nicklaus once commented he would not play much after fifty because, “I have already beat these guys on the regular tour”…
June 8, 2009 at 8:41 pm
Thanks, One-Eyed. I’m guessing if Nicklaus was winning majors in his mid-40s, then Tiger will be doing the same. But I think you’re right, I don’t see him playing much on the Senior Tour. I bet he’ll staying playing on the PGA, at least part time. But, crap, that’s 16 years from now.
June 9, 2009 at 8:54 am
You’re right about Tiger… he really is that good. It’s almost like Tiger is the new “clutch”. I can hear people saying… “that shot was Tiger.”