The Elite Eight was overshadowed by another sports story – the first win in a while, some 30 months, for Tiger. It was, however, in his mind, not the first win in that period. He had beaten a strong field at the 2011 Chevron World when he drilled a 12-foot birdie putt on the final hole to win by one. But that was not a PGA official event, so it wasn’t until last Sunday at Bay Hill that he was “officially” back.
“Every golfer has two careers,” Johnny Miller said at the end of NBC’s telecast. “You have the first burst, and then sometimes you have a lull, and then you have a second career. Some guys have a pretty darn good second career. If I was coaching him, I’d say, ‘OK, you made the mistakes you made. Let’s just start over. This is the second career. You’ve got a new swing. Let’s see what you can do with this one.’
“It wouldn’t totally surprise me if he were to win 35 to 40 times from now,” Miller said. “He could do it. The way he is playing right now, he is going to kick butt.”
If the outspoken Miller is only half right, then Tiger will likely pass Jack in the Majors category. Either way, it will be fun to watch. No one gets my Sunday afternoon attention like Woods. Yes, he spoiled me. But it was worth it.
I was at the 1999 Masters and sitting at Amen Corner when Tiger, on Sunday, came to the 12th tee. He was too far back to win, having needed a 65 that day to beat Jose Maria Olazabal.
Woods still was grinding though, two years after his record-setting win, as he intently studied the wind in the pines. He chose the club and hit, and a gust of wind knocked him into Rae’s Creek.
Just a bit of history: According to the Augusta Chronicle, Rae’s Creek is named after John Rae, who died in 1789 and whose home was built on the creek. Rae, from Ireland, built a gristmill on the banks of the creek in 1765. The official Web site of The Masters notes that “Rae’s house ... was the farthest fortress up the Savannah River from Fort Augusta. Residents used his house as a safe haven during Indian attacks when the Fort was out of reach.”
Tiger walked to the white circle where he dropped his ball. Then he proceeded to knock his third shot into the hole on the fly, for a not so routine par. A tip of the hat and a big grin, and he was off to make more history, which, hopefully, still isn’t quite finished.
•••
The following was sent to me this week by my friend Jim Julian in an email:
Mystery Ball
“What if you were playing in the club championship tournament finals and the match was halved at the end of 17 holes. You had the honor and hit your ball a modest 250 yards to the middle of the fairway, leaving a simple six iron to the pin. Your opponent then hits his ball, slicing it deep into the woods to the right of the fairway. Being the golfing gentleman that you are, you help your opponent look for his ball. Just before the permitted five minute search period ends, your opponent says: ‘Go ahead and hit your second shot, and if I don’t find it in time, I’ll concede the match.’ You hit your ball, landing it on the green, stopping about ten feet from the pin. About the time your ball comes to rest, you hear your opponent exclaim from deep in the woods: “I found it!” The second sound you hear is a click – the sound of a club striking a ball – and the ball comes sailing out of the woods and lands on the green, stopping no more than six inches from the hole. Now the real “what if” questions are: What if you had your opponent’s ball in your pocket? What the heck do you do then?
•••
And in keeping with the season, one more from another Julian email:
The stages of golf are Sudden Collapse, Radical Change, Complete Frustration, Slow Improvement, Brief Mastery and Sudden Collapse.