Before long, it was no contest.
Woods made two eagles in his first seven holes to turn a rally into a rout, matching the best final round of his career with an 8-under 63 to win the Deutsche Bank Championship on Monday and stretch his PGA Tour winning streak to five tournaments.
It was the first time Woods has won five straight times in one season, and his two-shot victory over Vijay Singh gave him seven titles in only 14 tournaments this year, a staggering victory rate of 50 percent.
About the only thing capable of stopping him right now is the schedule.
Woods is taking next week off.
"It's nice when you get on a roll like this where things are just happening," Woods said.
It all happened so quickly on Labor Day, where thousands of fans crammed behind the ropes to witness what was supposed to be a duel between Woods and Singh, who started the final round with a three-shot lead.
Woods hit a towering 6-iron from 210 yards that carried a swamp and plopped down 10 feet away from the hole for eagle on the par-5 second. Then came a tee shot to 15 feet for birdie on the next hole to give him a share of the lead.
"I just had to run him down as fast as possible, try to at least get him by the time the front nine was over," Woods said. "But I was able to do it within three holes."
Two holes later, he raised the putter in his left hand toward the sunny skies as a 25-foot birdie fell to give him the lead. And his best golf was yet to come.
Singh was helpless, a feeling that is spreading quickly on the PGA Tour.
He didn't do himself any favors by missing four of the first six greens and settling for pars. But even after Singh made a spectacular play of his own, an 87-yard bunker shot on the par-5 seventh that spun back to 2 feet, Woods made a 10-foot eagle for a two-shot lead.
And after two more birdie putts on the back nine that crushed Singh's spirits, Woods was hoisting yet another trophy.
"Tiger played unbelievable," Singh said. "He made two eagles and just took it away."
The streak started in July at the British Open, when Woods won for the first time since his father died in May. The tears flowed freely that afternoon in Hoylake as he coped with the realization that Earl Woods would never see him win another tournament.
The victories haven't stopped.
There were four rounds of 66 at the Buick Open, followed by a putting exhibition at Medinah that carried him to a five-shot victory in the PGA Championship for his 12th career major. Then came his 11th title in the World Golf Championships at Firestone, winning a four-hole playoff against Stewart Cink.
Trophies are coming in all shapes and sizes, and they are piling up quickly.
Byron Nelson won 11 straight tournaments in 1945, a streak regarded as one of the most untouchable in sports. Woods won four straight at the end of 1999 and his first two in 2000 for six in a row, tied with Ben Hogan in 1948 for the second-longest winning streak.
His next PGA Tour event will be the American Express Championship outside London the last week of September.
"You've got to have so many things go right," Woods said. "In this day and age, with this competition, to win 11 in a row would be almost unheard of. What Byron accomplished, that goes down as one of the great years in the history of our sport. You've got to have one bad week somewhere. I guess his bad week was a win."
Can the record be reached?
"If a lot of guys pull out," Woods said with a laugh.
Woods now takes a week off before heading to England for the HSBC World Match Play Championship, followed by the Ryder Cup and the American Express, where he is the defending champion.
He still isn't even halfway home to Nelson's hallowed mark, but he surpassed Lord Byron in one category.
Woods won for the 53rd time in his career, moving into fifth place alone on the career list. He finished at 16-under 268 and earned $990,000, pushing his season total to over $8.6 million.
Brian Bateman closed with a 66 to finish third at 8-under 276, eight shots behind Woods.
It was a two-man race between Woods and Singh, the duel everyone wanted. Two years ago, Singh and Woods went toe-to-toe in the final group with the Fijian winning by three to end Woods' five-year reign atop the world ranking.
No one expected such a sudden role reversal, especially with Singh coming off a career-best 61.
"Vijay played one of the great rounds of golf yesterday," Woods said. "I figured one of the hardest things to do is follow a great round with another one."
This time, it was Woods who fired at the flags and never took his foot off the gas until he settled for par on the last hole for a 63.
Woods twice shot 63 in the final round at the Byron Nelson Championship and once at Disney, but this was his lowest final round in a tournament that he won.
It also was his largest comeback in the final round since he overcame a five-shot deficit at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in 2000, which he won for his sixth straight victory. Woods made up seven shots over his final seven holes.
This rally came early, and it was spectacular.
