Pops would be proud of all Tiger's deeds, but with a "but"  PGATOUR.com Senior Correspondent LA JOLLA, Calif. -- He can imagine what "Pops" would say. He can picture the old man's weathered face and imagine how he would employ a wry smile to reinforce a crumbling façade giving way to the pride percolating within him. But the father would not be impressed with what his son accomplished Sunday at Torrey Pines Golf Course, the history he's making, so the son shrugs, happy to win again but not satisfied beyond the realm of seeing a process through to an intended conclusion.  Even in victory, Tiger Woods could count on his dad for some advice on how to handle the next hurdle. (Getty Images)
Tiger Woods, another notch in his belt, another niche established, has only memories now to bring his late father, Earl, into the narrow prism of his singular and still developing excellence. Progenitor and architect of golf's golden child, Earl Woods, who died last May, would have reveled in his son's latest conquest, but beyond the loving bear hug there would be an implicit question. "He would be giving me some stick, because that is what he always did," Tiger Woods muses, his pride in his father evident by the gleam in his eyes. "He would be proud of me, but ... and there'd always be a 'but.' He'd be thinking, 'so what's next?' That's the way it was with us." What's next? Eight. Because eight comes after seven, the number of consecutive PGA TOUR victories Tiger Woods has now registered dating back to last year's British Open. No. 7 he collected Sunday at the Buick Invitational, where in his first start of 2007 he fired the low round of the tournament, emerged from a skirmish with a handful of upset-minded foes, and further burnished his reputation as the most bullet-proof performer in a game that mows down all participants with impunity. In winning his third straight Buick crown and fifth overall, Woods crossed a threshold breached by only one other man in history. Byron Nelson, who departed this world not long after Earl Woods, owns one of the most mystical records in sports: 11 wins in a row, which he accomplished in 1945. Heretofore the mark appeared unreachable. Woods' greatest feat might be that he changes that perception. He bends insurmountable odds to his advantage. "It ain't easy beating that guy," said Charles Howell III, who threw a 4-under-par 68 at his playing partner and friend but watched helplessly as Woods countered with a 66 to win by two strokes at 15-under 273. "What he's accomplished already is just amazing and yet he puts it out there that he can still do more. Because we're talking about Tiger Woods you believe that anything is possible." Anything is possible because Woods sees no finish line, senses no barriers, and hasn't any preconceived notions of accomplishment or satisfaction. Asked what he thinks about on the golf course, his answer is succinct: "Winning, nothing else." With this insatiable desire he brings skill and the know-how to get it done. He feels comfortable amid pressure and chaos, but feels nothing at all for those he vanquishes -- no sympathy or empathy. "Why would I?" he asks rhetorically, an emphatic statement all its own. Why, indeed. Woods, 31, didn't bring his best stuff to the fray. He made a few bad swings, put himself in a few poor positions. But what he brought was still better than what anyone else could offer. Trailing rookie Andrew Buckle nearing the turn, he willed an eagle in at nine, nearly made another at 13, withstood a charge by Howell, corrected his mistakes with cold-blooded recoveries and waited out the rest of the opposition. His triumph seemed preordained, though it was hard work. "I had to earn it," he said. It is not Tiger's habit to offer a glimpse inside his armor plating, but, in a nutshell, his powers are derived from having won 55 PGA TOUR titles and countless other tournaments large and small. "I've been lucky in my career to have had successes doing it. And I can only say I've done it before and know that I've done it," Woods said. "Some guys say 'I've done it before,' but they have never done it on Sunday in a tournament. Well, I've done it on Sunday in a major championship, so I know I can pull off these shots and I just keep reminding myself of that. "It's like what Jack (Nicklaus) had always said: winning breeds winning. The more you win, the more you understand how to do it, and you do it different ways. I've done it with great ball-striking, I've done it with lousy ball-striking, I've done it with great putting and so-so putting and sometimes I've done it with my short game. If you're able to do it different ways, it just breeds more and more confidence when you're put in that situation." Woods almost ceaselessly is in that position. Since he missed the cut at the U.S. Open last June while still grieving his father's death, Woods hasn't finished worse than second in a stroke-play event. Seven wins, three seconds. "That's pretty good, I think," Woods said, beaming. Pretty good. That's what his dad might say -- before asking what is next. What's next? A fifth Masters title means more to him, he says, than Nelson's streak, for that would give him three major victories in a row for a second time and thirteen for his career, five short of Nicklaus' golden total. For Tiger Woods, a father-to-be and lord of his domain, there is always the question of what's next. He holds the scoring record in every major championship. He holds the record for consecutive cuts. He holds the record for consecutive U.S. Golf Association titles. He holds the record for season scoring average. He holds the record for records. What's next? You might be inclined to say that the sky is the limit, but for that to be true, Tiger Woods would have to see the sky. "Pops" taught him too well to succumb to that. Copyright 2007 PGATOUR.com. All rights reserved. |
