Woods vs. Nicklaus, the two are scary similar
It’s Friday the 13th so how is this for a scary comparison?
Had Tiger Woods won at Augusta last Sunday, he would have had
five Masters titles, 13 major championships and 57 PGA Tour wins to
his credit. It just so happens that when Jack Nicklaus won the 1975
Masters that win marked his fifth at Augusta, his 13th major title
and 57th tour win. That is almost surreal, just as it was for Zach
Johnson, who fought off the cold, windy, difficult course
conditions and the entire field, including Woods, to win his first
major tournament on Augusta’s hallowed grounds.
Woods vs. Nicklaus, the two are scary similar
It’s Friday the 13th so how is this for a scary comparison?
Had Tiger Woods won at Augusta last Sunday, he would have had five Masters titles, 13 major championships and 57 PGA Tour wins to his credit. It just so happens that when Jack Nicklaus won the 1975 Masters that win marked his fifth at Augusta, his 13th major title and 57th tour win. That is almost surreal, just as it was for Zach Johnson, who fought off the cold, windy, difficult course conditions and the entire field, including Woods, to win his first major tournament on Augusta’s hallowed grounds.
I will say I was surprised to see the 31-year-old Iowa native pick up the win, especially after Woods knocked in that eagle putt at the 13th hole. I thought to myself, here we go again, another major for Tiger. Somehow Tiger, who has made it his lifelong obsession to break all of Nicklaus’ records, stumbled down the stretch in a very un-Nicklaus-like fashion, while Johnson continued to grind it out and play un-rattled golf like someone who had already won a handful of majors.
I must say it was nice to see someone other than Tiger, Vijay, Phil, Retief or Ernie pick up the win. Jack Nicklaus probably had a gleam in his 67-year-old eyes, too, knowing his records would last just a little bit longer.
But clearly, it is just a matter of time before they will all be broken as Tiger’s only true test on the tour nowadays is himself. Think about it. He didn’t even play well the entire week, and finished second. Even with his C game he got a second-place finish. Imagine if his driver and putter were working? Had he had his B game he would have picked up a one-stroke win. And what about his “A” game? Well, we all know what happens when he has his “A” game.
The two biggest things Johnson had going for him last Sunday was that Woods wasn’t in his group and he was smart enough not to look at the leader board until he was on the 17th green. And when he did, he wound up three-putting the 17th from 30 feet for a bogey as soon as he saw Woods’ name hovering right below his.
Fortunately at that very moment, Woods would knock his second shot in the drink at 15, which turned a for-sure birdie into a scrambling par. Woods then missed a short birdie putt at 16, and then surprisingly hung a wedge shot up into the Georgia breeze at 17 that quickly knocked his ball down and into the front greenside bunker some 50 feet short of the hole, instead of giving him a much-anticipated short putt for birdie.
“Are you kidding me?” Woods said, after hitting the shot. “What the hell just happened?” as he looked around to see if he was on Candid Camera and the unplanned shot was all a joke.
That ill-fated wedge shot clearly took the wind out of Tiger’s sails. He did end up hitting a decent bunker shot at 17 to get up-and-down for par, but was now faced with having to sink his approach shot on the demanding 18th to force a playoff – a feat that was even too monumental for Tiger to accomplish. Although Tiger has always been one for the dramatic, even the second greatest golfer of all time couldn’t pull this one off.
With Tiger’s failure to eagle the 18th hole to force a playoff, the kid from corn country was being draped by the coveted green jacket for the first time. I guess this just goes to show that Johnson making last year’s Ryder Cup team was no fluke.
The thing that’s interesting about the Masters is that when a player wins there they are invited to play in the tournament for the rest of their life. Since Johnson is the same age as Tiger, his win will make Tiger’s quest to surpass The Golden Bear a little tougher because the field at Augusta has now grown by another player, and a good one at that.
I know one thing. The next time Tiger tees it up in a regular PGA Tour event, look out. He’ll probably win it by 10 strokes. Jack Nicklaus, the holder of a Tour record 18 major championships, is hoping that next time isn’t in one of the three remaining majors.
Then again, he might have to start worrying about Mr. Johnson.