After missing a 6-foot birdie putt on the opening hole, Woods hammered his driver over the bunkers, leaving him a 7-iron into the green on the par-5 second hole and making the eagle. He covered the flag with his next shot on the par-3 third, making a 15-foot birdie putt to tie Singh for the lead. And when he rolled in a 25-footer on the fifth, Woods was in the lead.
Justin Rose started the day tied with Woods, and imagine his disgust when he saw the leaderboard.
"I was 4 over through five holes, he was 4 under through five," Rose said. "Obviously, it was 'Game Over' for me."
Singh didn't go away that easily.
Woods' second eagle was better than the first one. From 266 yards away and the wind in his face, he hit a bullet of a 3-wood that never got more than 15 feet off the ground. It pounded the bank fronting the green and climbed up to 10 feet.
Singh followed with his great bunker shot, and there was a chance he would escape without losing a shot.
"He hits a great shot," Woods said. "So if I make my putt, I take all his momentum away from him. And I knocked it right in there."
Woods turned toward his caddie and lightly pumped his fist, although Steve Williams was far more animated, shaking his fist twice. It was a big putt, giving Woods a two-shot margin, making it that much more difficult for Singh to recover.
Updated on Monday, Sep 4, 2006 8:47 pm EDT
Woods made two eagles in his first seven holes to turn a rally into a rout, matching the best final round of his career with an 8-under 63 to win the Deutsche Bank Championship on Monday and stretch his PGA Tour winning streak to five tournaments.
It was the first time Woods has won five straight times in one season, and his two-shot victory over Vijay Singh gave him seven titles in only 14 tournaments this year, a staggering victory rate of 50 percent.
About the only thing capable of stopping him right now is the schedule.
Woods is taking next week off.
"It's nice when you get on a roll like this where things are just happening," Woods said.
It all happened so quickly on Labor Day, where thousands of fans crammed behind the ropes to witness what was supposed to be a duel between Woods and Singh, who started the final round with a three-shot lead.
Woods hit a towering 6-iron from 210 yards that carried a swamp and plopped down 10 feet away from the hole for eagle on the par-5 second. Then came a tee shot to 15 feet for birdie on the next hole to give him a share of the lead.
"I just had to run him down as fast as possible, try to at least get him by the time the front nine was over," Woods said. "But I was able to do it within three holes."
Two holes later, he raised the putter in his left hand toward the sunny skies as a 25-foot birdie fell to give him the lead. And his best golf was yet to come.
Singh was helpless, a feeling that is spreading quickly on the PGA Tour.
He didn't do himself any favors by missing four of the first six greens and settling for pars. But even after Singh made a spectacular play of his own, an 87-yard bunker shot on the par-5 seventh that spun back to 2 feet, Woods made a 10-foot eagle for a two-shot lead.
And after two more birdie putts on the back nine that crushed Singh's spirits, Woods was hoisting yet another trophy.
"Tiger played unbelievable," Singh said. "He made two eagles and just took it away."
The streak started in July at the British Open, when Woods won for the first time since his father died in May. The tears flowed freely that afternoon in Hoylake as he coped with the realization that Earl Woods would never see him win another tournament.
The victories haven't stopped.
There were four rounds of 66 at the Buick Open, followed by a putting exhibition at Medinah that carried him to a five-shot victory in the PGA Championship for his 12th career major. Then came his 11th title in the World Golf Championships at Firestone, winning a four-hole playoff against Stewart Cink.
Trophies are coming in all shapes and sizes, and they are piling up quickly.
Byron Nelson won 11 straight tournaments in 1945, a streak regarded as one of the most untouchable in sports. Woods won four straight at the end of 1999 and his first two in 2000 for six in a row, tied with Ben Hogan in 1948 for the second-longest winning streak.
His next PGA Tour event will be the American Express Championship outside London the last week of September.
"You've got to have so many things go right," Woods said. "In this day and age, with this competition, to win 11 in a row would be almost unheard of. What Byron accomplished, that goes down as one of the great years in the history of our sport. You've got to have one bad week somewhere. I guess his bad week was a win."
Can the record be reached?
"If a lot of guys pull out," Woods said with a laugh.
Woods now takes a week off before heading to England for the HSBC World Match Play Championship, followed by the Ryder Cup and the American Express, where he is the defending champion.
He still isn't even halfway home to Nelson's hallowed mark, but he surpassed Lord Byron in one category.
Woods won for the 53rd time in his career, moving into fifth place alone on the career list. He finished at 16-under 268 and earned $990,000, pushing his season total to over $8.6 million.
