Tiger Woods makes everything seem possible
By RON SIRAK AP Golf Writer
Imagine if Jackie Robinson had not only broken the color barrier
but Babe Ruth's home run record as well.
That's sort of what Tiger Woods accomplished at the Masters.
He not only broke the color barrier in winning a major professional
golf championship, but he broke a slew of records along the way.
At 21, he was the youngest Masters winner ever.
His 12-stroke victory margin was surpassed in a major championship
only by Tom Morris Sr. in the 1862 British Open.
And in the 360 tournaments played in the four Grand Slam events,
only Nick Faldo in the 1990 British Open at St. Andrews matched
the 18 under par total Woods achieved.
The feeling hanging over the rolling hills of Augusta National
after Woods took his green jacket and wandered off to look for
new worlds to conquer was that this Masters was only a glimpse
of things to come.
Woods is a pioneer in more than a racial sense. He seems determined
to lead golf into uncharted territory, breaking records once thought
to be unbreakable and setting standards certain to last a generation
or longer.
His performance at Augusta National Golf Club shouted out this
message: Anything is possible.
Is it too early to speculate on a Grand Slam?
Nope.
Is is too ridiculous to think he could shoot a 59 in a major
championship?
Hardly.
Is it folly to say Jack Nicklaus' mark of 20 major championship
victories will fall.
Not in the least.
Tiger Woods is a rock-solid combination of the three things
that make a champion.
The Game: Woods hits the ball farther than anyone ever and
put it in the fairway 26 of 28 times in the middle two rounds
when he won the Masters.
Control of his irons has improved as coach Butch Harmon corrected
a swing glitch. He has delicate touch around the greens and his
putter gets better when it means the most.
The Mind: Nick Faldo said it took six or seven Masters to learn
the intricacies of Augusta National. Woods figured it out midway
through his seventh competitive round there.
He soaks up information like a sponge and is willing to try
new things under the pressure of competition.
The Heart: Take every cliche - ice in his veins, eyes of an
assassin, killer instinct - and they all apply. Not only does
Woods have enormous courage but he seems to thrive on pressure.
With the tournament no longer in doubt, Woods was chasing only
history, the 17-under-par Masters record. He broke it by one stroke
making three par-saving putts in the 4-foot to 8-foot range in
the final four holes.
"I know my goal is to obviously be the best," Woods
said after winning. "I know that's a very lofty goal. But
I think that if I try to accomplish that goal, if I do - great.
If I don't, I tried. I expect nothing but the best for myself.
And I think as time goes along, hopefully that will happen."
Woods will take a month off from competition, returning at
the Byron Nelson Classic in Texas on May 15-18 and, according
to those close to him, "probably not touch a golf club for
the next two weeks."
A likely scenario for Woods would be playing three tournaments
in a row starting at the Nelson, take a week off and then play
the U.S. Open at Congressional near Washington June 12-15.
At Congressional, Woods will try to be the first person since
Jack Nicklaus in 1972 to win the Masters and the U.S. Open back-to-back,
something that has only been done five times since the Masters
started in 1934.
Craig Wood did it in 1941, Ben Hogan in 1951 and again in '53,
Arnold Palmer in 1960 and Nicklaus in '72.
Wood did not have a chance at the Grand Slam because there
was no British Open in 1941 because of World War II. Hogan chose
not to play in the '51 British Open but played and won in '53,
becoming the only man to win three pro majors in one year.
Palmer and Nicklaus both had heartbreaking experiences in the
British Open, each finishing second. Palmer went on to finish
seventh in the 1960 PGA Championship and Nicklaus was 13th in
the PGA '72.
If Tigermania is big now, imagine what it would be like if
he wins the U.S. Open and goes to the British Open at Royal Troon
in July trying to match Hogan's mark of three majors in one year.
If Tigermania is big now imagine what it would be like if he
goes to the PGA Championship at Winged Foot with a chance for
the Grand Slam.
With Tiger Woods, the once unimaginable has suddenly become
possible.
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