Witnessing Greatness

I watched in amazement as Tiger Woods shot a stellar 65 to win Jack Nicklaus' Memorial Tournament today. For you non-golf fans, this is arguably the most important non-major tournament other than the TPC and is played on a course that is arguably the best venue the pros visit on a yearly basis. Although Tiger charged on Sunday to win at Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill earlier this season, and has been a fixture in the Top 10 of the tournys he has entered, many questioned whether he was all the way back from his knee injury; whether his most recent swing changes made with coach Hank Haney had hurt his game; whether marriage and fatherhood had distracted him; or some combination of the above. Indeed, watching Tiger spray errant drives and fail to close rounds strongly at Augusta, the TPC, and Quail Hollow was enough to make one wonder. It was a testament to his brilliance that he overcame poor driving to finish as high as he did in those tournaments. This week's performance, however, should be enough to dispell any doubts in even the most skeptical minds. Tiger hit a stellar 49 of 56 fairways; if he drives the ball like that at the U.S. Open in two weeks he might win it by 10. After what could have been a disastrous bogie at 16, bringing him back into a short-lived 4-way tie at the top, he made textbook birdies at 17 and the difficult 18th, capping the tournament with a 6-iron from about 186 yards that resulted in an 14-inch tap-in and evoked memories of the incredible feats of Tiger circa 1997 - 2000 (anyone else remember the bunker shot, also a 6-iron, at the Canadian Open about 10 years back? Or the one-swing demolition of Tom Lehman in 1998?)

The point is that we are witnessing greatness and that Tiger is making history before our eyes. When asked today at what age he felt he peaked, Jack said "probably 32 to 35, or about the age Tiger is now" - he is 33. Barring a catastrophe, he will demolish every important record in the sport. I remember folks saying how much they hated Michael Jordan in his heyday, and as a Pistons fan I obviously had no love for the Bulls, but when he came back and won the last three of his six NBA titles you had to appreciate his greatness; that is how I feel watching Tiger now. Personally, I have always been a huge fan of his, and I don't mind watching him dominate precisely because he is so great; this kind of otherworldly greatness is a privilege to be witness to.