Even For Tiger, It Might Never Be as Good as It Gets

After Tiger Woods made a shambles of the U.S. Open, winning by 15 strokes at Pebble Beach, he and Pat Sullivan of the San Francisco Examiner got to talking about the ultimate round that could be played.

“Is is possible for someone to make a birdie on every hole and shoot a 54?” asked the reporter.

“Could be better than that,” Tiger said.

“A 50?” countered Sullivan.

“Could be better than that too. You never know.”

With Tiger, that’s probably right. You never know.

*

Trivia time: The Western Open, which has been played since 1962 in the Chicago area, was once held in Los Angeles.

When and where was it played and who won?

*

Older and better: Joe Ruttman, 55, became the oldest driver to win a NASCAR Craftsman Truck race when he won at Phoenix earlier in the year, and he remains one of the most competitive drivers in the series.

“Joe is like an old pine knot,” fellow driver Andy Houston said. “There’s nothing you can do with him.”

*

One man’s view: Acerbic columnist Jerry Greene of the Orlando Sentinel asks: “Is Anna Kournikova good for tennis? Hey, look at what Britney Spears is doing for music without being able to sing.”

*

No favorites: Dutch soccer star Patrick Kluivert has a different look on his orange-and-black shoes.

Next to the shoe’s logo are his children’s names. Kluivert plays with Quincy on his right foot and Justin on his left.

*

Vive le France: France is not only the World Cup and Euro 2000 champion, but the French national soccer team players apparently are the best sports.

“The French national team provided conclusive evidence that success can be built on the principles of fair play,” European soccer’s governing body said after France received the “fair-play award,” based in part on player and fan conduct.

England, which won the last fair-play award in 1996, and Turkey were excluded from the rankings this year because of street violence involving their fans.

*

Silent treatment: It usually takes a curse word or two to get a player ejected from a baseball game, but Seattle’s Rickey Henderson was tossed without having said a word.

After taking a called third strike for the second time in Tuesday night’s 7-6 loss to the Angels, TV replays confirmed that Henderson said nothing to plate umpire Bill Welke. He was ejected for lingering in the batter’s box for more than five seconds with his head down and continuing to stare at home plate.

*

Comparisons: Hockey players are football players on ice, former Oakland Raider linebacker Phil Villapiano claims.

“We have the same mentality,” Villapiano told Sid Dorfman of the Newark Star-Ledger. “We live to hit somebody. We love to fight. If football players carried sticks, it would be hockey. We are blood cousins.”

*

Trivia answer: Sam Snead won at Brentwood Country Club in 1950.

*

And finally: Tom Malchow, who broke a 5-year-old record in the 200-meter butterfly last month, comments on the controversial bodysuits being worn by swimmers:

“Swimming is very much a mental sport. Whether it is wearing designer goggles or a pink bathing cap with flowers on it, if you feel better with them, you will use them.”