Brian Bateman closed with a 66 to finish third at 8-under 276, eight shots behind Woods.
It was a two-man race between Woods and Singh, the duel everyone wanted. Two years ago, Singh and Woods went toe-to-toe in the final group with the Fijian winning by three to end Woods' five-year reign atop the world ranking.
No one expected such a sudden role reversal, especially with Singh coming off a career-best 61.
"Vijay played one of the great rounds of golf yesterday," Woods said. "I figured one of the hardest things to do is follow a great round with another one."
This time, it was Woods who fired at the flags and never took his foot off the gas until he settled for par on the last hole for a 63.
Woods twice shot 63 in the final round at the Byron Nelson Championship and once at Disney, but this was his lowest final round in a tournament that he won.
It also was his largest comeback in the final round since he overcame a five-shot deficit at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in 2000, which he won for his sixth straight victory. Woods made up seven shots over his final seven holes.
This rally came early, and it was spectacular.
After missing a 6-foot birdie putt on the opening hole, Woods hammered his driver over the bunkers, leaving him a 7-iron into the green on the par-5 second hole and making the eagle. He covered the flag with his next shot on the par-3 third, making a 15-foot birdie putt to tie Singh for the lead. And when he rolled in a 25-footer on the fifth, Woods was in the lead.
Justin Rose started the day tied with Woods, and imagine his disgust when he saw the leaderboard.
"I was 4 over through five holes, he was 4 under through five," Rose said. "Obviously, it was 'Game Over' for me."
Singh didn't go away that easily.
Woods' second eagle was better than the first one. From 266 yards away and the wind in his face, he hit a bullet of a 3-wood that never got more than 15 feet off the ground. It pounded the bank fronting the green and climbed up to 10 feet.
Singh followed with his great bunker shot, and there was a chance he would escape without losing a shot.
"He hits a great shot," Woods said. "So if I make my putt, I take all his momentum away from him. And I knocked it right in there."
Woods turned toward his caddie and lightly pumped his fist, although Steve Williams was far more animated, shaking his fist twice. It was a big putt, giving Woods a two-shot margin, making it that much more difficult for Singh to recover.
Updated on Monday, Sep 4, 2006 8:47 pm EDT
------------------
Woods keeps streak alive
By JIMMY GOLEN, AP Sports Writer
September 5, 2006
NORTON, Mass. (AP) -- He knows how many majors Jack Nicklaus won, Sam Snead's record for total victories and, yes, Tiger Woods knows all about Byron Nelson's 11-tournament winning streak, too.
"It wasn't just 11. It was 11 in a row, 12 out of 13, 18 for the year," Woods said, rattling off the details in rapid fire. "That will work."
Woods won his fifth consecutive tournament on Monday, shooting an 8-under 63 in the final round of the Deutsche Bank Championship to beat Vijay Singh by two strokes. With his 53rd career victory, Woods moved past Nelson into fifth on the all-time list.
But he still has some work to do to top Nelson's record-setting streak from 1945.
"In this day and age, with this competition, to win 11 in a row would be almost unheard of," Woods said when asked how Nelson's accomplishment compared with others, like Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak. "What Byron accomplished, that goes down as one of the great years in the history of our sport. ... DiMaggio's record, I see that being broken more than winning 11 in a row."
Woods' streak began with the British Open -- his first victory after his father died. Now, he's almost halfway to Lord Byron's mark, matching the best final round of his career to finish at 16-under 268 and win for the seventh time this year.
No other player has won more than twice.
Woods won six straight at the end of 1999 and the start of 2000, and Ben Hogan won six in a row in 1948. Woods plans a week off before heading to England for the HSBC World Match Play Championship, followed by the Ryder Cup.
His next PGA Tour start will be the American Express Championship outside London at the end of September.
Is 11 within reach?
"If a lot of guys pull out," Woods said with a laugh.
Singh shot a course-record 61 on Sunday to take a three-stroke lead into the final day. But he followed that up with a 68, shooting even par on the front nine while Woods went 6 under -- with two eagles -- on the first seven holes.
"Normally it's good enough. Today it wasn't," Singh said. "Tiger played incredible on the front nine. I hung in there but I made too many mistakes."
Brian Bateman shot 66 to finish third at 8-under 276. Justin Rose, who entered the day tied with Woods in second, closed with a 72 to finish in a tie for fourth at 7 under with Robert Allenby (68).
