Yep, you heard me right. Tiger Woods is under-appreciated. He may be appreciated by the die-hard sports and golf fans and some of the media. But, by and large, I don't think so. For those that have given golf a try, you know how hard it is. For those that have played it at a high level competitively, it's absolutely astonishing what Tiger is doing. Why? Because it's simply not a game that's as easy as he's making it look. It's a game that screws with your head and pulls out the demons from within. Take some quite, shy guy on the golf course and you'll see and hear things that you never thought was possible from that same guy. Thus, my main argument is that Tiger's head/brain/mind is SOOOOO underrated and under-appreciated.
The "Greatest-Of-All-Times" usually possess similar characteristics: ultra-competitive, ultra-determined, killer instinct, and clutch to name a few. These all point to one thing - they are all wired differently between the ears. The easiest comparison is that of Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan. The thing I loved about MJ was the feeling he gave me at the end of games - important games. I think these feelings were shared by everyone else watching on TV, the arena crowd, his teammates, opposing team, coaches, refs, EVERYONE. WE ALL KNEW MJ WAS TAKING THE LAST SHOT. But despite this knowledge, and the opposing team scheming and planning everything around it, Jordan got the ball and made the shot.
Tiger's the same. We saw it just over a month ago at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Everyone knew he was making that putt to win the tournament. But we still watched, didn't we? Remember, this was Selection Sunday for the NCAA Tournament - the official start to March Madness. Yet, Michael Wilbon of PTI and Washington Post and Stuart Scott of ESPN and others were gathered around the TV in Bristol, CT, screaming like kids when Tiger made that putt. I was screaming too.
Folks, he just thinks, analyzes, interprets, things differently. He may not be human. Watch this ESPN Sunday Conversation and you'll see what I'm talking about.
http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?videoId=3331650
How many of us, if we were in his shoes, would grind like hell simply to make another cut? I'd say 99.9999%. I mean, if Tiger's in danger of missing a cut, he's obviously not playing well, right? So why not take a weekend off and hang out with friends and family? I would. Especially with all that he's already accomplished and the money and the fame. But Tiger NEVER, EVER does that. Here's the kicker: he knows he can win no matter how far behind he is, as long as he makes to the weekend. Now, sure, if he feels that way, you should fight to make it to the weekend. But every single time? Again, watch that video clip. It's really an eye-opener. I don't know how a human being can be that driven and hungry for more after accomplishing so much. I really don't think most of the people out there realize this and the entire greatness that makes up Tiger Woods. We are so privileged to be able to watch Tiger Woods go about his business.
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