Tiger is simply the best

The statistics do not lie. A bum knee, no matter. Same song, different verse. Eldrick Tont “Tiger” Woods hoisted the trophy on the 18^th green at Torrey Pines Golf Club as the 2008 United States Open Champion.

A total of 8,390 golfers submitted entry forms for the 113^th U.S. Open. The list also included Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, along with former tennis icons Ivan Lendl and Michael Chang. One by one, they fell by the wayside. It was if you had picked up a new book and realized you had read it before.

Never mind this is the first time Woods has walked a complete round since placing 2^nd in The Masters this past April. Never mind he is two months removed from having arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. Never mind he was trailing by one stroke to then leader Rocco Mediate heading into the final hole, only to birdie and force an 18-hole playoff on Monday. Never mind it took another birdie to force sudden death following the playoff. Just another day at the office.

Woods, tied with Mediate after the 18-hole playoff, saw Mediate concede after driving his tee shot in the bunker side green and failing to successfully get up and down. He knew victory was his yet again. Woods hugged his caddy Steve Williams, thanked the patrons in the crowd with a tip of the hat and notched his third U.S. Open Championship. His previous wins were 2000 and 2002 and is now tied with Hale Irvin with Open victories.

Woods headed into the final round as the clubhouse leader for the 13^th time in his storied career with a staggering 13-0 record when doing so. Make that 14-0 now. The 31-year old places 2^nd all time in “Major” wins with 14, second to Jack Nicklaus with 18. A “Major” win consists of four main tournaments in the world of golf, The Masters, the U.S. Open, The Open Championships (British Open) and The PGA Championship.

His records are unmatched considering his age. From the streak of 500 consecutive weeks as the top ranked player on the PGA Tour, to the largest margin of victory in the history of the PGA Tour, 15 strokes in 2000 U.S. Open Championship.

Even Mediate himself was caught up in the moment following the loss. “You just knew he would make the pressure puts, he’s just amazing,” the pro was quoted after the final hole. Poetic? Maybe. Honest? No doubt.

At a young age, Earl Woods would take his young protégé to the local clubs and dare the members to play him. They would scoff at the idea. The young Woods promptly executed the magic that flows from the club head. He was not invited back. Mainly from his prowess as an exceptional young player and mostly due to his skin color. Times have changed. A change for the better. As the 18^th green was engulfed with fans of the golf world, the only color that mattered was silver. The color of the 2008 US Open Championship trophy.

The numbers and statistics continue to mount. By the time his career comes to an end, we will be privileged to relay his back nine heroics of all the final round finishes to our families. This past Monday was one to remember. I’m sure it won’t be the last.