Tom Watson
didn't go that far, because he is older and wiser and owns four
more claret jugs than Tiger Woods. He only referred to him as "something
supernatural.''
And then there
was Rocco Mediate, who said Woods was some sort of bionic man.
"Cut him open
and I'll tell you what you'll find,'' Mediate said last year during
Woods's run into history. "A bunch of wires and levers, and a big
heart.''
Cut him open
now and you'll find that Tiger Woods actually bleeds.
That Tiger
Woods actually is human.
It only seemed
otherwise last year, when he played golf like he was from another
solar system. No one shoots 12 under at a U.S. Open and wins by
15 shots. No one wins three straight majors with a combined score
of 49-under par.
No one hits
a wedge from 168 yards to 2 feet on the final hole -- in the dark.
No one hits 6-iron from 218 yards out of a fairway bunker, over
the water, right at the pin with the tournament on the line.
Every week,
there was something new.
Just like now.
It seems like
a phenomenon when Woods doesn't make a 15-foot eagle putt on the
72nd hole with a chance to tie for the lead, which is what happened
at Torrey Pines.
It seems odd
when Woods doesn't win after his first six tournaments of a new
season, maybe because it has never happened. The longest he ever
had to wait to win was his rookie year, when he was a 20-year-old
fresh off his third U.S. Amateur victory who said, "Hello, world,''
then won in his fifth start as a pro and has been waving goodbye
ever since.
And no one
ever had seen what took place Sunday in Dubai.
At least not
from Tiger.
He was tied
for the lead going to the final hole, a par 5, the kind that almost
always gives Woods the advantage. Thomas Bjorn ripped his drive
down the middle. Woods ripped his drive into the trees, punched
out across the fairway, then hit into the water, taking double bogey.
It was the
first time Woods had botched the 72nd hole to lose, although he's
in good company. Sam Snead took triple bogey on the final hole to
blow the 1939 U.S. Open. Arnold Palmer made double bogey on the
final hole to lose the '61 Masters. Ben Hogan lost the '46 Masters
with a three-putt bogey on the 18th. Jean Van de Velde is in a league
of his own.
They all lost
majors.
Woods only
lost a European Tour event, although he might also have lost some
of his mystique. Perhaps the most unusual thing from Dubai were
the words that followed Bjorn's victory.
Appreciation,
not awe.
Inspiration,
not fear.
"The intimidation
is disappearing,'' Bjorn said. "People are now starting to realize
you can't get intimidated by him. You have to beat him. I know I
can go out with that guy and I can look him in the eye and take
him on.
"It doesn't
make him anything else but the greatest player in the world. He's
by far better than anybody else. Don't forget that. But he's going
to lose tournaments.''
After all,
he's human.
What Woods
accomplished the past two years, winning four out of five majors
and 16 of 30 tournaments during one stretch, may have done as much
to strip some of the intimidation as any tournament he has failed
to win recently.
For some, there
is no longer anything to lose. For others, the surprise has worn
off.
"A lot of players
are getting used to him now,'' Hal Sutton said at the start of the
year. "You know what to expect out of him. You're not going to be
caught by surprise by what he does. To beat Tiger, you've got to
expect him to do his best, and not be surprised by it.''
Tiger
Woods plays from behind a palm tree at the Dubai Desert Classic.
Allsport.
It should be
noted that Woods was about 4 feet away from being perfect on the
72nd hole in Dubai, 4 feet away from possibly winning. A year ago,
the ball probably would have cleared the water and stopped within
a shadow of the hole at high noon.
So, what's
wrong with Woods?
Nothing.
At least nothing
that a few putts or a few feet won't cure.
If you're looking
for a slump, check out David Duval. He's finished out of the top
50 in his last two tournaments, and missed the cut in his last two
before that. Woods's sin is four top 10s and two ties for 13th.
"If I went
four years without winning, that's a slump,'' Woods said.
A slump is
Davis Love III, who went 34 months and 63 tournaments without winning.
Woods's game
is not that far off. The intimidation factor will not be far behind.
All he's doing
now is suffering the consequences of this quirky game called golf.
It can be a humbling game that holds no allegiance to any human
being.
Yes, even Tiger
Woods bleeds a little now and then.
