Tiger is unreal

Soak it in folks, you might be looking at the best golfer to ever play the game. Tiger Woods just pulled off yet ANOTHER amazing victory. I was fortunate enough to go to the gym for an hour during work so I could catch the last 5 holes while running 5 miles. What I was able to see was pure greatness. Rocco Mediate had Tiger down for the count. He played fantastically, but it was almost like Tiger was toying with him, giving him the taste of victory and then springing on him to crush his hopes and dreams, even as Rocco made 3 birdies on the back nine to pull ahead of Tiger until 18 when Tiger got to the green in 2 and birdied to force jus the 2^nd Sudden Death overtime in U.S. Open history. (On a side note, I love the 18 hole playoff. The U.S. open isn’t trying to adhere to television and their viewers – they’re trying to determine the best golfer in the United States and the best way to do that is by playing 18 more holes if you’re tied after 72. But I digress…)And that is what is most amazing about Tiger. Just when you think he's down for the count, he's right back up and winning another Championship. Possibly the greatest golfer to ever walk the course and maybe one of the best clutch athletes we'll ever see. Year from now, people will refer to this as the “Tiger Era” and we’ll be fortunate enough to say we were able to live through it.

I wasn’t fortunate enough to really remember Jack Nicholas’ prime years. I was brought up by my father to believe in three things: respect and love your family, jazz is the best and only truly American Art Form, and that Jack Nicholas is the best golfer to ever play the game. Tiger might soon be taking that crown away, as today he became just the second player in history to capture the “Career Grand Slam” 3x’s over. Tiger now has 14 Major championship and trails Jack’s 18 by 4. Its also worth noting, in my opinion, that Jack came in 2^nd 19 other times. That is amazing in and of itself. Jack could have won 37 Majors but winning almost half of those and still coming in 2^nd is just amazing. I think Jack is still #1 and it depends on how Tiger finishes his career before he gets the crown as best golfer ever. The other point to think about is this: if you give Jack Nicholas the same equipment and conditioning that Tiger has now, who wins? Jack’s answer to that question, from an article by Jason Sobel on ESPN.com is “The game today is so different, so nobody will ever know. But Tiger is awfully good, he's terrific, and I guess I wasn't too bad in my time.”

And when it comes to breaking Jack’s record 18 Majors? “I suspect that he probably will, but you never break a record until you break it. I suspect in the next four or five years, that it will probably happen, but who knows what's going to happen in the next four or five years? Certainly at the rate he's going and the way he plays, he should do it. He's awfully good.”

Will Tiger go down as the best ever? Only time will tell. But I don’t think any will question that in their prime, Jack Nicholas and Tiger Woods are the best golfers to ever play the game.