Thursday, June 20,
2002
Tiger Woods is easily
the greatest show in sports
By Ed Sherman
Chicago Tribune
FARMINGDALE, N.Y.
-- Tiger Woods can't be bothered with putting his career in historical
context.
"I'm just 26,"
he said. "It's not like I'm finished."
Keep in mind, most
golfers don't hit their prime until they're in their 30s. Ben
Hogan didn't win the first of his nine majors until he was 34.
After winning the
U.S. Open on Sunday_his eighth major title and 32nd career PGA
Tour title_Woods stretched the bounds of reality again. Jack Nicklaus'
mark of 18 major titles and Sam Snead's career record of 81 PGA
Tour victories may prove to be speed bumps in Woods' quest for
greatness.
Are 30 or 40 major
titles out of the question? How about 125 PGA Tour victories?
"He's got 20
years ahead of him," said Jeff Maggert, who finished third
in the Open. "There's no telling what he can accomplish over
the next 20 years. Maybe more than that. He might be winning tournaments
when he's 60. Who knows?"
That's a scary thought
for Phil Mickelson's grandchildren.
Given the way Woods
is playing, it's hard to imagine him slowing down. He now has
won seven of the last 11 majors, including the Masters and U.S.
Open this year.
Woods is the greatest
show in sports, not just golf. Sunday's final round on NBC drew
the largest audience ever for a U.S. Open. More than 9 million
households tuned in.
ABC can't wait for
the ratings it will get for next month's British Open at Muirfield.
Woods is going for a true calendar year Grand Slam to add to the
four in a row he won from the 2000 U.S. Open through the 2001
Masters. He's halfway there, needing wins in the British and the
PGA Championship for a 2002 Slam.
Woods never has played
Muirfield. That shouldn't matter_he had played Bethpage State
Park's Black Course just once before last week. When asked how
Muirfield sets up for Woods, Nick Faldo cracked, "He'll struggle
all the way."
Faldo, who won the
1992 British Open at Muirfield, believes the course favors shot-makers
because it requires players to move the ball. If that's the case,
Lee Trevino, who won at Muirfield in 1972, says it will be a terrific
fit for Woods.
"Tiger hooks
it around trees, comes out of the rough, hits chip shots and bunker
shots," Trevino said. "He's the best shot-maker out
there. He can hit any shot."
Once again, Woods'
main challengers came up short Sunday. Phil Mickelson played respectably,
shooting 70. But he needed a spectacular 67 to catch Woods.
That's part of Woods'
dominance. He has yet to have a pursuer step up to challenge him,
especially on a Sunday.
"Quite honestly,
nobody has really thrown a good round at him in the last round
of a major," said Greg Norman, who has had it happen to him
on more than one occasion. "No one's ever challenged him.
Nobody's shot a 64 or 65 at him. He's gone out and shot under
par without a lot of pressure."
Woods knows how to
win majors, and his rivals don't. Sunday's victory might have
been one of his most impressive because he did it without having
his so-called A-game. He was 2 over on Sunday.
Yet Woods did just
enough to win on an unyielding course. This was the first time
he prevailed with a score as high as 3 under.
"It's so hard
to describe how good it feels to win a major championship because
it takes so much out of you," Woods said. "It's so difficult
because you have to play really well. You can't go out and slop
it around and win."
Woods demonstrated
his mental ability to grind his way around the course. For all
his physical talents, his biggest strength is his ability to concentrate
on the task at hand.
That's what strikes
the veterans who thought they had seen it all. "When he's
on, he doesn't make mistakes," Nick Price said. "The
guy is so focused."
Faldo also was known
for being focused during his heyday. He loves Woods' drive to
go after the prize.
"I set my mind
on winning some, and I know he's doing that with regularity,"
Faldo said. "That just shows the inner strength he has. That's
the toughest thing the guys have to face. I have a sneaking feeling
he's going to keep that inner strength for 10 more years, at least."
Bet on it lasting
much longer.
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