JOHNS CREEK, Ga. � When Tiger Woods took a two-shot lead into the final round of the 2009 PGA Championship, his prosperous golfing kingdom was unthreatened, his standing among fans the world over untainted, his reputation as the most ruthless closer in the annals of the sport unmatched.
By David J. Phillip, AP
Rory McIlroy shakes hands with Tiger Woods on the range at the PGA Championship on Wednesday.
By David J. Phillip, AP
Rory McIlroy shakes hands with Tiger Woods on the range at the PGA Championship on Wednesday.
Heading into Thursday's start of the 93rd PGA Championship on the Highlands Course at Atlanta Athletic Club, Woods hasn't won anything anywhere in nearly two years ? an unimaginable drought considering his past ? and golf has no dominant force.
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Back in '09, when his red shirt was the most intimidating piece of clothing in the game, Woods was, as he had been most of the past 15 years the best player on the planet by a wide margin. What would have been his 15th major title and record-tying fifth PGA Championship was nearly a foregone conclusion that Sunday at Hazeltine National Golf Club in the prairies of Minnesota.
Four hours later, Y.E. Yang power lifted his golf bag above his head in celebration of a shocking three-shot win against Woods, who lost for the first time in 15 majors when he took at least a share of the lead into the final round.
Three months later, a fire hydrant got in the way of Woods' legacy, and revelations of rampant infidelity sprung forth and spoiled his image, caused sponsors to flee, led to a divorce and wreaked havoc on his game.
The one-car accident in front of his Florida estate in November 2009 eventually left a gaping hole and muted some of the buzz Woods brings to the sport.
"It's kind of like when Michael Jordan retired for the first time. There was a hole in the game, there just was," eight-year pro Hunter Mahan says. "With Tiger not being out here, it's a great opportunity for other players to come up and show their skills and everything, but there's no one like Tiger. I've never seen anyone like him. He's one of those once-an-era type of guys who has kind of changed the game forever. He was the standard of the game that we've never seen before.
"Some of the young guys, they've never seen Tiger Woods play Tiger Woods golf. They've never even come close to seeing it. I don't think he has to prove anything, but I think he's one of those guys, kind of like Jordan, he takes every single thing that someone says and he's going to turn it into this massive gas on a fire that he's got burning right now. A motivated Tiger with a challenge in front of him is a good thing for him. It's a good thing for us, too, because we all want to play against the best in the world.
"We as players want to see what will happen now."
Wide open at majors
The lack of his unparalleled excellence is evident at the major championships, where 12 different players have won the last 12 majors. The past six have gone to first-time major winners. As for Woods, who returned to golf just last week after a three-month layoff to heal the injuries to his left knee and Achilles tendon, and who once won seven of 11 majors, including four in a row, he hasn't won a major since the 2008 U.S. Open. That's the longest drought of his career in the game's four biggest and most cherished tournaments.
Mystery and intrigue, not mystique and aura, now envelops Woods. The winner of 14 major championships and 71 PGA Tour titles has fallen to No.30 in the world; fired his caddie 12 years, Steve Williams; hired a new swing coach, Sean Foley; and left his management team, IMG. And Woods, 35, whether due to injury or leave to deal with his personal life, has played just 23 worldwide events the past two years, only 19 of those on the PGA Tour. He has been down the leaderboard far more often than he has threatened to be the name at the top, including only four top-10s on the PGA Tour.
It's the new normal these days in golf, where fans and colleagues are wondering if they ever will see Woods, or anyone else, dominate again. The PGA Tour kicked off the 2011 season with a marketing scheme promoting its next generation of players, including Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson, Jason Day, Rory McIlroy, Anthony Kim and others. Kim, Johnson and McIlroy each have multiple victories; Day has one; 2010 rookie of the year Fowler has yet to win on Tour. Only McIlroy has a major title.
But without Woods being Woods, many players are wondering whether the sport is better off without a dominating figure. Fans and news media have been quick to try to anoint the next big thing, whether it be Fowler, Johnson, McIlroy or Ryo Ishikawa.
