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Tiger vs. Phil and Anna
by: Shawn Griffin from SportsTerminal.com
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What will it take to tame the Tiger? Which golfer will finally break the stranglehold he has on the Majors?
Phil Mickelson? (Insert the Robert DeNiro laugh at the beginning of the movie Cape Fear.) I don't think so.
As I was watching the U.S. Open a couple weeks ago, I thought to myself, "Who will EVER beat this guy?"
Before we get started, I want you to know that I am not one of those Tiger-bashers. I love Tiger. I love his work ethic, his mental toughness, his calm demeanor and the way he approaches the game. I especially like him because back in 1997, when Billy Clinton was President, he requested that Tiger join him in a suite at Shea Stadium to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's baseball debut. Tiger blew him off. A guy like Tiger can smell mental weakness miles away. He probably thought, "Why give the Slickmeister a cheap photo-op?" I know some of you may think that's a stupid reason to like somebody, but hey, welcome to my world.
That being said, I was rooting for Second Place Sally, Phil Mickelson, to beat him at the U.S. Open. Why? I don't know, maybe it was the sight of Sally's hot wife or something. Maybe it was the sentimental side in me hoping that Mickelson would get his first Major win…or maybe it was that I was hoping that somebody would challenge Tiger to make the PGA Tour a tad more interesting.
Yes, that was it. Although I love the Tiger, I was hoping that somebody would challenge the guy. Maybe a challenge would bring out even more greatness, I thought. But, alas, Phil didn't come through, and Tiger rightfully won yet another Major.
You could just tell that Mickelson would not overtake Tiger. During the back nine, when he still had a shot at winning, he looked like a happy fat kid in a candy store while he was walking Bethpage Black, while Tiger looked like an assassin looking for some fresh meat. That's the difference between Tiger and golfers like Phil.
Mickelson was happy to be in the top-five -- Tiger isn't happy unless he's brutalizing the competition.
On Saturday, Tiger was leading the Open by four strokes. After grabbing some dinner, what did Tiger do? Did he watch a little TV? Maybe down a couple drinks after a long day on the course?
Not Tiger. He went back out at 8:30 PM and practiced. It's Saturday night. He's leading the U.S. Open by four shots. After a long day, he practices. Unbelievable.
That's why Tiger is the best.
What about Phil Mickelson? I think I have him figured out.
He's the Anna Kournikova of the PGA Tour. He looks good out there on the course, he makes a hell of a lot of money, has breasts, but never wins the big ones (unlike Anna, though, at least Phil wins some of the time…).
Does this mean that we should feel sorry for Mickelson? Of course not. The guy has more money than 99% of the world, he has a beautiful wife, healthy kids and, most important, he plays golf for a living. To me, playing golf for a living would be very high on the list of "Things that wouldn't suck at all."
But will Mickelson be the guy who finally breaks through and challenges Tiger? In my book, no way. Just as Anna won't win a tournament in tennis, Phil won't win a Major as long as Tiger is in the field.
Phil and Anna don't have the killer instinct. They are what they are -- content with their place in their respective sports, not wanting to do what it takes to take their games to the next level.
See more of Shawn at SportsTerminal.com,
and e-mail him at shawng@sportsterminal.com!
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