While watching this weekend's British Open, I became convinced Tiger Woods has what it takes to add one or two more Major titles to his current 14.
I'm also sure of something else -- Woods will not surpass Jack Nicklaus as the all-time Major winner (18 championships).
As he continues to try and rediscover the Tiger of old, Woods faces an opponent he never will be able to stare down: Father Time.
Putting together four rounds of precision driving and radar-like putting becomes more and more difficult with every tournament, every month and every year.
Throw in the increasing number of talented PGA Tour and international young guns, the Golden Bear's Major mark seems more golden than ever.
Scott misses out on Big Easy victory
I love, when after a player suffers a crushing defeat, broadcasters or fellow athletes tell that player something such as: "Keep your head up. With your talent, you'll win many of these."
A nice sentiment. I'm sure 23-year-old Dan Marino heard such things after Super Bowl XIX.
Marino, you might recall, never played in the big game again.
Adam Scott has the talent to win Major golf tournaments. Also, players often benefit from the experience of contending in a Major.
Shooting a 75 on the final day of the British Open is no embarrassment. Doing so with four closing bogeys that turned a four-stroke lead into a second-place finish behind the Big Easy, Ernie Els, simply might mean the law of averages on a tough course caught up to him.
But Scott is crushed right now, and he should be. Opportunities such as the one he blew Sunday don't come along often, even for an extremely talented golfer.
D-Day for Penn State: Monday, 9 a.m. ET
When it comes to imposing any penalty or sentence, any judge or decision maker usually has two main objectives:
1. Retribution
2. Deterrence
NCAA President Marl Emmert will announce 9 a.m. ET Monday he is personally sanctioning Penn State in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal.
The officials most responsible for the Sandusky child abuse cover-up no longer are working for the school. With that being the case, hopefully the many good people dependent upon the university and football program will not have to pay too dearly.
But as mentioned in yesterday's blog, the NCAA needs to come down hard on Penn State -- and other violators of rules -- to send a serious message to all members.
If reports of a "multiple-year" bowl ban and "staggering" scholarship loss are true, the local Un-Happy Valley economy still we will be able to make money on football Saturdays.
And hopefully, all people under NCAA jurisdiction will be put on notice.
When all the info came out about all of his sordid extra-marital affairs, it not only ruined his image (which many people seem to have forgotten for the most part) and cost him millions in endorsement deals (although some of those companies are back with him), it did two other things that he can't get back.
ReplyDeleteFirst is something you mentioned, which is time. No athlete, no matter how great, comes back right away and gets it back after being away for so long. Michael Jordan needed a season to regain his old form after taking a year and a half off and playing baseball (the Bulls lost to the Magic in the playoffs when he did rejoin them). Now, Jordan did regain his form fairly quickly, but the difference between him and Woods is that a) Jordan kept active in a sport and b) he has a supporting cast to help him out. Also, keep in mind that Woods WAS injured when he was away (he had the knee injury already, and who knows what kind of damage he did when he crashed his car; that never came out).
Second, and maybe more importantly, is that this sense of "invincibility" that Tiger permeated was shattered. I'm sure he had the attitude that nothing could touch him -- it obviously showed on the golf course, and (as we know know) he had it in his personal life. Here he was, with all of these affairs going on, and he was able to get away with it for so long (and I'm sure he had a select few people who knew, and who made sure the public didn't). It's apparent his wife didn't know till the very late going (when she spotted the cell phone texts). But that sense of being impenetrable is something that existed on and off the course. And when he lost it outside of golf, I think it carried over to the links.
Others factors:
* He's getting older and the young guns -- guys who never went head-to-head with the peak Tiger and crumbled -- are good and aren't intimidated.
* The injuries are still around, and they're bound to be more plentiful as the years go on.
* One thing that really hasn't been discussed: There has always been speculation that Tiger used PEDs, likely making a great golfer into an immortal. If he took them, and if he's still taking them, the positive effects won't be the same as he gets older.
-- Stephen Hart