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David Shedloski
David Shedloski is a columnist for GolfBrief.com. He also writes for PGATour.com and is the author of "Golden Twilight."
Rivals? Yes; Peers? No
- By David Shedloski
- Published 04/8/2008
- Commentary
- Unrated
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Tiger Woods has no peer, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have any rivals.
When the 72nd Masters Tournament begins Thursday at Augusta National Golf Club, Woods, owner of four green jackets and the 72-hole scoring record, will be the overwhelming favorite. Some Las Vegas oddsmakers have him at even money.
“That’s pretty crazy,” said Mark Calcavecchia, one of Woods’ closer friends on the PGA Tour. “But that’s probably also close to accurate. He’s good, you know.”
Having won 64 PGA Tour titles, including 13 majors, and having won three of his four starts and seven of his last nine in the U.S., Woods is expected to move one step closer to Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 majors. He’s a good bet. He’s also a hot topic of conversation.
“I’ll probably be asked about him 100 times,” Justin Rose said. He meant 100 times before the tournament even begins.
Players respect him, there is no getting around that. They admire him, too. But even as he beats them more often in recent months, they seem less inclined to betray any sense of awe they might feel.
Leading the way is England’s Ian Poulter, who not long ago was quoted saying he might be the next big threat to Tiger’s dominance. Some found that a bit arrogant, but there’s a fine line between arrogance and confidence, with derangement always a possibility for anyone who takes up the unpredictable sport.
Poulter had a new perspective on the Tiger beat Tuesday at Augusta National.
Asked who Woods’ main rival is, Poulter replied, “Everyone.”
He meant it.
“Look, if you are going to come out here thinking you’re second best, then you have no business playing at this level,” said the No. 24 player in the Official World Golf Ranking. “If you play well for four days, you can beat him. He is human. There is blood inside him. He can be beaten.”
“It’s not a foregone conclusion that he (Woods) is going to win,” said Australia’s Stuart Appleby, who held a one-shot lead over Woods after 54 holes last year before tying for seventh while Zach Johnson won the title. “Is he the favorite? Absolutely. But there’s a lot of guys out here capable of winning every week, and that includes here.”
Johnson’s victory a year ago has turned out to be a boon to other players of various skill sets. It’s not just that he won the Masters, but that he did it with Woods in hot pursuit.
“I don't think it really matters if you're favored or not or what people expect,” said two-time Masters champion and No. 2 player in the world Phil Mickelson. “I think that nobody expected, let's say, last year's winner, but yet we as players knew what a good player Zach Johnson was and he was going to contend and continue contending in majors. I think how you're perceived heading into the tournament really doesn't matter.”
“That showed us something,” Poulter said of Johnson’s win. “With the game he has, Tiger has a better chance of winning than anyone else. But it’s still not a certainty. Maybe other people think that way, but I’m not going to think that way. Any good player isn’t going to think that way.”
The problem, and Poulter knows it, too, is that Woods doesn’t think like anyone else. They all want to win the Masters this week. Woods wants to win the Masters on the way to capturing the single-season Grand Slam.
“His confidence definitely stands out,” Poulter says. “He’s unique in that.”
Among other things, which is why he’s still without peer.
When the 72nd Masters Tournament begins Thursday at Augusta National Golf Club, Woods, owner of four green jackets and the 72-hole scoring record, will be the overwhelming favorite. Some Las Vegas oddsmakers have him at even money.
“That’s pretty crazy,” said Mark Calcavecchia, one of Woods’ closer friends on the PGA Tour. “But that’s probably also close to accurate. He’s good, you know.”
Having won 64 PGA Tour titles, including 13 majors, and having won three of his four starts and seven of his last nine in the U.S., Woods is expected to move one step closer to Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 majors. He’s a good bet. He’s also a hot topic of conversation.
“I’ll probably be asked about him 100 times,” Justin Rose said. He meant 100 times before the tournament even begins.
Players respect him, there is no getting around that. They admire him, too. But even as he beats them more often in recent months, they seem less inclined to betray any sense of awe they might feel.
Leading the way is England’s Ian Poulter, who not long ago was quoted saying he might be the next big threat to Tiger’s dominance. Some found that a bit arrogant, but there’s a fine line between arrogance and confidence, with derangement always a possibility for anyone who takes up the unpredictable sport.
Poulter had a new perspective on the Tiger beat Tuesday at Augusta National.
Asked who Woods’ main rival is, Poulter replied, “Everyone.”He meant it.
“Look, if you are going to come out here thinking you’re second best, then you have no business playing at this level,” said the No. 24 player in the Official World Golf Ranking. “If you play well for four days, you can beat him. He is human. There is blood inside him. He can be beaten.”
“It’s not a foregone conclusion that he (Woods) is going to win,” said Australia’s Stuart Appleby, who held a one-shot lead over Woods after 54 holes last year before tying for seventh while Zach Johnson won the title. “Is he the favorite? Absolutely. But there’s a lot of guys out here capable of winning every week, and that includes here.”
Johnson’s victory a year ago has turned out to be a boon to other players of various skill sets. It’s not just that he won the Masters, but that he did it with Woods in hot pursuit.
“I don't think it really matters if you're favored or not or what people expect,” said two-time Masters champion and No. 2 player in the world Phil Mickelson. “I think that nobody expected, let's say, last year's winner, but yet we as players knew what a good player Zach Johnson was and he was going to contend and continue contending in majors. I think how you're perceived heading into the tournament really doesn't matter.”
“That showed us something,” Poulter said of Johnson’s win. “With the game he has, Tiger has a better chance of winning than anyone else. But it’s still not a certainty. Maybe other people think that way, but I’m not going to think that way. Any good player isn’t going to think that way.”
The problem, and Poulter knows it, too, is that Woods doesn’t think like anyone else. They all want to win the Masters this week. Woods wants to win the Masters on the way to capturing the single-season Grand Slam.
“His confidence definitely stands out,” Poulter says. “He’s unique in that.”
Among other things, which is why he’s still without peer.
Now that Carolyn Bivens has further explained in Golf World the LPGA’s initiative to impose English proficiency standards next year on players under penalty of suspension, things have become more clear and substantiated. It’s clear that Bivens keeps exhibiting her lack of understanding of her job as LPGA commissioner.
Bob Tway could easily be part of the FedEx Cup's first playoff tournament, The Barclays, but the 49-year-old has different priorities this week. Instead of attempting to secure his PGA Tour card for 2009, Tway is carrying the bag of 20-year-old son Kevin at this week's U.S. Amateur Championship.
Enough, already. We get the point. Actually, we got the point four months and 3,762 references ago, because that’s about how many times we have been subjected to this nonsense about something Ben Hogan may have said 57 years ago.
Michelle Wie was on the verge of something big last week at the LPGA State Farm Classic — her first professional win. But a rules infraction got her DQ'd on Saturday. Now she'll go after that first win on the PGA Tour, and likely won't forget to sign her card.