Golf: Random thoughts on Tiger Woods

He tried. He really did.

It has been nearly a year since I wrote about Tiger Woods and the resistance finally broke after the feline's Western Open win.

So much has been written about the Tiger that it seemed pointless to add another piece. However, the talk of breaking out of a slump with his Western Open win proved too much temptation to ignore.

Although it will happen one day, Woods has thus far never been in a slump. Even during 1998 when he was restructuring his swing, he won at Atlanta and finished in the Top Ten in 13 of 20 tournaments.

He may never repeat his best seasons of 1999-2000 when he won 17 times, but nine titles since January 2002 hardly constitutes poor play.

Tiger is rarely out of the picture come the final round and has often fired a brilliant score to make the leaders think twice where he is.

Some point to his 81 at last year's British Open as a demoralizing factor in the majors he is played since.

Hogwash! First, the conditions were horrible, not only for Woods, but for everyone.

Second, his dramatic runner-up finish at the PGA proved that it didn't have much effect on him.

So what if he has just one major top 10 since the 2002 U.S. Open.

In his prime, Jack Nicklaus twice went two years without a major and undoubtedly heard the same slump talk.

Not every season is going to be the best or live up to people's expectations. Golfers have long careers and the law of averages, fatigue, injuries, and just plain inconsistency creep into everyone's game more than once over a career.

In addition, golf is much different than another individual sport--tennis. The No. 1 tennis player may win 15 of 20 tournaments to keep their top ranking, but in golf a 5-victory campaign is outstanding.

While Tigermania has leveled off to a more palatable level, far too much is still expected of the young man who already owns 38 PGA titles and a handful of overseas championships.

He can't and won't win them all but he's had an amazing career.

Even if he were to retire tomorrow, he would rank among the all-time best.

He owns 11 major championships at age 27 (if Nicklaus can count his two U.S. Amateurs then Tiger gets to count his three) and is more than halfway to catching Nicklaus' 20.

He still has quite a ways to go before catching Sam Snead and his 84 overall tournament titles.

Even the great Jack Nicklaus couldn't catch him and finished off with 71.

Will Tiger pass Jack in majors?

Given that a player's career winds down in his early forties, Tiger has 15 years to accumulate 10 more majors, or two every three years from here on.

He needs 47 wins to beat Sam Snead's incredible total. At first glance, it may seem obvious that he will beat both Jack and Sam, but other factors come into play.

No matter who you are, the accumulated fatigue of a life on the road wears everyone down.

Even Nicklaus had problems finding that delicate balance between playing too much and becoming stale, and playing too infrequently and losing that edge.

It is a balance that constantly changes, especially as a golfer ages.

Tiger Woods aging?

Yes, everybody ages.

Years of practice and tournaments take their toll, even on someone as fit as Woods.

It is hard to imagine at this point, but Tiger will eventually feel the stiffness of an aging body, and the mental fatigue that goes with it.

Former tennis great Jimmy Connors admitted that when he hit his late 20s he couldn't just jump out of bed anymore and often required an hour soaking in the tub to soothe the kinks in his body.

While the physical strain is much less in golf, the golf swing puts pressure on the back and legs, eventually breaking things down.

Should Tiger decide to get married and have kids, his priorities will change and golf will become secondary.

Tom Watson admitted that his priorities changed when his second child was born at the end of 1982. He never dominated golf again.

There is no question that Woods has the talent and focus to surpass Jack.

His stated goal is to be the best ever and major championships are used as the guideline.

While distractions and slumps will come his way, someday Tiger will surpass the Golden Bear's 20 majors.

However, the debate of who is the best ever will continue.

As anyone knows, comparing sportsmen from different eras is a futile effort and statistics along cannot be conclusive.

Some still insist Bobby Jones is the best ever and they make a good case.

From 1923 to 1930 Jones captured an amazing 62 percent of the national championships he entered, winning 13 of 21 tournaments. He won five of eight U.S. Amateur Championships, and finished second in another. He won one of the two British Amateurs he played in.

From 1920-1930 he won four U.S. Opens, finished second 4 times, and his worst finish was 11th.

In 1930, he accomplished the Grand Slam, winning the British Amateur, British Open, U.S. Open, and U.S. Amateur all in the same year.

With no more mountains to conquer, Jones retired at age 28, his place in golf history secure.

Then there is Ben Hogan, who won 63 PGA tours events -- third on the all-time list; including nine majors.

Hogan had a difficult childhood, it took him seven years to win his first pro event, and he nearly died in a 1949 car accident.

He won those 63 events in a short period of time and captured several majors after his accident, including The Masters, U.S. Open, and British Open in 1953.

It was only a scheduling conflict with the British Open that kept him out of the PGA.

Finally, golf courses and equipment have changed from Jones to today.

How would Woods have done with clubs and balls of yesteryear, bunkers that had large overgrowths of grass on the lip, poor fairways by today's standard, greens that had longer grass than today's fairways, and travel by car and train?

Conversely, how would Jones and Hogan fare with today's quick greens and intense media scrutiny?

So, instead of reopening the debate after every tournament of whether Woods is in a slump or the best ever, why not just enjoy his skills and appreciate him for what he is -- a once in a generation golfer and one of the best to ever play the game.