Another golf potpourri article

By

Mac Stevenson

The Week of Tiger's Dedication

This week (June 15-18) the most prestigious golf tournament in the world--the U.S. Open--will be played at historic Winged Foot at Mamaroneck, New York. The course plays to par 72 at 7,229 yards.

The U.S. Open is the most important major competition of the year; the Masters and British Open are close seconds, with the PGA barely qualifying as a major.

Winged Foot has hosted four Opens prior to this year; the first in 1929, followed by 1959, 1974, and 1984.

The 1929 tournament, won by Bobby Jones, was particularly significant to his career. Jones blew a six stroke lead on the back nine of the final day and had to sink a pressure-packed 12-footer on the 18th hole to qualify for a 36-hole playoff, which he won handily the next day. America's most famous sportswriter of all time, Grantland Rice, saw the putt and later wrote, "If Bobby had missed that great putt . . . I do not believe he would have gone on to achieve his great victory a year later when he won the Grand Slam of Golf [the British Open, British Amateur, U.S. Open, and U.S. Amateur]. I will always believe that the remainder of Jones' career hung on that putt."

Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus are the only two modern players to have won the U.S. Open four times. Hogan won it in 1948, '50, '51, and '53. Nicklaus won his first Open during his rookie season in 1962. He also won in 1967, '72, and '80.

Michael Campbell of New Zealand is the defending champion. Campbell's win last year was an upset and there's nothing to indicate that he's likely to repeat this week. Retief Goosen from South Africa won it in 2004. Tiger Woods will be the focus of this year's Open; he hasn't played since the Masters in April because of his father's death and the illness preceding it. Woods won the Open in 2000 and 2002 and will be pursuing his 11th major title. The drama will be highlighted ad nauseam by the print and television media. Regardless of the media theatrics, golf fans would do well to understand that Tiger Woods and his father didn't have a conventional father-son relationship. Tiger is an intelligent young man; he knows that everything he has today is owed in a large part to his deceased father. Woods may not publicly declare that he's playing the 2006 U.S. Open in memory of his father, but that's what he'll be doing. And his always- high determination and concentration levels will be as focused as possible for a human endeavor. It will be interesting to see how well Tiger plays; golf is a mental game and such a long sabbatical from competition isn't conducive to winning a major tournament. Regardless of his skill, there's no substitute for actual competition and Woods is smart enough to know that. In Tiger's only tournament at Winged Foot--the 1997 PGA--he finished 29th. Like all U.S. Open courses, driving the ball accurately is a must. Woods is often wild off the tee and that will be a killer if he can't hit it on the fairways this week. TV coverage will be extensive with ESPN and NBC sharing the telecasts. Golfing fans can be thankful that we won't have to listen to the weak attempts at humor and sarcasm of the CBS announcers. What a nice break. Golf on TV can become boring; they show way too much putting and not enough shot-making. Another refreshing break from traditional TV coverage would be to take the viewers on a tour of the famous old clubhouse at Winged Foot. That's something that everyone would be interested in. It's impossible to pick a winner in major golf tournaments; the pressure and tension eliminate most of the field early on, but the 20 or so quality players that are in it to the end are skilled golfers. Tiger Woods will be on center stage so long as he's among the leaders. Woods has been a positive influence on the game of golf and the hope here is that he is in contention to the end. He'll be playing it for his dad and that alone will furnish enough emotion to make the 2006 U.S. Open memorable indeed.