Tiger Burning Bright - Tuesday, June 17, 2008
183 Views :: 0 Comments :: :: Michael Bradley

   Any golf tournament that requires a fifth full round to determine its champion -- plus one hole -- deserves a spot in the annals of the game. Monday's thrilling conclusion to the U.S. Open was competitive drama at its best and will always be remembered by fans. Tiger Woods showed once again why he's the best in the world, although one has to wonder whether that world is worthy of inclusion with others in the past 50 years of golf.

    Despite the fact that Woods blew a three-stroke lead on the back nine and needed an extra hole to beat game but overmatched Rocco Mediate, he is to be commended for his ability to make big shots in pressure situations, his laser-like focus and tremendous mental toughness. He can also hit the ball pretty well. But let's face it; Mediate is hardly in his class. He entered the tourney ranked something like 158th and will likely return to the pack of solid but not great players on the tour quite soon. He had his moment in the spotlight, and he came close to a stunning upset. In the end, he didn't have enough.

   Nobody does. Part of that has to do with Woods' game and competitive fire. He's something else, all right. The trouble is, nobody on the tour exists with the ability to put pressure on him. When he starts putting the ball in traps and the rough, no one is capable of pouncing and keeping him down. They are all afraid and weak-minded. The players who might have had a chance to do it are all in their 40s or older, and the others seem more interested in deferring to Woods (much to the delight of golf's hype machine) than they are mounting a serious challenge.

   When Jack Nicklaus was tearing it up in the '60s and '70s, he had plenty of top-shelf rivals ready to knock him down when the opportunity presented itself. First, it was Arnold Palmer. But legends like Gary Player, Tom Watson, Lee Trevino and Johnny Miller had the games to test Nicklaus, and when he faltered, step over him on the road to major victory. There is no one capable of doing that now. Phil Mickelsen? Come on. Lefty was dreadful at Torrey Pines. Worse, he was stupid, taking his driver out of his bag for the first two rounds. Sergio Garcia? Where has he been? Throw the rest in a bag and pick one. It doesn't matter who comes out, because he can't beat Woods, either. In fact, it seems as if the other golfers want Woods to rule the game, so long as they get their sponsorship dollars, fat fourth-place checks and free gear. Mediate may be nothing special on the tour, but he has earned $14 million during his career, not including endorsements. That's not a bad bit of mediocrity.

   So, celebrate Woods' 14th major and get ready for many more, but be careful not to glorify him too much, because he is rampaging through a collection of golfing tomato cans. The other golfers don't have what it takes to mount a challenge, and while that is partly due to Woods' greatness, it is also a reflection of the shaky level of competition he faces each week.