Tiger Now is Human - The American Spectator | USA News and Politics
Tiger Now is Human
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Bizarre. First Tiger Woods fails to hold a lead the lead at the PGA, AND his competitor (Yang) actually hits a career shot on 18 to nail down the victory. Then, today, Tiger did his usual amazing shot to within less than seven feet on the final hole to set up the inevitable birdie to tie for the lead anmd force the two co-leaders, Heath Slocum and Steve Stricker, to choke by making bogeys so Tiger can win… except that for maybe the only time ever, Tiger actually failed to convert an essential 72nd hole putt, AND then Slocum, 15 minutes later, faced with a 20 footer for par to beat Tiger by one…actually MADE IT. Suddenly, Tiger is human, and his competitors aren’t totally flummoxed by him. All of which still probably is just a blip, because Tiger probably will win six or seven more major titles at least.

STILL, it does at least raise this thought: Tiger is at the age when a whole lot of all-time greats and near-greats suddenly lost their ability to close out major titles. Tiger must win four more professional majors to tie Jack Nicklaus’s record. Woods will be 34 before the next Masters rolls around. Total number of majors won by all of the following golfers after age 34 — COMBINED — is… drum roll please… just three. This is the list who, all together, won just three majors after their 34th birthdays:

Lee Trevino

Arnold Palmer

Gene Sarazen

Tom Watson

Byron Nelson

Seve Ballesteros

… and Johnny Miller, Tom Weiskopf, Ernie Els (so far), Davis Love III, Fred Couples, John Daly, Gene Littler, Ken Venturi, Tony Jacklin, Jerry Pate, Hal Sutton, John Mahaffey and Lanny Wadkins.

Tiger Woods is incredibly good. To catch Nicklaus, he has to be better than Trevino, Palmer, Sarazen, Watson, Nelson, Ballesteros, and all the rest COMBINED. In a sense, that is. That’s a pretty tall order. And it also is quite a testament to what Nicklaus accomplished (including six majors after age 34) and what Woods has accomplished already.

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