Why is it that I feel sorry for Geoff Ogilvy? Didn’t he just pocket $1,350,000 at the World Golf Championship-CA? Isn’t this his first victory since his 2006 U.S. Open win at Winged Foot?
What’s wrong with Geoff Ogilvy?
Actually, the list is pretty long: He didn’t win seven in a row and nine of his last ten. He wasn’t undefeated in 2008. He hasn’t won $80.2 million in his career and pocketed $7.2 million in the first two months of 2008, which by the way is more than Arnold Palmer, Seve Ballesteros and Lee Trevino won in their PGA careers combined. But most of all, the one sin that Geoff Ogilvy committed, what we can’t forgive him for, is that he is not Tiger Woods.
Pay attention Geoff, this is Tiger’s Tour. People upgrade their cable to see him not you. You must have read about it, it was in all the papers, Tiger Woods is the most famous golfer in the world. Don’t come here with that Aussie-accent hanging out with Adam Scott and expect to be treated equal. That’s not going to happen.
Oh my God, what’s happening to golf? Is it Tiger or nothing? Are we becoming like the television commentators and no matter how far back Tiger is he is still the lead story? Is your favorite tournament a failure if Tiger doesn’t play?
Here’re the facts: Geoff Ogilvy beat Tiger Woods and everybody else this week. Why, because Geoff, like a couple hundred other guys around the world, is very good at golf. It wasn’t a fluke that Geoff won, just like it won’t be a fluke the next time Tiger loses. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a Tiger hater; as a matter of fact, I believe that Tiger is the best golfer that ever lived. Better that Jack, Bobby, Ben, Byron, Lee, Gary and Johnny on his best day. But nobody wins them all, not Bobby, not Jack, not Ben, or Byron, or Lee, or Gary, or Johnny and not even Tiger.
Byron Nelson came the closest with eleven wins in a row, but it is highly unlikely that anyone will ever break that record, not even you know who. Frankly, Tiger is a lot more likely to win the Grand Slam (as impressive as it was, I don’t count the Tiger slam).
Bobby, Jack, Ben, Byron, Lee, Gary and Johnny have their place in golf history, but let’s face it, it’s a different world just like it was when Joe DiMaggio set his fifty-four game hitting streak. And as good as Alex Rodriguez is, he’s never getting that record; the baseball Gods wouldn’t have it just like the golf gods want no part of Tiger breaking Lord Byron’s record.
If you enjoy watching greatness thank your lucky stars that you get to watch Tiger Woods, but if you’re really lucky you also got to see Jack, Ben, Byron, Lee, Gary and Johnny. If you’re amazingly lucky you also got to see Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant as well as Stan Makita and Wayne Gretzky, not to mention Elizabeth Taylor and Scarlett Johansson.
Come to think of it, we’re pretty lucky to get to see the likes of Geoff Ogilvy and all of the other great players of this era… including Tiger Woods.
Okay, we’d be a lot luckier if Geoff didn’t wear those funny looking Euro-shirts with the short sleeves, but we can forgive him for that.
