On the eve of the Masters, let’s discuss Tiger Woods, the golfer, not Tiger the tabloid cover boy.
Ever since he was a kid growing up in California, Woods dreamed of being the greatest golfer who ever lived. He hung posters of Jack Nicklaus on his bedroom wall. His ultimate goal was to win more major tournaments than the Golden Bear, who captured 18.
Even Woods’ personal website has a section entitled “Tiger vs. Jack.”
On Monday, Woods downplayed his quest, saying, essentially, that winning right now is secondary to getting his personal life in order — even calling the need to win this year’s Masters “irrelevant.”
Nicklaus still believes Tiger is hot on his tail. Asked Tuesday if he thought Woods was less hungry than before, Nicklaus laughed, and said, “No, come on, give me a break.”
But Nicklaus also said that 2010 is a critical year for Woods, who has won 14 major titles, including four green jackets at the Masters.
“I said if he didn’t play this year, he will have a hard time,” Nicklaus told reporters at Augusta. “But he is going to play this year. I expect him to be focused on playing, and you know he’s pretty good when he focused on playing.
“So I would say the chances are pretty darned good Tiger will (win the most majors). Matter of fact, I think if he doesn’t, I’ll still be very surprised. I mean, that’s what he’s focused his game on.”
Before the sex scandal broke, many pointed out that 2010 should be the year of the Tiger. The U.S. Open is at Pebble Beach this year, and the British Open is a St. Andrews. Those are two of his favorite courses and courses where Woods could dominate.
But Tiger is 34 years old now and he’s battling his body. He’s had major reconstructive knee surgery and he revealed on Monday that he’s fought through a torn Achilles tendon.
In other words, Tiger doesn’t have time to waste.
Add Tiger
Here, courtesy of USA Today, is a chart of how other golfing greats did in majors at age 34 and beyond:
Trivia time
How old was Tiger when he won his first U.S. Amateur Championship? (answer below)
Add Masters
On TV, we see the splendor of Augusta National Golf Club, blooming with azaleas and framed by brilliant white bunkers. But outside the gates, Augusta can be an ugly circus. And the Philadelphia Inquirer columnist John Gonzalez writes that in that circus.
Polling
Tuesday’s “Lunch Special” poll asked readers where Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski sits in the pantheon of coaches. It was a close vote. With more than 1,150 votes cast, 31.95 percent said Coach K belonged in the same class as Dean Smith and Bobby Knight. Slightly fewer (30.83) said Coach K is second only to John Wooden. Just 19.2 percent voted Krzyzewski as the best college coach ever.
Quotable
“That was our goal all year, to make the playoffs and silence a lot of the critics who said we’d finish 14th or 15th in the West. To make it feels amazing.” – Avalanche rookie Matt Duchene to after the Avs beat Vancouver 4-3 Tuesday night to clinch a playoff birth.
Reader’s rant
In response to last week’s “Lunch Special” that explored how UConn’s women’s basketball team would fare against men’s team, Brian, from suburban Dallas, sounded off in an email:
“I read with great interest your article on the UConn women’s basketball team and how they would fare against a men’s team.
“First of all, the high school boys’ basketball being played in Colorado must be awful if the boys state champions would lose to the UConn women.
“I live in Texas and the 5A state champions, Houston Yates would beat the UConn women by 50. There is not a single men’s college team anywhere that would lose to the UConn women. In Texas, you would have to go down to the class 2A/3A level to find boys hoops where the UConn women would be competitive. They are very good against women, but that’s it, against other women. Every single men’s college teams in the USA would destroy them and that includes JUCO. Men are simply quicker and more athletic and there is nothing the UConn women can do about that.”
In case you missed it
Brittany Goshia, a 13-year-old girl from Mead, with her CBS Sports online bracket for the NCAA Tournament, beating out hundreds of thousands of entries from across the country.
This day in sports
On this day in 1963, Nicklaus won the first of his record six Masters titles.
Trivia answer
Woods was 16 when he won the tournament, making him the youngest U.S. Amateur Champion in history.
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1720 or psaunders@denverpost.com