"I was 4 over through five holes; he was 4 under through five," Rose said. "Obviously, it was 'Game Over' for me."
Woods twice shot 63 in the final round at the Byron Nelson Championship and once at Disney, but this was his lowest final round in a tournament that he won. It also was his largest comeback in the final round since he overcame a five-shot deficit at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in 2000, which he won for his sixth straight victory.
In the process, he crossed out something else on his ever diminishing "to-do" list: He had never won the Deutsche Bank Championship, a tournament that lists his foundation as one of its charitable beneficiaries. The closest he came in three previous tries was 2004, when Singh won a head-to-head matchup on the final day to knock Woods from atop the world rankings after 264 weeks at No. 1.
There are only five events left on the PGA Tour that Woods has played in more than once without winning.
Woods, who did not make bogey in his last 47 holes, missed a 6-foot birdie putt on the first hole but made an eagle on the par-5 second. He tied Singh on the third with a 15-foot birdie putt and moved into first with a 25-footer on the fifth.
"I just had to run him down as fast as possible, try to at least get him by the front nine was over. But I was able to do it within three holes," Woods said.
"One of the hardest things to do in our sport is follow up a great round with another great round. So I just kept thinking that if Vijay shot something in the high 60s, I figured mid-60s would either get me in a playoff or win it. And that was what I had in mind today, and I was able to actually go a little bit lower than that."
Singh landed the green from a bunker 87 yards out on the seventh hole, spinning his ball to within 2 feet of the pin for a tap-in birdie. But Woods curled in from 10 feet for his second eagle of the day and a two-stroke lead.
"He hits a great shot," Woods said. "So if I make my putt, I take all his momentum away from him. And I knocked it right in there."
Updated on Tuesday, Sep 5, 2006 3:21 am EDT
By JIMMY GOLEN, AP Sports Writer
September 5, 2006
NORTON, Mass. (AP) -- He knows how many majors Jack Nicklaus won, Sam Snead's record for total victories and, yes, Tiger Woods knows all about Byron Nelson's 11-tournament winning streak, too.
"It wasn't just 11. It was 11 in a row, 12 out of 13, 18 for the year," Woods said, rattling off the details in rapid fire. "That will work."
Woods won his fifth consecutive tournament on Monday, shooting an 8-under 63 in the final round of the Deutsche Bank Championship to beat Vijay Singh by two strokes. With his 53rd career victory, Woods moved past Nelson into fifth on the all-time list.
But he still has some work to do to top Nelson's record-setting streak from 1945.
"In this day and age, with this competition, to win 11 in a row would be almost unheard of," Woods said when asked how Nelson's accomplishment compared with others, like Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak. "What Byron accomplished, that goes down as one of the great years in the history of our sport. ... DiMaggio's record, I see that being broken more than winning 11 in a row."
Woods' streak began with the British Open -- his first victory after his father died. Now, he's almost halfway to Lord Byron's mark, matching the best final round of his career to finish at 16-under 268 and win for the seventh time this year.
No other player has won more than twice.
Woods won six straight at the end of 1999 and the start of 2000, and Ben Hogan won six in a row in 1948. Woods plans a week off before heading to England for the HSBC World Match Play Championship, followed by the Ryder Cup.
His next PGA Tour start will be the American Express Championship outside London at the end of September.
Is 11 within reach?
"If a lot of guys pull out," Woods said with a laugh.
Singh shot a course-record 61 on Sunday to take a three-stroke lead into the final day. But he followed that up with a 68, shooting even par on the front nine while Woods went 6 under -- with two eagles -- on the first seven holes.
"Normally it's good enough. Today it wasn't," Singh said. "Tiger played incredible on the front nine. I hung in there but I made too many mistakes."
Brian Bateman shot 66 to finish third at 8-under 276. Justin Rose, who entered the day tied with Woods in second, closed with a 72 to finish in a tie for fourth at 7 under with Robert Allenby (68).
"I was 4 over through five holes; he was 4 under through five," Rose said. "Obviously, it was 'Game Over' for me."
Woods twice shot 63 in the final round at the Byron Nelson Championship and once at Disney, but this was his lowest final round in a tournament that he won. It also was his largest comeback in the final round since he overcame a five-shot deficit at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in 2000, which he won for his sixth straight victory.
