Wednesday, August 30, 2000
Slow Tiger? 'How' is the question
By Bob Spear
Knight Ridder Newspapers
(KRT)
After Sunday, after another run-away victory, after another chapter
in the Tiger Woods saga, the professional golf tour begins to
look a lot like a one-float parade.
The PGA Tour folks and the players themselves might cringe at
the Tiger-and-the-Others image, but what other conclusion remains
after another double-figure tournament win?
Rivals and their agents grumble at Tiger's TV time, especially
on tape with others on the course, but who packs the house and
sends the ratings soaring into uncharted territory for golf?
In the bygone days when the Yankees ruled the baseball world with
a dictator's iron hand, rivals found hope only in a mournful plea.
Fans loved the dynasty that spread from Ruth to DiMaggio to Mantle,
or they despised the thought of those lordly pinstripes. Foes
only could pray that their wish someday would come true: Break
up the Yankees!
Pro golfers today can identify with their sense of helplessness.
“Break up the Tiger” might not have the same ring, but
that's the thought. Stop Tiger Woods.
Of course, that leads to the next question: How?
Big change makes no difference.
Love him or hate him, but realize that Tiger Woods is golf's equal
of a prodigy. At age 24, he owns or shares records in all four
major tournaments, and he figures to grow with maturity. If he
gets into position to win, he always does.
Not even the Golden Bear overwhelmed the game like this.
Can he be stopped? Slowed?
Tiger changed brands of golf balls this year, and rivals looked
on anxiously. A Titleist for a Swoosh? They dared to believe that
not even he could make such a drastic alteration in a sensitive
part of his game and not miss a step.
His domination against most of the world's best players over the
weekend leaves that theory in shreds.
Maybe they should steal his clubs or set up handicap tournaments
that give rivals strokes or require him to play a ball with the
consistency of a beanbag. Maybe they should give him bad information
on his tee time or hope the Screen Actors Guild jolts him for
ignoring a strike and taping a commercial with a nonunion crew.
Those scenarios emphasize the obvious: No matter how well they
play, how Tiger Woods plays determines the winner. If he plays
well, they have no chance.
He leaves no margin for error. Rivals talk about increasing their
practice time and focus and determination, but praying that Woods
has a bad week might be more effective.
If they saw a sliver of hope in Bob May's captivating performance
in the PGA Championship, they only could bow to reality after
the NEC Invitational. May shot 31 on the PGA's back nine, and
Woods matched the spectacular score. He followed with another
record-breaking performance this weekend.
Some search for answers and label Woods' performances a hot streak.
Well, after month after month of similar results, this looks suspiciously
like a trend.
We once laughed at Jack Nicklaus' statement — a statement,
not a prediction — that Woods would “win more Masters
than Arnold and I combined,” but who is laughing now? The
once preposterous idea that any golfer could win more than the
10 Masters titles that Nicklaus and Palmer claimed suddenly becomes
more realistic every week.
“There is no question he has surpassed everyone in his ability
to play,” Palmer told reporters at last week's Senior PGA
Tour stop, and the gap grows wider all the time. He plays so well
that he leaves rivals no margin for error. The pressure must be
enormous.
After a 9-under 61 Friday and 4-under-after-three-holes start
Saturday opened a huge NEC Invitational lead, Woods settled into
a steady round of pars, and Phil Mickelson climbed to within six
strokes. Then, the challenger hit the wall with a bogey, double-bogey
finish. Hal Sutton charged Sunday, then fell back.
Maybe the injured David Duval, the world's best before Tiger's
domination, can one day offer a real challenge. Otherwise, they
might have to send out best-ball teams to give him a reasonable
game.
Believing this will continue defies reason, but the way Woods
plays the game defies reason.
To those who fear that boredom could set in and those record-breaking
television ratings will dwindle, look beyond sports. Did audiences
tire of superstars in the entertainment field? Did the Beatles
or Sinatra and their ilk ever play to empty houses? Do the works
of Michelangelo and Rembrandt ever grow old?
If Woods maintains his standard — and he said Sunday that
“I hope to better next year” — fans will flock
and golf will prosper. A one-float parade never looked better.
(c) 2000, The State (Columbia, S.C.).
Visit CyberState at http://www.thestate.com/
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.
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