Golf was in some ways better without Tiger? Not in this corner
I've actually had a few friends say they didn't miss Tiger Woods. That they've enjoyed the emergence of other golfers. That they're thankful not to have to watch "every shot, every movement" or "having to see Tiger walk 300 yards up the fairway when other players are teeing off."
Is this possible?
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| There's no denying it -- Tiger Woods sells tickets and excites sponsors. (Getty Images) |
The famed Blue Monster at Doral, where Tiger will tee off in the WGC-CA Championship on Thursday in the hopes of confirming that his knee is of sound support, will be as close to mass hysteria as the hushed game gets.
Buzz. Fervor. Electricity. Or is it overkill? Will the game's brightest star be treated more like a savior, to the exclusion of other competitors? Or is that exactly what he is?
It was nice to see people named Pat Perez and Nick Watney get around 72 holes of championship golf, but interest in the PGA Tour dropped into the bunker when Woods was gone. The gate was smaller, the sponsors were cheaper. The ratings were pale.
"People were screaming for him in Arizona," said Davis Love III of the Match Play Championship, where Tiger was beaten by South African Tim Clark. "Now that he's back, you can say, 'I wonder if Camilo (Villegas) can beat him on a Sunday or if Dustin Johnson can out-hit him.' You have to have him back to take a shot at him."
There will be other players to watch this week. The course has some of the largest greens on the tour, and the layout favors long hitters. Geoff Ogilvy won the match play event and is the defending champion at Doral. Sergio Garcia, the 29-year-old Spaniard, is almost always in the hunt, but how will he handle the enormous putting surfaces?
Doral is kind to Vijay Singh. He finished tied for second last year. Jim Furyk is the man who tied him. Zach Johnson beat Tiger in the Masters in 2007 and has won a PGA Tour event this year.
But do any of those players float your boat, or only in relation to Tiger Woods? The last time we saw Tiger in a stroke-play tournament was his epic 91-hole victory in the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. His opponent, Rocco Mediate, was trying, at 45, to become the oldest player to win the Open. It would have been the greatest upset since Francis Ouimet beat Harry Vardon and Ted Ray in the 1913 Open playoff. Mediate missed a 20-foot putt on the 18th hole that would have won it. But the story was Tiger Woods.
"I get asked about it all the time," said Mediate. "I remember everything, the sounds, how it smelled walking to the first tee of the playoff. I didn't lose because I choked. I got beat by an amazing athlete, a miracle-worker."
People were comparing Woods, on his savaged knee, to Willis Reed, to Kirk Gibson, to Jordan with the flu. His surgery was chronicled, as were details of his rehab. As for his Open opponent, it might go unnoticed, but Mediate is not in the field at Doral.
Which Tiger will we see? Is he as good as he was, or even better? The match play showed us that Woods was able to turn strongly into his swing with his foot firmly planted. We saw him stand on the first tee after eight months off, rip it down the middle of the fairway and birdie the hole.
But that was two rounds of match play. How will he be in this competition? Will we see some rust? Will he limp after a long day? Will he be mentally sharp? The massive gallery at Doral should be a scene in itself -- watch out below!
Golf without Tiger was not refreshing. It wasn't more interesting. He stands above his sport like Mount McKinley over North America. This is a perfect time to pull up a chair with some chips and dip, watch his return and call yourself a fan.
