In golf, most players reach their “prime” in their thirties as patience, personal stability, and knowledge of the game and its intricacies are infinitely more familiarized to the seasoned veteran. No such wait was needed for Eldrick Woods. Instead, he has dominated the sport from the very beginning, reshaping the game itself and the courses on which he plays (well, he more destroyed the courses, with the architects choosing to revamp them accordingly, but I digress, stay with me here). As he enters what is considered to be the best years of a professional golfer’s existence, what is possible for a man breaking records at every turn?
Tiger began his PGA Tour season in style, winning the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines for the the fourth time in a row, recording his sixth victory in the event overall.
He is the only golf professional to have won at least three tournaments six times (the WGC American Express Championship (now known as the CA, because of sponsor changes) and WGC Bridgestone Inv. at Firestone as well as the Buick).
With this victory, Mr. Woods tied the record for consecutive wins at a single tournament (4).
But what is astounding is that he has accomplished this feat in TWO different tournaments now (the other being the Bay Hill Invitational).
In recording these amazingly unique records, Tiger also drew level, in fourth place, with The King, Arnold Palmer, on the list of most career PGA Tour victories, with 62 total wins.
He has obtained this status in five fewer years than any of the legends in whose great company he now resides.
Along with Mr. Palmer, he now finds himself chasing the likes of Ben Hogan (64 wins), Jack Nicklaus (73 wins), and Sam Snead (82 wins).
This is rarefied air to be sure, with many of these men being on their pedestal in the list for some 20+, or in Snead’s case 43+, years.
But having watched him for some time now, it comes as no surprise.
There are innumerable statistics and records that allude to Tiger’s unsurpassed dominance in a sport of individual glory.
I’ve merely discussed a few which relate to his most recent whomping of the field at the Buick.
So, instead of using pure statistical analysis of his career to this point, I will use individual moments of brilliance from the weekend which are but snippets of what has to be regarded as the greatest all around golf game in history.
To get to this position Tiger Woods has made himself the undisputed best at:
reading greens/putting, shot-shaping/escape shots, and short AND long iron accuracy.
Having played the game a great deal (albeit, appallingly at times) I must admit that the most impressive facet of Tiggy’s game has got to be his putting.
His speed and distance control is unparalleled and he almost never misses a putt inside of five feet.
Add to this his uncanny knack of reading even the smallest breaks and undulations in the surface of the green, and Tiger’s deadly accurate touch is awe-inspiring to say the very least.
Just reference the 60 ft. birdie putt he sank on Sunday, which required he play about 12-15 feet of break down a ridge, or the par save from 20 ft. he sank on Saturday to keep any challengers at bay.
Even looking back, at the famous 17
th “Island Green” at the TPC Sawgrass, commentator Gary Koch had commented how no player had read the break from the back of the green, nor gotten a putt within 8 feet of cup from the position in which Tiger found himself.
Koch’s now infamous “Better than most, BETTER THAN MOST” call during the putt just illustrates how someone in the know can be so astonished by the ability of this walking highlight reel.
To examine this idea further we need only look to Koch’s broadcast partner David Feherty, who is often so flabbergasted by the shots Tiger gets to come off as to remain nearly speechless (which is saying something, indeed).
Over the weekend he hit a huge, sweeping draw that screamed around a tree and just short of the green, with some 40 feet of piercing curve.
Most often when Tiger finds himself in the goop, he will use some sort of fiendishly difficult shot which will undoubtedly save him from having to “play it safe”.
There are so many examples to draw from, my mind is too much of a flurry to actually distinguish between them; I remember a bunker shot, over water that ran just through the green,
the “over-under” shot where he kept the ball under some branches immediately in front of him and then got the ball to rise over the next set of trees and landed the ball maybe 10-14 feet past the pin but still on the green, with his back against a tree, playing another sweeping draw just 8-10 feet off the ground to go under the trees and advance the ball into a solid playing position – there’s just too many to recall them all.
However, this shot shaping is not just useful when stuck in the mess.
He has an unbelievable ability to control trajectory, spin, and direction to play each shot as it is presented to him.
Each time he approaches his ball, no matter where it is, he has the ability and the gall to get it where he can save par, or even make birdie.
This total control was never more apparent than at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club (Hoylake) in 2006.
He only used his driver once during the tournament and hit all but four fairways on the week.
While using a 3-wood or 2-iron off the tee left him with longer second shots, the deft trajectory control he exhibits with the long irons ensured he was always where he needed to be – on the green with shots at eagle and birdies.
Some complained that this display was “boring”.
Are you kidding me?
You better be or I’m gonna give you a boot upside the head.
I would call it clinical.
The astonishing control of his game is unmatched by most, if not all, of his competitors.
Another blatantly idiotic comment is that Tiger really has no “rivals” or fellow competitors challenging him on a weekly basis.
With displays such as Hoylake in ‘06 or the Buick Invitational at the weekend, this may be true.
My question is this - who really cares?
Though many of his victories are all but sealed by the time he tees up his first shot on Sunday, I would miss anything, I mean ANYTHING (ok, minus a gorgeous day where I can struggle and duff my way around a supposedly easy Forest Preserve layout, and even then its recorded) for the sake of witnessing Tiger’s other-worldly talent continue to pad his portfolio of brilliant shots and unique records.
There is no one like Tiger Woods and there is no experience that can compare to watching him ply his diligently perfected game in person (for now anyways).
Here’s to many more records being broken and more befuddled mirth from the broadcasters paid to watch the “best ever” play the most beautiful and challenging courses around.
By the way: Come on you Redmen, make yourselves proud today at Upton Park. I’m sure we both could use a nice victory against the Hammers. You’ll Never Walk Alone – not if I have anything to say about it.
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