In the process, he crossed out something else on his ever diminishing "to-do" list: He had never won the Deutsche Bank Championship, a tournament that lists his foundation as one of its charitable beneficiaries. The closest he came in three previous tries was 2004, when Singh won a head-to-head matchup on the final day to knock Woods from atop the world rankings after 264 weeks at No. 1.
There are only five events left on the PGA Tour that Woods has played in more than once without winning.
Woods, who did not make bogey in his last 47 holes, missed a 6-foot birdie putt on the first hole but made an eagle on the par-5 second. He tied Singh on the third with a 15-foot birdie putt and moved into first with a 25-footer on the fifth.
"I just had to run him down as fast as possible, try to at least get him by the front nine was over. But I was able to do it within three holes," Woods said.
"One of the hardest things to do in our sport is follow up a great round with another great round. So I just kept thinking that if Vijay shot something in the high 60s, I figured mid-60s would either get me in a playoff or win it. And that was what I had in mind today, and I was able to actually go a little bit lower than that."
Singh landed the green from a bunker 87 yards out on the seventh hole, spinning his ball to within 2 feet of the pin for a tap-in birdie. But Woods curled in from 10 feet for his second eagle of the day and a two-stroke lead.
"He hits a great shot," Woods said. "So if I make my putt, I take all his momentum away from him. And I knocked it right in there."
Updated on Tuesday, Sep 5, 2006 3:21 am EDT
---------------------
Enjoy Tiger Woods because golf will never see another like him again
By TIM DAHLBERG, AP Sports Columnist
September 5, 2006
Vijay Singh had a smile on his face when it was over, the kind of dazed smile we should be accustomed to by now because it's been on the faces of a lot of guys who have teed it up in recent weeks against Tiger Woods.
Singh didn't have much to say. There wasn't much he could say.
Really, there's not much left to be said.
If you're counting, Woods has now won five tournaments in a row. Watch him shoot a 63 in the final round of the Deutsche Bank Classic and you wonder how he can possibly lose again.
He will, of course, because golf can be a maddening game, even if your first name is Tiger. Someone may even come from behind some day and beat him at a major championship, as improbable as that might seem.
For now, though, be content to watch greatness. Savor the moment so you can tell your grandchildren you were there during the day when one man was so mentally tough and physically gifted that he could seemingly will his way to victory.
Enjoy him, because golf may never see the likes of a Tiger Woods again.
He's already the greatest player of his time. Barring injury, he'll become the greatest player of all time sooner than anyone ever thought.
What has to frighten his fellow players is that the best may still be coming.
"Everything can always be better," Woods said. "This game is fluid. It's always changing, it's always evolving and you can always get better. That's the great thing about it. You can get better tomorrow than you are today."
The words might sound arrogant, coming as they do from someone who has won five tournaments, including two major championships, in a row. But the best always have a touch of arrogance in them, and Woods is no exception.
Besides, he really believes it.
He overhauled his swing once even after winning big early in his career. He did it again after winning seven of 11 majors at one stretch, presumably because he figured he should have won them all.
Woods is close to becoming a billionaire but, in an era of pampered pros who are content just to earn a nice living, he plays as though he doesn't have two nickels to rub together.
If possible, he's more obsessive about remaining the best than he was at becoming the best.
"I could always hit the ball better, chip better, put better, think better," Woods said.
There wasn't much Woods could have done better on the front nine Monday when he caught Singh with an eagle and birdie in the first three holes and was never really threatened the rest of the way. Give Singh some credit because he tried when others would have given up, but the result never seemed in doubt.
It didn't on the back nine at the PGA Championship either. Or, for that matter, the final round of the British Open.
So now it's five in a row, though you get the feeling that Woods isn't as impressed with the winning streak as his fellow competitors might be. It's a career to them, but to the game's best player it's merely a summer fling.
That's partly because Woods has already won six in a row once, the last four he played in 1999 and the first two the next year. And even he considers the record of 11 straight during the final year of World War II by Byron Nelson almost unapproachable.
The only thing that really matters to Woods is major championships, and almost lost in the talk about his streak is that he owns trophies from the last two. He'll go into next year's Masters as a prohibitive favorite to win his fifth green jacket, and a win at the U.S. Open at Oakmont would give him the Tiger Slam for the second time in his career.
Assuming he wins those -- and it's hard to assume against Woods the way his game looks right now -- he would have a chance to win the real Grand Slam and edge tantalizingly close to the record of 18 major championships now held by Jack Nicklaus.
