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Tiger-Less PGA Doing Just Fine

by Jeff Skinner

Yesterday’s third round at the PGA Championship was about as exciting as a round of golf can get. There was plenty of action with big names and young up and comers doing battle all afternoon. The only way it could have more exciting was if it had been the final round.

And that’s what we expect today. Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler, Phil Mickelson are three of the most popular names in the game and there are many other golfers looking to make their name that sit a few shots off the lead.

Saturday was great theater and guess what? Tiger Woods was nowhere to be seen. Of course CBS insisted on showing Tiger’s ill fated attempt at playing at the PGA. And there were countless references to Tiger but the PGA is doing fine without him.  tiger pga 3 rnd

Certainly, the ratings may take a hit but this is what golf will be like shortly when Tiger packs it in.

There is a new cast of skilled young players on the brink of owning professional golf. Rory McIlroy already has established himself as a worldwide attraction. He’s the top golfer in the world right now and has a fan base that spans the globe and generations.

Rickie Fowler has been reborn under the tutelage of Butch Harmon and has threatened at every major championship this year.

Jason Day has a ton of talent and has a great history in major championships. Even though injuries have kept him from playing as much as he would like the fact is he has tremendous skills and is a another young golfer on the brink of stardom.

No Tiger…no problem. Doug Ferguson says that Tiger is no longer being compared to Jack Nicklaus but rather an older Willie Mays who stayed too long in his sport. 

Tiger Woods is no longer being compared with Jack Nicklaus.

Now the reference is to the great Willie Mays falling down in center field trying to catch a fly ball. Or to Joe Louis entering the ring one time too many – and leaving it through the ropes after getting knocked out by Rocky Marciano.

Those were sad moments in sports.

As bad as Woods looked over two days at the PGA Championship, it would be premature to say this was another one.

But it sure looked that way.

Ferguson goes on to chronicle Tiger’s injury history and admits that Tiger isn’t finished yet but with so many injuries one does wonder.

Woods said he was pain-free after playing nine holes Wednesday. He said his back was a little stiff after a 74 on Thursday. And he said his back ”went out on me” on the range and ”I just had to play through it” on his way to another 74.

”I didn’t really notice that,” Phil Mickelson said when asked about Woods’ injury. ”I just noticed that really on the greens the ball wasn’t going in the hole.”

Ouch.

The trouble assessing injuries is that only the athlete knows how bad it hurts. It’s even more complicated when the athlete – Woods – isn’t forthcoming about it.

Is this the end? Not yet.

Click here for Doug Ferguson’s AP story.

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