Monday, May 29, 2000
Rain only delays Tiger's sure victory
DUBLIN, Ohio — They should have given Tiger Woods the trophy Sunday afternoon. They could have floated it down the 18th fairway in a little toy boat. Woods will win the Memorial tournament today instead. There hasn't been a bigger formality since Diana married Charles.
What's a bigger sure thing than Tiger Woods, leading by six shots with 18 holes to play? Woods shot 63 Friday and 65 Saturday. He's 17-under par. What's he going to do today, blow up and shoot 69?
Someone asked him if he'd ever lost a six-shot lead in a final round. “I don't recall,” he said. The answer, for the record, is no. Tiger up six with 18 to play is gas in the tank.
Today a waste of time
The smaller question Sunday was: Why bother? Why must the PGA Tour insist on a 72-hole event that inconveniences everyone, especially when the outcome is as obvious as a Chinese election?
The larger question was: Who will stop Woods?
How high is high for the most dominant player in any sport right now?
Woods should win his 16th pro event this afternoon, and he's still just 24. Woods has become so dominant so fast, he has already reduced his career to one simple question:
Can he catch Jack?
Woods watched with admiration Wednesday when the Memorial made Nicklaus its annual honoree. “What he has done, playing-wise and for the growth of the game, we have to step back and honor that,” Woods said.
I asked him if he ever allows himself to think of what his legacy might be 35 years from now, when he is approaching Nicklaus' current age of 60. “I've never once thought about any legacy of mine,” Woods said.
But when Woods is on, he is his own Tour. He's running for president, unopposed. He makes other players feel like what's-the-use. “Very seldom do you see Tiger Woods adjust his game for what somebody else is doing,” said Hal Sutton. “We can't get him in that position. We're having to adjust our game for what he's doing.”
Stalking Jack's records
Will Tiger catch The Eternal Jack? It's the best debate in sports now. Better than arguing if Mark McGwire will pass Hank Aaron because, at his current pace, Mac will catch Aaron by the middle of next week. Better than wondering who will do better than the Chicago Bulls' six titles in the 90s. Better than waiting for the next two-year NFL dynasty.
“What he's done here this week is unbelievable,” said Nicklaus, who wants Woods to break all his records. But Nicklaus has posted the number. He's in the clubhouse with 18 major titles. Woods is 16 behind. Since the '97 Masters, Woods is 1-for-12 in the big events.
Woods has Nicklaus' skill. But the competition is better. The peripheral demands are a constant nag. The bull's-eye is on Woods at a younger age; for a time, Nicklaus shared the footlights with Arnold Palmer and Tom Watson.
Woods is a quick study. At the '97 U.S. Open, he was a raw talent, trying to blast 3-woods from killer rough; he finished 19th. Last year, he tied for 3rd, two shots behind.
That Woods will win today is foregone. His chase of Nicklaus is anything but. The Eternal One has a big lead, but his season is done. Woods is just getting warmed up. done. Woods is just getting warmed up.
Paul Daugherty welcomes your comments at (513) 768-8454.
Tiger ready 'to get the job done'
