There are many who concede that Tiger Woods has buried the field already, that Scott Verplank, Stephen Ames, Geoff Ogilvy and Adam Scott, all within six strokes, will not muster enough of a challenge to threaten his hold on first place. They may be correct in the secondary assumption, but the primary presumption is not yet a done deal. This year’s Bob May is the recently-vilified, never-repressed, Woody “Woody” Austin.

Woody Austin has won on tour this year, in a place (Memphis) known for its humidity. After 68-70, he is four strokes off the lead at the halfway pole. Woody Austin is beyond the grinder, and he just might be the closest thing to Hogan we have today. If you remember, Hogan did not have a Tiger-like career, successful from day one of his junior amateur career.

Austin was a good junior am, then lost the will to win and turned away from the game. He never stopped digging and searching, and he probably never will.

I’ll not bore you with a rehash of his quote-ology from Friday, but will place one important one in a block. Here it is:

Q. You’ve had a really nice career, you’re a multiple PGA TOUR winner, but thanks to networks like ours (GOLF CHANNEL) at least the lasting image until we are done may be that moment at Hilton Head. Do you look back with amusement at that moment?
WOODY AUSTIN: Well, I can’t help – I wish I could look back at amusement. But the way I look at it is – I put it to you this way. Because I got a little upset by seeing it – where was it the last time? Every time I’m on, the whole prelude into it is that.
My take on that is if you catch me on the golf course doing something bad, and you want to lead in with that, so be it. But if you’re going to lead into that after I shoot 62 or win a golf tournament; why? That has nothing to do with the 62. You lead into everything that Tiger does with the fist-pumps and all the good stuff. You never lead in with all of his bad stuff. So why is my one thing in ten years, where I did something outrageous, the only thing that I’m looked at?
So, from the standpoint, yeah, you know, I do let it roll off the back as much as possible because that’s the only thing you can do. But like I said, if it’s about me getting angry on the golf course, have at it. But if it’s about me playing good and winning or leading a golf tournament, why does that have to come up?

WOODY TAKES BITE OUT OF TROPHY (JUST KIDDING!)
It is a great point…why don’t we ever see a complete review of Tiger’s angriest moments? Why don’t we see Woody Austin making putt after putt to shoot the incredibly low rounds he posts? Why do we only read of his decision to skip this major, as though he were risking excommunication from the Nicklaujonesian Catholic Church? Let the drumbeat differ, let the Sabbatinis, the Ameses, the Austins march to their own rhythm. Trust me when I say, golf’s problems pale like the khakis they wear in comparison to those of other sports. And watch out for Woody.

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