Tiger Woods with his Buick Open win has now won 50 PGA events and he is only 30 years old. He has eclipsed the legendary Jack Nicklaus with this feat, as Jack was 33 before he won number 50. So why does Tiger win so much and why will he break every golf record on the books before he is done? Well as a Tiger watcher going on 10 years now I seem to have condensed Tigers phenomenal success down to a few points in which you may or may not agree with. I call them Tigers advantages. First, Tiger is dedicated to the game like no other. Remember, his father started him out hitting a golf ball at the tender age of 3 years old. For the last 27 years Tiger has been living and breathing golf. Golf is his everything and it shows in every tournament in which he competes. He just loves the game and would probably play it everyday for free because he is so dedicated and devoted to the sport. His dedication to the sport leads to his second big advantage over his fellow golfers. Tiger is the ultimate competitor and warrior on the links. Even when he is down by great margins he always seems to make that final charge to make it close. He finishes most events with a rush and puts fear in the hearts of his rivals on Sunday afternoons as they hear the roar of the fans as Tiger sinks another birdie enroute to climbing the leader board. But the best evidence of his competitiveness is that when he is ahead after 54 holes, he always winsthats the heart of a champion. Finally, the last advantage is that Tiger is just a more skilled and polished golfer than his rivals. He has all the shots plus he has acquired a superior course management capability in which he displayed in this years British Open. He played the course while his competitors let the course play them. Tiger works at his game relentlessly and he is never really satisfied with his level of play. He always wants to get better. Imagine that, a guy with 50 tour wins under his belt and he still does not think he has reached his true potential. As good as Tiger Woods is today, the Tiger Woods of tomorrow will be a whole lot better. A scary thought for the competition, isnt it? |
