Woods Lives Up to His Promise

Welcome, Tiger.

You are no longer the child waiting to take his place among men. You are a professional golfer--and a winner.

So often, reality falls short of expectation and anticipation outweighs actuality. So far, that is not the case with Tiger Woods.

This man--still nearly three months short of his 21st birthday--is as good as advertised.

Woods qualified for the PGA Tour with his playoff victory over Davis Love III at the Las Vegas Invitational last Sunday. It should be just the start.

Pull your seatbelts tight and keep your arms inside the car at all times. We could be heading for a thrill ride as exciting as the one Jack Nicklaus took us on from 1962--when he won the U.S. Open for the first of his 70 victories and 18 major pro titles--through 1986 when he won the Masters for his last.

Woods is not a player--or a person--without flaws. But his talent and composure tantalize with the prospect that he may become the best ever.

Yes, the “Hello World” news conference in Milwaukee was pretentious.

Yes, the “There are still some courses I can’t play because of the color of my skin” ad for Nike was hyperbole simply to sell a few sneakers.

And yes, it was unwise to abruptly pull out of the Buick Challenge and insensitive to stiff the Haskins Award dinner at which he was to be honored as college golfer of the year.

None of that is stuff of which Woods should be proud.

He has to realize that the financially rewarding thing to do will not always be what’s best for his ambition to be the best ever.

Does the $40 million man--who has skipped one event because of exhaustion--really need to play in the Australian Open next month for a $190,000 appearance fee? Or the Johnnie Walker in Australia in January?

Woods has to keep his focus on golfing greatness. It would be very easy to become the most hyped underachiever of all time. It would also be easy to become an ungrateful achiever.

There are many wrong turns Woods could take that would lead him simply to “great” and not to “best-ever” status.

There is a voice that whispers: “He can’t be this good.” But with each passing week the volume of his accomplishments drowns out the doubts.

Woods has had the most astounding debut since Nicklaus.

He finished 60th at the Greater Milwaukee Open, coming off a grueling U.S. Amateur victory, then was 11th at the Canadian Open, fifth at Quad City and third at the B.C. Open before winning at Las Vegas.

Consider what Woods has done:

--Played 17 of 19 rounds as a pro under par. His worst score is 73.

--Played 342 holes at 63-under-par, an average of 67.8.

--His three top-five finishes in five tournaments is as many as John Daly has had in the last three years.

--He has as many top-three finishes as Greg Norman, Nick Faldo, Ernie Els and Fred Couples in a full season.

--He is 40th on the PGA Tour money list. Everyone ahead of Woods played at least 10 more tournaments--most 20 more.

--A seven-tournament run to finish in the top 125 and earn his tour card could end in the top 30 and qualify for the Tour Championship.

Perhaps most impressive is how Woods won at Las Vegas.

A top-20 finish would have earned enough money for his PGA Tour card. And after a first-round 70 it would seem that’s what he would play for.

But Tiger Woods is about winning. He followed that 70 with a 63 to get in contention.

He then won on Sunday by shooting a 64 and moving past 10 players who were either tied with him or ahead of him starting the round, including Love and Couples.

Among those right behind Woods who were unable to mount a similar charge were Phil Mickelson, Lee Janzen, David Duval, Vijay Singh and Paul Azinger.

Woods won with bold shots under pressure, none better than the 9-iron to 20 feet on the playoff hole. Love, hitting after Woods, buried his ball in the back left bunker and was unable to get up-and-down.

As he had in 18 consecutive matches over three years in the U.S. Amateur, Woods applied the pressure and waited for his opponent to crack.

At Las Vegas he found that even the pros feel the heat. And he showed that he’s a guy who will be holding some feet to the fire for years to come.

The Tiger Woods Era is officially here.