By Mike Kahn
CBS SportsLine Executive Editor
Aug. 12, 1998
REDMOND, Wash. -- Only Phil Knight, Nike magnate that he is, would have the gall to complete this foursome. Put these guys together and you're not only talking about incredible talent, but blood that boils at a challenge of their manhood.
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Tiger Woods had plenty of compliments for one of his golfing partners. (AP)
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WOODS ALSO WAS DELUGED WITH QUESTIONS about how he's handled the past 14 months since winning the Masters. It hasn't been easy coping with all the exposure and expectations. Then there is his unlikely relationship with Mark O'Meara and the constant barrage of questions with regard to that, and Woods' sense of humor and general handle on the media precluded any inkling of sarcasm. He even stemmed a potential problem when asked about the failure of his Nike products to reach projections.
The big winner of the day came when he talked about playing golf with Ken Griffey Jr. and Michael Jordan. Between the three of them, you would have to think Nike at least breaks even in expenditures. Griffey and Woods are friends, both having huge homes in the Isleworth Estates outside Orlando. They play basketball and golf together whenever possible.
Jordan, of course, lives on his own planet -- where the air is thin and his drives carry a bit farther than most humans. Tiger didn't pretend to have the same relationship with MJ as he does with Junior ... but who does?
And that didn't prevent Tiger from giving a little bit of a rundown on both players.
He seemed surprised and impressed with Griffey's game. Griffey's wife Melissa and their two children followed Woods during Tuesday's practice round, while dad was en route to Toronto on a road trip with the Mariners.
"Ken's actually one of my good friends and I talked to him . . . actually yesterday," Woods said. "Ken, as a golfer, you can not believe how far he can hit it for as slow a swing as he has until impact. It's just like his baseball swing. His baseball swing is kind of effortless until impact. At the moment of impact, you can't believe the speed. And it's the same thing with his golf swing. He'll wait until the last minute to let his hands go and when he does, you wonder how he can hit it so far, until you see his forearms and how big they are.
"What's amazing about him and a lot of athletes is how good their touch is. He's got good touch around the greens. He's actually a good putter. So it's not strictly his long ball."
HE WAS HARDLY AS COMPLIMENTARY OF of Jordan, not going into any detail about his game at all. In fact, the only real sense of feeling that came through was Woods relishing the almost antagonistic spirit between the two once they teed off.
"Have I ever played golf with MJ? Yeah, I have," Woods said, breaking into one of those million-dollar grins. "MJ is . . . he's one heck of a competitor. He does not like losing. There's no doubt about that. He hates to lose and especially to me. So we've had some great games and I certainly understand how many shots I need to give him."
Evidently, this whole thing with between Tiger and MJ has taken on a life of its own. Perhaps it's the 13-year age difference between the two. Not that Junior isn't a competitor, but the guess is he and Tiger have a lot more fun playing golf.
It's the difference between tossing a baseball in the backyard and playing catch with hand grenades in a minefield.
Just think how many millions of dollars Knight has made from these three guys . . . maybe the time is right for the four of them to play a round together. Something tells me the noise of competition coming out of that foursome would be anything but a swoosh..
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