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Nobody can catch the Tiger, and that's OK By
Brett Lundahl
How good is Tiger Woods? As a golf fanatic, I am beginning to ask myself if it is really possible for someone to dominate a professional sport the way Tiger Woods is doing right now. I do not believe Jordan or Gretsky ever accomplished what Tiger is doing on the PGA Tour. While I was watching Vijay Singh win the Masters in April, I was reassured that Tiger was not going to win every significant tournament for the next 15 years. I am second-guessing my certitude. The ability that Tiger has shown in not only winning the last two majors, but also winning them with ease, is almost frightening. I ask myself who is going to step up and challenge a player who, although he is 24 years old, is playing like a man among boys. Intimidation, domination, execution of opponents as well as a game plan -- what is going to stop this onslaught. I do not believe anyone has the answer. Other players on the PGA Tour are the first to admit that if Tiger plays to his ability, no one can beat him. Nick Faldo, a six-time major championship winner, said that Tiger is in a league of his own. Tom Watson says, "Tiger has raised the bar to a level that only he can jump." While winning the last two major championships, Woods has simply obliterated the field. Following up a 15-stroke victory at the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach with an 8-stroke victory at the British Open is simply inhuman. Woods has the ability to save par when others cannot. He has the ability to make birdie when the others cannot. He hits the ball further, putts better, has an exquisite short game, and hits his irons better than anyone in the game. All of these physical characteristics can be duplicated, but his mental game is what really sets him apart. Tiger believes that there is no reason that he should not win ever major that is contested until 2020. You tell me how anyone is going to beat him, or even challenge him in the coming years. If I do have to watch one single player dominate the sport of professional golf for the next 20 years, it may as well be Tiger. He has unending class and appreciation for the game, the fans and the accomplishments that he is stacking up. His confidence and ability will carry him to heights that only he could have conceived while he was dreaming up his list of goals as a child.
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