The 2010 Masters might have been the most anticipated golf tournment in the last 30 years and rightfully so. The return of the King, Tiger Woods, was definitely the focus of the week-long event in Augusta. Beginning with his Tuesday press conference, it was clear that the golfing world had been recharged after a quiet beginning to the 2010 season. Who would have thought that by the end of the week the focus would turn and be directed towards his left-handed nemesis.
Well I have to start by saying that I was shocked with the way that Tiger played the first two days, heading into the weekend 6 under par and strongly in contention in the his first event in 5 months. It was truly remarkable the way Tiger was able to focus and compete under intense media scrutiny. But as the week wore on I began to think to myself that maybe this isn't an impressive level of focus, but maybe this says more about Tiger, the person.
Tiger's struggles both personally and professionally had been well documented in the 5 months leading up to the Masters, in fact you would have to not own a television or have contact with the outside world to not know what had transpired in his life. From losing giant sponsorships (AT&T, Gatorade, Accenture, etc) to losing his marriage; Tiger has had the most tumultous five months anyone could possibly imagine. Despite these events, Tiger came out on Thursday firing on all cylinders and in the process trying to shut down all of his critics.
Another man in the field who had a forgettable 12 months was Phil Mickelson. In a matter of months his wife Amy and mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Comparing which of the two men has had a rougher year is debatable, but most would say that Mickelson did not self-inflict his predicament.
Now to the golf: the tournament was one of the best I've seen in a long time. You had Tom Watson at the ripe age of 62 in contention after the 1st day, an ailing Fred Couples in it until the back 9 Sunday and of course Tiger and Phil. These two are the modern day Jack and Arnie, or at least every golf fan hopes they will be someday in terms of rivalry. Saturday brought one of the most electrifying 3 hole stretches in Master's history with Mickelson going Eagle, Eagle, birdie. Hell, Augusta builds bridges for golfers with that kind of magical performance. As Phil began to surge into Sunday, Tiger began to fall apart. One enormous contrast between the two, Phil's wife and family were on the 18th green for the first time in a year and Tiger, well he was going it alone with no family there to support him.
As Phil put a bow on his 3rd Green Jacket in six years, it was apparent to me who the good guy was in this story. Not the nemesis of Tiger, but the anti-thesis, an all around good guy
who had his family to share in his victory. Not stalking the course, uttering expletives when there was a bad shot, but a man who kept his cool and a smile throughout the week.
Tiger may in the end may be called the greatest golfer ever, but I have hard time believing that he will be the greatest man to play the sport. That will still belong to Jack Nicklaus, even if Tiger breaks the magical "18" major mark. Tiger's game needs tweaking and he is far from regaining his status as one of the greatest athletes on the planet.
No comments:
Post a Comment