Okay, I confess. I love Tiger Woods. He is just about the most amazing athlete I’ve ever seen. He embodies all the good results of discipline and focus. He’s quite easy on the eyes. And it looks like he’s about to win the British Open again. I will enjoy every minute of that.
Both of my parents play golf, and they’re both quite good. They have the trophies and crystal bowls and miscellaneous engraved silver to prove it. I’m giving away my age here, but when I was a child we only had one TV at our house. And every Saturday and Sunday, or so it seemed, that TV was tuned into whatever golf tournament was being televised. My brother and I just about went nuts. Neither one of us golfed, and we couldn’t have cared less whether Arnold Palmer or Jack Nicklaus or Tom Watson was about to win another major.
But then I started dating a golfer. In 1986, I watched Jack Nicklaus, at the advanced age of 46, become the oldest golfer ever to win the Masters, and I found myself in tears. I married my golfer shortly before Tiger Woods began winning Junior Amateurs, and we started following his amazing career. For those few of you who may not be golf fans, I refer you to Wikipedia’s entry on Tiger. He has lots of “youngest ever” and “most ever” records to his name; two of the most amazing were his 12-stroke victory in the 1997 Masters and his 15-stroke victory in the 2000 U.S. Open.
My parents are also big Tiger fans, but it seems some of their older golfing buddies weren’t all that thrilled to have a black man (Tiger is actually African-American/Caucasian/Native American/Thai/Chinese) winning major tournaments. I confess that made me pull for him even harder. This kid was phenomenal; how could anyone care about his color?
Tiger has struggled a bit over the past few years, which basically means he hasn’t won every tournament he’s played. He’s been tinkering with his game, and some of the other golfers on the pro tour have been carefully observing his methods and improving their own skills. No matter. He is still the number one golfer in the world. (Yes, I know Vijay Singh has held that title off and on lately, but I think he’s a sexist jerk, and I pull against him at every opportunity.)
Tiger has always had the greatest admiration for Jack Nicklaus. Jack was the dominant player of his day, and Tiger knows that Jack is the standard for every golfer. Today, Jack played his last pro round at St. Andrew’s, going out with a birdie on the 18th hole. When he arrived at the 18th tee, the press were waiting with their cameras. They posed Jack on a small humpback bridge and began to snap pictures. But he wasn’t content to stand there alone. He beckoned to his caddy, and to his golfing partners and their caddies, and insisted that they come up and share in the glory. And I found myself in tears again.
Tomorrow, the torch passes from one class act to another. I’ll be smiling all the way to the final hole.
[...] That makes his eleventh major championship — and the first since his dad died. He was so focused throughout the tournament, and when it was over he was in tears. It’s a pleasure to watch someone who’s just so good at what he does. [...]
[...] Steve M. at No More Mister Nice Blog has two stories that show the depths to which the right wing will sink to slime Democratic presidential contenders. First, an “analysis” of Barack Obama’s candidacy that not only maligns him but also trashes Tiger Woods’ parents (let me clarify: it’s the offhand comment about Obama’s parents — absent African dad, white mom — and the assumption that Tiger Woods grew up in the same situation that irritated me, and Steve refuted this statement quite well). Those of you who are longtime readers here know that I’m a huge Tiger fan, and I’m really offended at the ignorance displayed in the piece. Second, a Newbusters critique of the background in Hillary Clinton’s announcement webcast. Because a slo-mo replay shows a — wait for it — flower blooming. Oh my God! Call the police right now and put the woman straight in jail. She had a flower, and it was a yellow one — you know, for cowardice or something — right there in the background as she announced she’s running for president. [...]