Maginnes: Some of Tiger's shots defy logic, physics

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DORAL, Fla. -- I think I can beat him at nine-ball and beer drinking, especially if done together. There was a time when I could have challenged him in changing diapers, but I haven't had that pleasure in four or five years and he is probably well-versed by now.

John Maginnes played the PGA TOUR for nearly 10 years. (WireImage)

If he wanted to get into a rib-eating or tobacco-spitting contest, I would be willing to put up next month's alimony check against the loose change in the ashtray of his Buick.

That's about all I can beat Tiger Woods at these days. It looks like the players on the PGA TOUR might want to come up with a list of their own because right now on the golf course he looks unbeatable. I can't tell you how many phone calls I have answered in the last couple of days asking me why he is so good. Heck, don't you think that if I knew, I would have done something about it in my own game when I had the chance?

What is astounding to the trained eye is how many shots he hits that would be mistakes for every other player on TOUR. I was following Tiger on Friday at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard. Two shots that he hit were obvious mistakes -- at least, they may have been a decade ago when Tiger was Eldrick.

The first came on the short, par-4 13th when Tiger drove what should have been a simple lay-up into the right rough. The green is one of many at Bay Hill that has water on at least two sides. In this case, the water runs in front of the green and then pushes up the right side. And if the intimidation of the hazard isn't enough, Arnie has lined the wall beside the green with jagged rocks that look like teeth.

The sensible play for any player in the right rough to a back right pin placement is short and left of the flag. Heck, even from the fairway, most players would aim well left and maybe "cheat" a little over toward the flag. From my vantage point behind the green, I could see that familiar posture and alignment. I couldn't believe my eyes as he set up over the shot. He was taking dead aim. He flew the shot 8 feet short, between the hole and the water, and it stopped right there.

I thought that was going to be the best shot I saw Tiger hit that day. On No. 18, though, he drove it in the right rough some 183 yards from the flag. That pin was a mere four paces from the edge of the green, and another half-step to more nasty rocks and one of the most popular water hazards on TOUR. With the shot completely over water, there was no way Tiger was going anywhere near the flag, right? Heck, most players would have laid up from there. That's what Mark Wilson and Steve Lowery, who were playing with Tiger, did after joining him in the right rough.

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Video: Maginnes talks to Woods after Round 2 at Bay Hill

But after Tiger took a mighty lash, sending the ball toward the green, the gallery let out a slight gasp of astonishment as the ball came down 6 feet right of the flag on the water side. The ball then scooted 12 feet past the pin as the crowd applauded wildly. The fact that Tiger missed both putts and was disappointed with the 68 that he shot in the second round was immaterial.

Afterward when I asked Tiger about the shot on No. 18 he smiled and said that he "hit it and hoped." He then admitted that he was aiming "a few feet left of the hole."

The question isn't whether there are other players on TOUR who can hit the shots that Tiger hits -- certainly there are plenty of guys who can physically pull off the shots. What is reckless to some, though, seems commonplace to Tiger.

Think of all the shots that the No. 2 player in the world has nearly pulled off. Think of all the times we wanted to rein that left-handed fellow in and ask him to hit it at the middle of the green. Phil Mickelson certainly has pulled off his fair share but not with the regularity and certainty that we now expect from Tiger. The putt that Tiger made at No. 18 on Sunday will be what people remember, but the fact is he hit a lot of great shots at Bay Hill and still didn't play his best.

I've heard rumbling from the press about a possible undefeated season. I can't even wrap my mind around that concept. It's not like a team sport where someone else can step up to the plate if you have a bad game. An undefeated season on the PGA TOUR is impossible. Or, at least it always has been.

Heck, I had never even heard mention of an undefeated season before this year. Actually, come to think of it, the concept originated with Tiger -- he went undefeated one summer as an 11-year-old junior. So if you are making a list of your own things that you might do better than Tiger, you should leave "imagining the impossible" off the list.