History in the making

Do you realize the era that we're living in? We have one athlete who is dominating his sport and destroying the competition's will at the same time. This guy is affable, most people like him, and he's doing things that we haven't seen anyone do since, maybe MJ. Now with that reference you may think that I'm talking about another basketball player, but the athlete in question (who is decent at hoops as I understand) is Tiger Woods.

I think that we've all run out of words to describe what he's done. You have the Roger Federers of tennis (as long as he isn't playing on clay), you have the,....well that's about it. The only other athlete that you can throw in to this discussion is Lorena Ochoa. She is dominating women's golf like only Tiger has done. Nevertheless, Tiger has not only won over the masses (did you see the number of people that follow this guy at every tournament), but he has brought golf to the mainstream. When you have guys (white, black, brown, pink, gray, whatever) picking up golf clubs and heading out to the driving range or out for a round, that's a phenomenon. Every where I go, I see guys with their newly minted Nike golf shirts, TW hats, etc.

But back to the game, the US Open. Tiger started off on Thursday not playing at his best but he ended the day 4 shots off. Over the weekend, Tiger made his run. It's a run that everyone in the tournament knows is going to happen and probably some of them watch the leader board to see where he is each day. He has scattered his driver all over the place, but by Saturday he puts himself into contention with 2 amazing eagle putts. So, on Sunday he plays about as bad as he played on Thursday but he ends up in a playoff on Monday for the US Open title. Sidenote: Lee Westwood is kicking himself for leaving that putt (on 17, I think) short. Tiger has done all of this on a surgically repaired knee (8 weeks after surgery). Tiger has shown that his knee is a problem from the wincing that he does after he hits the ball. You have to understand that knee surgery is not the best thing for Tiger's (or any golfer's) game. The amount of pressure that is put on his left knee during his swing is what makes his swing one of, if not the most, powerful swings in the game. Then add to that, having to walk that course, or having to hit from an uneven lie. If he wins the US Open on Monday (like many predict) this adds another trophy to an already stocked full trophy room for Tiger, another step in his quest to win more majors than any other golfer in history, and to top it all of he's killing his competition. It's really sad when you know that you are playing for 2nd place when he tees it up.

Let the domination continue, and don't be afraid to watch. If you don't, you'll be missing out on sports history. Enjoy it while it lasts.