Wednesday, October 30, 2019
'They' said he would never again win any tournament. 'They' added that there was no doubt he would never again win a major. A majority said he'd never play again. So 'they' were all wrong on every count. (Except for one guy who didn't believe any of it and wrote it often. To protect the guilty I won't mention his name).
To me, one of the major points 'they' made wasn't even that he wouldn't be good enough to win - it was that he'll 'be 43' when he returns. 43!!!! Like 43 is a time when people are put out to pasture. Jack Nicklaus won the Masters at 46. Bernhard Langer has been the best player on the Champions Tour for a decade or so and he's 60 now. Give me a break.
So Eldrick Woods won the Tour Championship, and then the Masters, and now the Zozo. He's tied the immortal Sam Snead for the all-time victories lead with 82, and won his 15th major to get within three of Nicklaus. And how good did he look winning in Japan? He's never been so cool, so focused, so determined - and so slim.
Tiger won over the par-70 Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club at 19 under par, three better than Hideki Matsuyama, who posed the only threat of any consequence over the last 36 holes. But Tiger never wavered, nor did his fans, and the crowds that followed him for the first 65 holes were overwhelming. The Japanese love him, too.
This drama is far from over. If his back and his knees hold up, there's no telling what Tiger can accomplish before he finally decides to go out on his own terms. There seems little doubt now that he'll pick himself for the President's Cup team that he will captain, and there won't be one ounce of dissent. He's also thinking Olympics, and wouldn't that put a stamp on his unreal resume.
P. S. Tiger added $1,755,000 to his already record PGA Tour money-earnings - now up to $120,459,468. That's about $30 million more than second-place Phil Mickelson.
P. P. S. Gator Billy Horschel tied for sixth in Japan at 11 under; Seminole Daniel Berger tied for 17th at 7 under.
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