Tiger Woods wins the PGA Championship by two shots for his 13th major victoryHe won with his patented two deep zone golf once he secured the lead (a 63 in a major will have that effect), minimizing mistakes and daring his competitors to get close. Woody Austin (67)and Ernie Els (66) did a good job down the stretch, but it wasn't enough to catch Tiger, who looked like he had an extra gear if needed. His tee shot on the 16th was a ridiculous combination of power and precision; it served as a exclamation point for the win.
Speaking of winning, lets go through the Winners and Losers of the week:
Woody Austin - Winner: He couldn't catch Tiger, but he best performance in a major (second)got him on the Presidents Cup team, and maybe he will be remembered for something more than his Tobasco shirts and hitting himself over the head with his putter.
Ernie Els - Winner: I am a Knick fan, and clearly remember the 90's playoff wars between Patrick Ewing's Knicks and Michael Jordan's Bulls (don't get me started on Charles Smith and a layup). Because Jordan was so dominant, Ewing's career is looked at as somewhat of a failure since his team couldn't win a championship. Erine Els is in the same category. His career is Hall of Fame worthy with three major championships, but he almost seems to be a failure becasue Tiger.
He has finished tied for fourth and third in the last two majors. I assumed after the British Open that he is on the backnine of his career; he may just be getting fully healthy after his knee surgery in 2005, an injury he may have tried to come back from too soon. We will also see him at the Presidents Cup.
TNT - Winner: They broadcast the Grand Slam of Golf, the competition between the major championship winners. Before yesterday the participants were Zack Johnson, Angel Cabrera and Padraig Harrington. Ouside of Cedar Rapids, Iowa (Johnson's hometown) there wasn't going to be a lot of viewers dying to tune their Direct TV's to channel 245 to watch that matchup. With Tiger making it a foursome, TNT can charge a little more for and available ad time.
Stephen Ames - Loser: The Tiger Intimidation Tour continues as Ames shhots a 76 in the final round, 7 shots behind Tiger. He fell from second at the end of three holes to a tie for 12th at the end of the tournament. At least he didn't say anything stupid.
John Daly - Winner: He made the cut of a major and was close to the lead after the first round...
John Daly - Loser: and then flushed it away with three straight 73s.
A lot of poeple talk about having the mental capacity to win. Whatever mindstate that constitutes, Daly doesn't have it. While he didn't mentally check out like he has done in majors in the past, he doesn't change his approach to the game at all to fit the circumstances.
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