Chris Baldwin This Week at TravelGolf.com: June 21, 2005

Second place flub at U.S. Open
only confirms Tiger Woods'
status as the new Jack

All the dweebs exalting over Tiger Woods' putter meltdown with the U.S. Open on the line, gleefully braying that Tiger's not all that anymore, are missing the big picture. Woods almost stole a major he had no business being in.

If that's not the stuff of Jack Nicklaus, nothing is.

To call Tiger's bogey-bogey trophy squashing spurt on No. 16 and No. 17 a choke as National Golf Editor Tim McDonald did is akin to declaring Angelina Jolie isn't beautiful after one bad hair day or Steven Spielberg can't direct after one lackluster movie (think AI). Even the greats have hiccups.

Jack Nicklaus had 19 of them. Nineteen runner-up finishes to go with his record (until Tiger breaks it) 18 major championships. Tiger now has two seconds to complement his nine major titles. And he's losing it? He choked?

Please. There's a big difference between Phil Mickelson going gaga time after time, lucking into one major while revealing his true colors in all the other close calls and Tiger coming close twice while winning nine. One of the old knocks against Tiger could have been that he didn't come close enough a la Jack, that he either dominated the field in his majors or materialized as a non-factor.

Now, even that's changing. Tiger Woods is continuing to win while finding ways to contend in the big ones when he's not at the top of his game. Woods was eight shots back of Retief Goosen at one point in the final round at Pinehurst No. 2. Eight shots! TravelGolf.com's own Goosen ogling Jennifer Mario wasn't the only one imagining a thrilling Goosen trophy speech.

Yet Tiger found a way to make the final round interesting. And no one can argue that fighting off Tiger made Michael Campbell a much more deserving champion.

That's the true mark of greatness: when your mere presence in the competition enhances the feat of winning. Tiger Woods remains the most compelling athlete of his era. All the determined doubting dweebs are in danger of missing out on appreciating the Babe Ruth of our time.

As always your comments are welcome on any topic, including your Tiger stance.



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Integrated Training TechniquesGive your old exercise routine
a golf fitness makeover

This is the age of reality shows and dramatic transformations. You're never too old or too young to take care of your health and fitness, especially as it pertains to golf. But how you structure your golf fitness program is essential to your overall performance on and off the course. Here are some ways to ensure you are getting the most out of training program while utilizing the strength of your core as a building block for success.

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Pinehurst No. 2 Postcards from Pinehurst No. 2:
Where Goosen went wrong

Blogger Jay Flemma was on the scene at Pinehurst No. 2 and sending in some interesting stuff. He interviewed Sergio Garcia and Brandt Jobe, weighed in with Tom Doak's thoughts on No. 2's green complexes, and interviewed Retief Goosen following his final-round meltdown.

Full story | Sit around work thinking about golf? Wanna blog for us?


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RailSide Golf Club RailSide Golf Club in Gibson City:
Golf oasis in a corn field desert

The great thing about the Midwest if you're a golfer is that you just never know when you're going to stumble across a wonderful course in the middle of nowhere. Say you're driving along somewhere in east-central Illinois. Suddenly, rising from the desert of corn and soybean fields, you spot a grassy oasis. You're utterly gleeful that you decided to throw your clubs in the trunk. Case in point: RailSide Golf Club in Gibson City.

Full story | More course reviews from GolfIllinois.com