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The Tiger and the Golden Bear

There was a certain poignancy about this year's British Open, the 134th of this hoary competition at St. Andrews, the home of golf. It was about two extraordinary men who, born a generation apart, seemed tied together in an intriguing way. When he breezed his way to a no-one-in-the-same-class victory, Tiger Woods became the second player after Jack Nicklaus to win each of the four grand slam events twice. In a tournament in which the 65-year-old Nicklaus, arguably the greatest golfer in history, bid an emotional farewell to championship golf, a resurgent Woods underlined his credentials as a contender for that title. With his 10th grand slam title in the bag, Woods now has Walter Hagen's kitty of 11 in the cross hairs. After this, there is only Jack Nicklaus to surpass. At 18 majors, `The Golden Bear' may seem eons away but 29-year-old Woods has time and talent on his side, not to speak of a seemingly insatiable appetite for victory. Will Woods surpass Nicklaus? It's hard to say but one thing is certain: if anyone does in the near future, it will be this remarkable man who is way ahead of his contemporaries and plays the game with a captivating mix of raw power, surgical precision, and relaxed flair.

Following a slump in 2003 and 2004 (during which he failed to pick up a single grand slam title), Woods broke his losing streak by winning at the Masters in Augusta in April 2005. If that triumph signalled a return to his masterly ways, his success at the British Open may signal a return to the kind of dominance he enjoyed before the slump years. Woods won by five clear shots, the largest margin in any major since his eight-stroke win at St. Andrews in 2000. He could add another major to his list if he wins the USPGA championship at New Jersey next month — an achievement that would match his record-setting performance in 2000, his so-called year of glory. "The future of the game is in good hands," noted Nicklaus graciously as he bid adieu at the Open after failing to make the cut. As the youngest player to win a Masters, reach the number one spot, and win a career grand slam, and the first to hold all majors at the same time, Woods has written himself into the history books. If golf writers are obsessed with comparing him with Nicklaus, it is for good reason. Golfing history makes it clear that one cannot but acknowledge the supreme dominance of Jack Nicklaus. But in less than a decade after turning pro, Tiger Woods has raced ahead of a number of legendary names. In some ways, the recent history of golf is a story of The Tiger and The Golden Bear — the two champions who made this year's British Open what it was.

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