Monday, April 15, 2013

Tiger is the G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time)

Eldrick "Tiger" Woods is the greatest golfer of all time and you, yes YOU, don't like it!

Folks, you are really missing something special, something historical. A once in a lifetime comet that is streaking by, never to be witnessed again. A living, active legend, an icon within our midst. However, you can't see the forest for the trees. You are consumed with bitterness, pettiness and jealousy that cloud your vision like cataracts. Tiger Woods is the Michael Jordan of golf. Everyone has prospered in the game because of him. He has transcended the sport while leaving the player's around him with better opportunities, endorsements and livelihoods. He has raised the talent level in golf by demanding and expecting excellence to beat and compete with him. Is he without fault? Absolutely not. He has had transgressions to which he has been punished in the media and paid for. He has had injuries and battled back, self-exiles etc. He is a human-being, not a machine. Yet you don't appreciate his greatness.

Tiger changed the game! The great one's always do. They made the basketball lane wider because of Chamberlain, they outlawed dunking because of Lew Alcindor/Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's greatness. Because of Tiger they tore up golf courses and made them longer to "Tiger Proof' them. Woods so decimated the venerable Augusta National in 1997 and 2001 that by the next year they added yardage to half the holes and in subsequent years they grew rough higher, added trees, moved back tees and narrowed fairways.

Tiger Woods also competes against the best golfer's in the world. Not taking anything away from Jack, Arnie and Sam etc. but Woods competition is not selling cars or insurance in the off-season. Tiger's competition practices year round and their only pursuit in life is winning and the hopes of one day dethroning the king if not for only a few weeks or months at a time. Understand Woods has been ranked #1 in the world a cumulative 627 weeks and counting. The next closest player (Greg Norman) never recorded more then 331 weeks and he's now playing on the Senior Tour somewhere.

What else is it that he must do? Surely he will near 18 Major Championships. I know you don't want him to surpass Jack Nicklaus but baring injury he will. It's just a matter of when?  He has already surpassed everyone, Jack included, in PGA tour wins (82) with the exception of Sam Snead who he is tied with at (82.) By the way, Tiger has only played in 373 events to Snead's 553 and Nicklaus's 594. Ah yes, but you hold out hope. You continue to look for the next great thing in golf to knock Woods off his throne. Westwood, Kaymer, Donald and McIIroy have all come and gone with a combined 15 career wins including 2 Majors. I'll even throw in Mickelson's 41 career wins with 4 Major's and that still only raises cumulative total to 56 PGA wins and 6 Majors. Still considerably short of Tiger's totals.

But you continue to sit there brooding. The only thing left for you to do is break down driving, fairway, greens hit percentages and various other laughable statistics to attack Tiger with. You will say he hasn't won a Major since 2008. It's gotten to the point now that even PGA tour wins are not good enough for him. Woods must win Major's for you to legitimize his place in history.

This past weekend at the 2013 Master's Championship analysts and former player's Nick Faldo and Brandel Chamblee made embarrassing spectacles of themselves by criticizing Tiger after he erroneously made an illegal drop. The Master's rules committee enforced a two-stroke penalty on Woods.as provided by their interpretation of the rules. Faldo and Chamblee could barely hold their contempt and called for Woods to be disqualified or for him to DQ himself. What ensued were hours of unjustified character assassination against Woods. Through it all Tiger took the high road and never struck back. To me Woods showed more character during this fiasco then both analysts together. After a week were he admittedly did not play up to expectations he still managed to place 4th even after the 2 stroke penalty. Another Top 5 finish.

You need to smell the roses while the garden is in bloom. Revel in this once in a lifetime experience. When I reach my golden years I am going to have fond memories and stories of Tiger Woods the greatest golfer that ever lived. What will you have? I don't know. You're still looking for the next great thing. The problem is it's already here and his name is Eldrick "Tiger" Woods (The G.O.A.T.) The Greatest Of All Times!