Nicklaus, of course, is generally regarded as the best player ever. But he never won tournaments in bunches like Woods is doing, and he never held all four major titles at once like Woods has a chance of doing for the second time next year.
Woods needs only 21 PGA Tour wins to pass Nicklaus for second place in overall wins, and seven major championships to overtake him in the category that means the most. He'll get those, and by the time he's in his mid-30s he will likely break the record held by Sam Snead of 82 tour wins.
By then, Woods won't have anybody left to chase. He will have to motivate himself by trying to set the bar so high that no one will ever break his records.
Knowing Woods, he will do just that.
The great ones usually do.
Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at tdahlberg@ap.org
Updated on Tuesday, Sep 5, 2006 12:33 pm EDT
By TIM DAHLBERG, AP Sports Columnist
September 5, 2006
Vijay Singh had a smile on his face when it was over, the kind of dazed smile we should be accustomed to by now because it's been on the faces of a lot of guys who have teed it up in recent weeks against Tiger Woods.
Singh didn't have much to say. There wasn't much he could say.
Really, there's not much left to be said.
If you're counting, Woods has now won five tournaments in a row. Watch him shoot a 63 in the final round of the Deutsche Bank Classic and you wonder how he can possibly lose again.
He will, of course, because golf can be a maddening game, even if your first name is Tiger. Someone may even come from behind some day and beat him at a major championship, as improbable as that might seem.
For now, though, be content to watch greatness. Savor the moment so you can tell your grandchildren you were there during the day when one man was so mentally tough and physically gifted that he could seemingly will his way to victory.
Enjoy him, because golf may never see the likes of a Tiger Woods again.
He's already the greatest player of his time. Barring injury, he'll become the greatest player of all time sooner than anyone ever thought.
What has to frighten his fellow players is that the best may still be coming.
"Everything can always be better," Woods said. "This game is fluid. It's always changing, it's always evolving and you can always get better. That's the great thing about it. You can get better tomorrow than you are today."
The words might sound arrogant, coming as they do from someone who has won five tournaments, including two major championships, in a row. But the best always have a touch of arrogance in them, and Woods is no exception.
Besides, he really believes it.
He overhauled his swing once even after winning big early in his career. He did it again after winning seven of 11 majors at one stretch, presumably because he figured he should have won them all.
Woods is close to becoming a billionaire but, in an era of pampered pros who are content just to earn a nice living, he plays as though he doesn't have two nickels to rub together.
If possible, he's more obsessive about remaining the best than he was at becoming the best.
"I could always hit the ball better, chip better, put better, think better," Woods said.
There wasn't much Woods could have done better on the front nine Monday when he caught Singh with an eagle and birdie in the first three holes and was never really threatened the rest of the way. Give Singh some credit because he tried when others would have given up, but the result never seemed in doubt.
It didn't on the back nine at the PGA Championship either. Or, for that matter, the final round of the British Open.
So now it's five in a row, though you get the feeling that Woods isn't as impressed with the winning streak as his fellow competitors might be. It's a career to them, but to the game's best player it's merely a summer fling.
That's partly because Woods has already won six in a row once, the last four he played in 1999 and the first two the next year. And even he considers the record of 11 straight during the final year of World War II by Byron Nelson almost unapproachable.
The only thing that really matters to Woods is major championships, and almost lost in the talk about his streak is that he owns trophies from the last two. He'll go into next year's Masters as a prohibitive favorite to win his fifth green jacket, and a win at the U.S. Open at Oakmont would give him the Tiger Slam for the second time in his career.
Assuming he wins those -- and it's hard to assume against Woods the way his game looks right now -- he would have a chance to win the real Grand Slam and edge tantalizingly close to the record of 18 major championships now held by Jack Nicklaus.
Nicklaus, of course, is generally regarded as the best player ever. But he never won tournaments in bunches like Woods is doing, and he never held all four major titles at once like Woods has a chance of doing for the second time next year.
Woods needs only 21 PGA Tour wins to pass Nicklaus for second place in overall wins, and seven major championships to overtake him in the category that means the most. He'll get those, and by the time he's in his mid-30s he will likely break the record held by Sam Snead of 82 tour wins.
By then, Woods won't have anybody left to chase. He will have to motivate himself by trying to set the bar so high that no one will ever break his records.
Knowing Woods, he will do just that.
The great ones usually do.
Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at tdahlberg@ap.org
Updated on Tuesday, Sep 5, 2006 12:33 pm EDT
No comments:
Post a Comment