Talk of the Tour: Being Tiger Woods

This past weekend at the Barclay's Championship, the first event of the PGA TOUR's “playoff” series for the Fed Ex Cup, Tiger Woods almost did it again.  Five years after capturing the U.S. Open on a broken leg, he finished One roll of the ball short of tying Adam Scott at Liberty National, despite suffering from back spasms that literally drove him to his knees during the final round. 

Anyone who has played serious golf beyond the age of 35 knows what a bad back can do to a golf swing. It can turn scratch players into whiny duffers. A bad back can lay tough men out of their weekend rounds, much less out of 72 holes of world-class competition.

But the bad back couldn't sideline Tiger Woods.  Indeed, as he adjusted to the pain coming down the stretch, he made some of his finest swings of the year, including a majestic 8-iron on the 72nd hole that set up a birdie putt that stopped a revolution short but still tightened the grip of the Tiger Woods regime on the PGA TOUR.

By Tuesday, the analysts were talking about the Player of the Year race. Some pointed to Phil Mickelson, with his inspiring win at the Open Championship following yet another heartbreak at the U.S. Open. Others looked at Scott, with his Masters title and a new maturity that is erasing the underachiever label. Justin Rose even made the conversation.

All of those players have had fine years. They have won major championships and been multiple winners on the deep and talented PGA TOUR.  But let's get real – to suggest anyone other than Tiger Woods, with his five victories and eight top 10s – is Player of the Year (to this point) is to mock the award. Yes, Tiger failed to win a major championship, a fact that should diminish the value of his season ONLY in his eyes.

In 2013, Tiger Woods tied Sam Snead's record for most victories in a single event twice – at Bay Hill and Firestone.  He passed Jack Nicklaus in all-time wins, and with 79 now trails Snead by only three (Mickelson, by contrast has 42 in his wonderful career).  He regained his world number one ranking and shows no signs of surrendering it. And he showed again that, even with one back tied behind his back, he can contend against the  best of the rest.

Tiger Woods is Player of the Year on the PGA TOUR. It's not even close.

RELATED LINKS

Tiger Woods Net Worth

Tiger on the Brink of Extinction

Tiger’s Got a Brand New Bag

What's Tiger Doing in Cabo?

Forethoughts: No Tiger, No Cry

Stuart Scott’s Tiger Effect

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