Greatest Tiger Ever
The fact that Tiger Woods won his 11th career major Sunday isn't news. He's been winning majors pretty much from the day he got his Tour card.
The fact that Tiger Woods won his 11th career major after missing the cut at the U.S. Open last month, all the while grieving the loss of his mentor, best friend, and father Earl...now that is news.
This year's British Open wasn't so much about the golf. Nor was it really about how the likes of walking banana Sergio Garcia and Ernie Els choked it away down the stretch. It wasn't even about Phil's unsuccessful attempt to put the hospitality tent at Winged Foot behind him.
No, the 106th Open Championship was about the humanity of the game. How spending a few hours on the links can heal the most broken of hearts. How Chris DiMarco and Tiger Woods can stare grief in the face, laugh and march their way to the top of the leaderboard in one of the world's most prestigious tournaments.
The golf was undoubtedly impressive; Tiger using his driver just once all week, holing out for eagle on 14 on Friday from 200 yards out. The way DiMarco stared Tiger right in the eye on the back nine on Sunday, saving a miraculous 50-foot par before dropping a pair of birds. While others were bowing before the mighty Tiger's shadow, DiMarco stood tall and gave Woods his best shots.
And Woods gave back in kind, birdieing 14, 15, and 16. Tiger and Chris nearly matched each other shot for shot, and not only was it entertaining television, it was a testament to the mental and emotional toughness of these two players.
I doubt I could go out on the course just weeks after someone close to me died, let alone go out and contend for a major. But that's exactly what these two sultans of swing did.
And after Woods tapped in for par on the 72nd hole, he could no longer give us his steely exterior. The emotions broke through his personal dam, flooding the course. We all knew it was coming; it had been well documented, despite Tiger's private demeanor, that his father was the single greatest influence in his life.
But although I knew the tears were coming, though I knew Tiger would break down once the Claret Jug was in hand, it was still incredibly moving. How he latched onto his caddie, then marched over to his wife's arms, finding solace in her where he would once embrace Earl.
I would've liked to have seen the ABC camera back off of Tiger at this point, but it was so moving, so riveting, I let it pass. Heck, I even choked up a bit.
Tiger Woods, arguably the greatest golfer ever, showed for a few brief moments that, like the rest of us, he was human. I'll never bomb a driver 350 yards, nor will I have the touch around the green to chip with a 3-wood and land the ball two feet from the pin, but I know what it's like to lose someone close to you, and for that, Tiger made this British Open memorable.
Tiger was far more dominant at Pebble Beach in 2000, and his 1997 Masters win is the most culturally-significant thing to ever happen in golf, but this is by far his most important major championship. Whether Tiger catches Jack Nicklaus' mark of 18 career majors is irrelevant at this point; right now, this is about a young man grieving the loss of his best friend the only way he knows how: to go out and win on golf's highest stage.
Earl is responsible for just about everything we see out of Tiger Woods today, and as a golf fan, I owe Earl a lifetime of gratitude. But more than that, Earl made Tiger a good man, and I think we saw a glimpse of that Sunday afternoon at Royal Liverpool.
We should all be so lucky to have fathers like Earl Woods.
The fact that Tiger Woods won his 11th career major after missing the cut at the U.S. Open last month, all the while grieving the loss of his mentor, best friend, and father Earl...now that is news.
This year's British Open wasn't so much about the golf. Nor was it really about how the likes of walking banana Sergio Garcia and Ernie Els choked it away down the stretch. It wasn't even about Phil's unsuccessful attempt to put the hospitality tent at Winged Foot behind him.
No, the 106th Open Championship was about the humanity of the game. How spending a few hours on the links can heal the most broken of hearts. How Chris DiMarco and Tiger Woods can stare grief in the face, laugh and march their way to the top of the leaderboard in one of the world's most prestigious tournaments.
The golf was undoubtedly impressive; Tiger using his driver just once all week, holing out for eagle on 14 on Friday from 200 yards out. The way DiMarco stared Tiger right in the eye on the back nine on Sunday, saving a miraculous 50-foot par before dropping a pair of birds. While others were bowing before the mighty Tiger's shadow, DiMarco stood tall and gave Woods his best shots.
And Woods gave back in kind, birdieing 14, 15, and 16. Tiger and Chris nearly matched each other shot for shot, and not only was it entertaining television, it was a testament to the mental and emotional toughness of these two players.
I doubt I could go out on the course just weeks after someone close to me died, let alone go out and contend for a major. But that's exactly what these two sultans of swing did.
And after Woods tapped in for par on the 72nd hole, he could no longer give us his steely exterior. The emotions broke through his personal dam, flooding the course. We all knew it was coming; it had been well documented, despite Tiger's private demeanor, that his father was the single greatest influence in his life.
But although I knew the tears were coming, though I knew Tiger would break down once the Claret Jug was in hand, it was still incredibly moving. How he latched onto his caddie, then marched over to his wife's arms, finding solace in her where he would once embrace Earl.
I would've liked to have seen the ABC camera back off of Tiger at this point, but it was so moving, so riveting, I let it pass. Heck, I even choked up a bit.
Tiger Woods, arguably the greatest golfer ever, showed for a few brief moments that, like the rest of us, he was human. I'll never bomb a driver 350 yards, nor will I have the touch around the green to chip with a 3-wood and land the ball two feet from the pin, but I know what it's like to lose someone close to you, and for that, Tiger made this British Open memorable.
Tiger was far more dominant at Pebble Beach in 2000, and his 1997 Masters win is the most culturally-significant thing to ever happen in golf, but this is by far his most important major championship. Whether Tiger catches Jack Nicklaus' mark of 18 career majors is irrelevant at this point; right now, this is about a young man grieving the loss of his best friend the only way he knows how: to go out and win on golf's highest stage.
Earl is responsible for just about everything we see out of Tiger Woods today, and as a golf fan, I owe Earl a lifetime of gratitude. But more than that, Earl made Tiger a good man, and I think we saw a glimpse of that Sunday afternoon at Royal Liverpool.
We should all be so lucky to have fathers like Earl Woods.
posted by Jeff Cunningham at 9:02 PM
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