Tiger Woods usually shows a deep appreciation for golf history. He’s much closer to being the modern gentleman ambassador to the game than a lot of people give him credit for (the swearing fuss is way overblown).

But this week of all weeks, when the unquestioned great gentleman of golf Byron Nelson died at 94, Tiger forgot his manners.

When asked about his winning streak - which Tiger claims is still alive at five because he lost European events and it’s a PGA Tour streak (this is a gripe for another day) - Nelson’s name of course came up. Nelson holds one of the most unbreakable records in sports of course, his Joe DiMaggio-like 11 straight tournament wins in 1945.

“The competition is so much deeper now,” Tiger said. “Back in (Nelson’s) day — I actually talked to him about this — he said he had to beat four or five guys every week. And when you’re hot, that’s not hard to do. That’s not the case anymore. It’s 40 or 50 now, so it’s a lot different.”

It doesn’t matter if this is true. And it’s at least partially true. It’s not something that needed to be said. Especially this week. It comes across as downgrading what Nelson accomplished as his life is being honored. Frankly, it almost sounds like the kind of whine Jack Nicklaus often breaks into about Tiger when he gets frustrated about his majors record being on the chopping block.

It’s the type of statement you would have never heard Byron Nelson make.

This is the guy who wouldn’t break the course record at a track he played if it was held by the local head pro. “We’re just passing through,” Nelson often offered in explanation. “(The pro) lives here.”

Tiger Woods could still learn something from that grace. Unfortunately, his words this week showed how much.

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