July/August 2014 –One More Run for the Man;
I remember it as if it were yesterday.
Clad in his traditional Sunday garb of victory-red polo shirt and black slacks, Tiger Woods was stalking an 11th major championship just a little more than two months removed from the death of his father and best friend, Earl Woods.
I say stalking because Chris DiMarco, who was also grieving the loss of a parent (his mother had died two weeks earlier on July 4th), had emerged from a pack of challengers for the Claret Jug in the 135th British Open at Royal Liverpool Golf Club to press the defending champ during the final round. Which is more than can be said for the man with whom Tiger was paired, one Sergio Garcia, who made the suspect decision to wear all yellow which from the start projected a sense of caution instead of confidence.
The unwise choice in fashion inspired such nicknames as “Lemonade’’ and “Banana Man,’’ however, both could easily have described a game that had gone sour or a swing that suddenly produced enough untimely errant shots to sink the Spaniard’s hopes of a first major. On Sunday, Sergio was more canary than hawk.
Sorry, I couldn’t resist given the contentious relationship between Sergio and Tiger, and Sergio and the media, and apparently Sergio and the golf gods.
I digress.
Tiger would hold off DiMarco and claim a second consecutive Claret Jug. But the victory represented more than a successful title defense. It signaled the beginning of a new era for Tiger—one without his advisor and confidant.
He had gone through the storm and emerged on the other side stronger mentally and more determined than ever. The iconic image of Tiger crying on then-caddie Steve Williams’ shoulder was nothing less than an emotional exhale in which he released the pain from his loss.
I shed a tear, too, because I truly felt his pain. Earl had his faults, but he loved his youngest son unconditionally. He allowed Tiger to mature at his own pace on and off the golf course. Although he was well past 21 at the time and considered a full-grown man, it wasn’t until he endured the heartbreak of a loved one lost that Tiger reached manhood.
Real men aren’t afraid to cry. So he cried a river. Then he rejoiced in victory.
Tiger, immersed in the deepest major slump of his celebrated career (stuck on 14 since the 2008 U.S. Open), has returned to Royal Liverpool, site of this year’s Open. This time, however, he’s on the mend not from a broken heart but back surgery that sidelined him for more than three months.
How will he fare? Well, some oddsmakers have him at 16-1 to win; the same as U.S. Open champ Martin Kaymer but lower than the expectations for several other players including Justin Rose, Adam Scott, Rory McElroy and Henrik Stenson, who won the money title in both the U.S. and Europe in 2013.
That Tiger is rated so highly is somewhat surprising, especially when one considers his inactivity and apparent lack of preparation. He and the rest of the field are also facing a much different golf course from 2006 when unseasonably dry conditions browned out the links. This year, thanks to an abundance of rain during spring, it is lush; probably requiring more than long irons off the tees—Tiger’s strategy in ’06.
Conventional wisdom suggests that Tiger would do well to make the cut. However, his expectations remain the same—first place and nothing less. He never lowers the bar. Never.
Knowing Tiger, that’s more than wishful thinking. I was in South Florida visiting friends this past week and a little birdie told me he had worked really hard. In the past, that would surely translate into a run for the title if not “Sunday red’’ hoisting the trophy.
And if the past has taught us anything, it is not to put anything past Tiger. He has hit through a fist-sized rock to propel a golf ball before en route to victory. He has even walked down all challengers on a broken leg. He has gotten up off the mat more times than Rocky.
At 38 ½, with the remnants of that mental toughness Earl implanted in his subconscious so many years ago still clanging around up there somewhere beneath his Nike cap, Tiger surely has one more run left in him.
What better place to start than where he embraced manhood?
ABOUT PETE McDANIEL
Pete McDaniel is a veteran golf writer and best-selling author. His blogs and books are available at petemcdaniel.com
Comments on this topic may be emailed directly to Pete at: gdmcd@aol.com
