The most underrated golfer on the planet is Tiger Woods. We all know he is the greatest golfer of his generation and the most clutch performer down the stretch. He already has a reel of highlights as long as any athlete, let alone golfer, in sports history. He is an endorsement machine and multi-billionaire.And underrated.
The guy is otherworldly. This weekend at the U.S. Open, the toughest test in golf thanks to the high rough, super-fast greens and brutally long layout, Tiger Woods played under par golf for 72 holes on a bad left knee that required surgery six weeks ago. He winced in pain throughout the four days of competition while playing in the most celebrated Thursday/Friday pairing in recent memory (alongside World #2 and hometown hero Phil Mickelson and World #3 Adam Scott), charging into the lead on Saturday and then sinking the final putt of the final round to force a Monday playoff.
It was a career-defining performance for mere mortals, but just another major championship for Tiger Woods. The guy has already won The Masters by 12 strokes, completed the Tiger Slam of four consecutive major championships and conquered the 2006 British Open just months after the emotional loss of his father. This weekend is a line on his resume, not the entire resume itself.
Regardless of whether Tiger or Rocco Mediate prevails during tomorrow's 18-hole playoff, this tournament was Tiger's U.S. Open. What is most amazing about it is how routine it all seemed: opening with a double-bogey on the bad knee, but rallying afterwards to stay in contention on Thursday; making a charge on the back nine Friday evening with a terrific and painful approach on the par-5 18th; the bombs for eagle on 13 and 18 on Saturday and finally the wedge from the rough and birdie putt to force the playoff.
Just another day in the career of Tiger Woods.
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8 comments:
I can't believe Tiger made the cut, but McCallie crew did not. That's weak, Carp.
It sounds like you guys rowed well. I guess you are the new Doc Swanson.
I always root against Tiger, not because I don't like hime, but I'm usually for the underdog with rare exceptions. How exactly is he "underrated"? I guess in the sense that the Beatles are underrated, so is Tiger Woods.
Don't understand how he's underrated either.
He is underrated because he isn't just the best; he is so far ahead of everyone else who has ever played. People try to compare him to Phil Mickelson and there isn't a comparison - Tiger is 10x the player Phil is. Phil is #2, but Tiger is #1 by a mile.
What Tiger does in golf just isn't done. He laps the field. He always makes the putt he has to make. He literally intimidates his playing partner into submission (though not Rocco Mediate today).
I don't know that I can think of a proper comparison for Tiger and his underratedness. The Beatles are a good example I suppose. The more you watch and look at Tiger's performances, you realize this guy is not human. He does things that cannot be done...all the time. We say he is the best golfer in the world, but that is underrating what he is doing these days.
He is an athlete that we'll be telling our grandkids about one day. We saw Michael Jordan play basketball and saw Tiger play golf.
The problem is Tiger needs a rival. The media tries to make Mic his rival, but you're right, he ain't even close.
Nope, even though Phil is great. He just ain't Tiger.
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