Two weeks ago, a California court convicted some knucklehead named Anthony
Taylor for 'stealing' Tiger Woods identity.
Evidentially, this genius took Nike's "I'm Tiger Woods" campaign to heart,
forging a credit card application as the superstar and ringing up $17,000 in
charges.
Nice try Einstein, but the world knows the difference between Joe Q. Public
and Tiger Woods. Duh.
This week, thirty of the top golfers in the world will attempt to steal
Tiger Wood's identity - or at least borrow it - at the Mercedes
Championship, where Tiger seeks to kick off 2001 in grand style by capturing
his third Mercedes in five years.
Although the 2001 PGA Tour season officially began last week at the
Accenture World Match play in Australia, for all intents and purposes it
really starts this week, as last year's Tour winners gather for the
traditional season opener at Hawaii.
I mean, beginning the Tour season last week without Tiger Woods is like
beginning a new presidential administration without partisan bickering - it
just doesn't feel right.
No disrespect to champion Steve Stricker, who happens to be a very fine
golfer and person, but a final four of Stricker, Pierre Fulke, Toru
Taniguchi and Ernie Els at the Accenture Match Play is probably not how Tour
Commissioner Tim Finchem envisioned the first event of the year unfolding.
Although it was 'for the world', only a handful of the world's best decided
to show up.
Then again, it does prove the depth of quality players when the 90th ranked
player in the world can pocket a million bucks for winning six matches - you
don't often see that in tennis.It also reinforces the notion that any
golfer in the field is capable of winning - that is, so long as Tiger isn't
teeing it up.
Some went as far as saying that the Accenture would actually be more
entertaining without Tiger in the field because the result wouldn't be a
foregone conclusion.Well, the outcome was in doubt, but the suspense was
hardly suffocating - give us a Tiger romp over a lackluster finale any day
of the week.
The Mercedes should prove neither, as the Tour's cast of superstars meets
Tiger center stage in hopefully the first of many battle royals over the
next ten months.Time to see whether Duval, Mickelson, Leonard, Sergio
et.al. are finally up to the Tiger challenge.
We know Mickelson was on his way last year, but what about the rest of these
guys?
Duval may be the biggest enigma of them all- one season he's unbeatable,
and the next he's back to square one.
There's no doubt that King David has the physical gifts to compete on a
level approaching Tiger's, but whether or not he has the heart or head is a
different matter.This season could go a long way in answering that.
Sergio has the skills, but still needs years of maturing and fine tuning,
while Leonard has plenty of guts and smarts, but not enough height and
strength.
There are a bunch of Aussie youngsters waiting in the wings, but they're
still light years away from putting a scare in Tiger.
Regardless of what's out there, it will be difficult - perhaps impossible -
for Tiger to give an encore performance to last year's uber-season; short of
winning the Grand Slam or capturing a dozen tournaments, anything less from
El Tigre would seem like a letdown, fairly or unfairly.
Even for someone who has made a career of setting the bar high and then
exceeding it, topping the heroics of 2000 will be daunting, plain and
simple.
It may just be the case that in 2001, Tiger only has himself to compete with
- namely, exceeding his own staggering accomplishments of the past 24
months. Since he has few competitors and no equals, what else can possibly
motivate him at this point except the prospects of surpassing himself.
Certainly no golfer can intimidate him - maybe his own record will.
If 2000 was the 'season to remember,' than what will 2001 bring us? Who
knows? I can't wait to find out.
