By Dale Dhillon
Tiger Woods has been focused on reaching and possibly breaching the 18 major championship win mark established by Jack Nicklaus since his first major championship win in 1997.
However, Woods has been stuck at 14 major wins since June 2008, when he miraculously hobbled around Torrey Pines, San Diego practically on one leg to win the US Open.
Immediately after that victory he was asked about being four wins away from the record when he said: “Well, only being four back, it’s hard to believe I’m in this situation, you know? It’s hard to believe I’ve had this nice a run in my career. And hopefully it will continue. I’m going to keep practicing, keep trying to grind and get better.”
That was then! He sat out the remaining two major championships of 2008 due to knee surgery and rehabilitation. He’s played in seven majors since and not tasted victory once.
In 2009 he suffered a stunning loss to unheralded Y.E. Yang after holding a two stroke lead going into the final round of the PGA Championship. This was a turning point in his historic domination of major championships.
Tiger appeared numb as he approached the scorer’s tent as his wife Elin and two children looked on. It was surreal to observe a relatively unknown player in Yang steal a major championship right from under Tiger’s nose.
He managed to close 2009 winning the PGA’s year long Fedex Cup along with a king’s ransom of US$10 million. This “king” would have gladly traded his $10 million for a major championship in 2009, a paltry sum compared to his $1 billion in record earnings.
The news that shook the golf world broke before his 35th birthday in December last year. It’s been a sordid saga not to be rehashed here.
Tiger’s doubters however are back in vogue. There are those who say that his multiple knee injuries, surgeries and other physical ailments will stifle his chances of making and breaking Jack’s mark.
Tiger approaches his 36th birthday in December and there is concern that few players have managed to win multiple majors beyond that age. There are some that question his desire to win. I do not believe there is a deficit in desire.
If anything, Tiger knows the best way to redeem himself is to win and there is no better remedy than winning a major championship.
He recently said at the US Open at Pebble Beach his game is coming together: “I feel like I put some pieces together this week. It’s a process. It’s a long process, but I’ve put some of it together, and I hit some shots this week that I haven’t hit in a long time.”
Heading into the British Open (where he finished 23rd) he was asked if after all he’s been through he would change anything in his approach to winning a major.
He said: “Yeah, nothing changes. I know what it takes to be ready, and I know what it takes to win major championships. Just need to get to that point and put it all together at the right time.”
There’s no doubt the roller coaster turmoil in his life has taken a toll on his game. At the AT&T National in Philadelphia recently he failed to break par in 3 consecutive rounds, something he had not done in 12 years.
Yes, the unexpected happens in golf even to Tiger Woods these days. Woods is looking for his elusive 15th major win and will have his final shot in 2010 at The PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, Wisconsin in mid-August. He finished 24th the last time the event was played there in 2004.
He may not win at Whistling Straits but his odds at tying Nicklaus’s record of 18 major wins are still good. He’s finished within striking distance in 4th place in two of the three majors he’s played so far in 2010 amidst all the fanfare.
We must not forget that he has won 14 of the 49 major championships he has played in, which is approximately 29 percent.
Time, however is not his ally. On the other hand he only needs to win ¼ of the 16 majors he plays before he turns 40.
If anyone can do it, it’s Tiger Woods but only if he can make golf his only professional pursuit. Nicklaus, the man that Tiger is pursuing has a different perspective.
When asked about Woods recently he said: “We have no idea what his neck issue is. We have no idea if his knee is bothering him. We have no idea whether he’s got his head screwed on properly because of his private affairs.”
Nicklaus anticipates however that Woods would pass his record if he is able to win at least one major this year. We should get that answer in three weeks.
Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com
