Turning Golf Into a Personal Playground?

I'm also sick of people labeling Kobe Bryant the next Jordan. Kobe has a horse to ride that allows him to never be under a bit of pressure. With the NBA set up so that a huge (in stature) player is allowed to drive over (not around) defenders, the Los Angeles Lakers are not dominant. They are just fortunate.

The Lakers' third championship should not be mentioned anywhere near the Chicago Bulls of the '90s.

This brings me to my main point. If Kobe and Shaq are not dominant in the same sense that Jordan was, Tiger Woods is the closest thing.Tiger is the Jordan of now.

Jordan was better athletically, mentally and competitively than any player with whom he played and maybe in the history of the NBA. Six years into his professional career, Tiger Woods is the best player in the history of his sport. He already has eight majors and is two away from a grand slam.

I'm a golf enthusiast and had been watching golf long before the Tiger bandwagon came along. I'll even readily admit that it's not fun to watch a game be dominated so totally by a single individual. There's no competition, no on-the-edge-of-the-seat action. But I do find everything that Tiger does simply amazing. Jack Nicklaus' records may still stand -- but only for a while.

It's not just Tiger blowing away the field by 12 strokes at Augusta or manhandling the field at Pebble Beach by 15 shots. This weekend, as I was watching the 102nd U.S. Open at Bethpage Black, it occurred to me that what Tiger does is far less noticeable than dunking in some opponent's face or crossing him over and making him look foolish.

Tiger sat back with a first-round lead and played a very boring version of his game. Fairways and greens, two-putts and pars. There was no last-second jumper to photograph or replay on highlight reels. There's a fist pump and a trophy hoist. There's a birdie putt and green jacket. Every part of his game is on the highest of levels.

Tiger has sucked the competition dry out of a sport that has always had challengers. Golf has always had a Sam Snead, a Byron Nelson, a Ben Hogan, a Jack Nicklaus, an Arnold Palmer or a Tom Watson. Every champion had a challenger until Tiger redefined the landscape of golf ... landscape that he continues to alter, making it appear more like his own personal playground.

Last Sunday, Tiger made Sergio Garcia look like a whiner and a baby and, again, made Phil Mickelson look like failure for being the second best golfer on a stage where only No. 1 wins the majors. Can you name a challenger for Mr. Woods? There aren't any.

Despite anything that Tiger has done to take away from competition, he has done wonders to bring the game to a different crowd. If you watched any of the telecast of last week's Open, then you heard someone talk about the crowds. Bethpage Black is the first truly public course to hold the national championship of golf. For the first time a public course filled with average golf fans waiting to anoint their champion. Golf's days of elitism are numbered.

I remember when I was 15 years old and attended my first Masters Tournament in 1995. By chance, my dad had stumbled upon a pair of badges for us. We weren't your average Augusta patrons. I remember being the only person under the age of 20. Everyone there was of the same mold of middle- to upper-class businessmen.

That was Tiger's second Masters, and there was no attention on him. Today, the same event would draw a diverse crowd that would compare to a day game at Wrigley Field or basketball game at Madison Square Garden.

Tiger has changed the face of golf.

I was eating dinner Saturday night when my dad told me the story of two older women he had just seen sitting around watching the U.S. Open. He said Tiger was eyeing a putt, when one of them burst out, "Come on, Tiger!" That sums up what Tiger Woods is all about. He bring fans to the game from every walk of life. He brings a new passion and excitement.

He's something special beyond the game. Twice in my young lifetime, I've been able to witness someone who transcends his game for something greater.

Jordan was a few years ago; Tiger is now.

If you think Tiger should play left-handed to make Sundays a bit more interesting, e-mail me at tompkins@email.unc.edu.