"I think the fans always enjoy the hero, the one player that does dominate that they can cheer for, and I think Tiger was that person," world No.1 Luke Donald says. "They do enjoy that, but there are obviously people out there that also like to see a bit more variety. And that's been the case the last two or three years, where it has been very wide open.
"I'm not sure which is better. I'd probably sway with one person dominating. I think it brings a little bit more focus to the sport."
As was clear last week at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational when Woods made just his second start since the Masters, he still draws the biggest galleries and spikes TV ratings. Tournaments sell more tickets and the whole atmosphere is different.
"There will never be another Tiger. Not in my lifetime," 2007 PGA Tour rookie of the year Brandt Snedeker says. "There might be some kid out there no one knows about, but I don't see it happening. Tiger set the bar for all of us. He changed the game forever. He made all of us change. We worked harder in the gym, on the range.
"And when he plays, there are at least 20% more fans at the tournament. He brings the people who are on the fence about going to a tournament or not out here. No one else does that. And I don't see anyone being another Tiger in that sense or being another Tiger on the golf course."
Is McIlroy next?
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A lot of people saw a lot of Woods in McIlroy when, at 22, he earned his first major victory at the U.S. Open in June. McIlroy won by eight shots and finished at 16 under par, the lowest score in relation to par ever shot in that tournament.
Three-time major winner Padraig Harrington said after the third round that McIlroy, not Woods, would break Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 major titles. When told this, McIlroy buried his head in embarrassment and reminded the golf world he was just trying to win his first one. And Woods' 14, let alone Nicklaus' 18, are a long way off.
"It would definitely be a challenge if Tiger got back to his best. He didn't give anyone else a chance 10 years ago," McIlroy says. "It would be great to measure yourself up against that. But on the other side, if he does get back to that form, it gives us less of a chance to win.
"So it's sort of a double-edged sword."
Since his return, Woods has looked strong and his power has returned. He was rusty at Firestone Country Club and had a hard time controlling his distances, tying for 37th on a course where he's won seven times. His putter behaved here and there, but he still used two different models. But he said he's healthy for the first time in years ? he's had four surgeries on his left knee since college ? and with each day, he said he's getting more encouraged with his ball flight, distance control and overall game.
His expectation this week? "A 'W,'" he says.
Adam Scott, another player some wanted to anoint after his win at the 2004 Players Championship, won last week in the Bridgestone. He says he likes what he's seen in Woods since he came back and wouldn't be shocked if the former No.1 ? who once won seven of 11 majors, including four in a row ? was victorious this weekend or if he returns to his dominating ways.
"I never write Tiger off," Scott says. "He has proved almost every critic wrong every time. If they say he can't do it, he does it. It's hard to explain how good he was playing, especially in the early 2000s. He was in a class of his own. ? He hit shots no one was able to hit and controlled the golf ball better than anyone else. It was remarkable golf. We'll just have to wait and see if he can return to that.
"But technology has changed a lot, and I think that works against someone really being that much better, because it's certainly leveled the playing field a little bit. But it's an interesting time in golf, and a lot of guys right now feel like there's an opportunity to stand up and be the guy. I think the state of golf is in good shape. We have a bunch of talented players and now Tiger is back.
"Maybe it's the best of both worlds."
Fowler, who says golf has benefited from fans getting to know more players the past two seasons because of Woods' erratic play, says the expansion of talent worldwide will make it tougher for anyone to dominate again. But he says he knows one player who could fill the void.
"The next Tiger Woods," Fowler says, "could be Tiger Woods. ? He was Tiger Woods before, and he can be Tiger Woods again. He's not done yet. It's just so hard to dominate anymore, but I'm not going to say he can't."
*****
12 majors, 12 winners
Each of the last 12 majors has been won by a different player, and the last six major champs were first-time major winners:
2008 PGA Championship: Padraig Harrington, Ireland. Harrington was the last repeat major champion, winning the PGA a month after scoring his second British Open title.
2009 Masters: Angel Cabrera, Argentina. His first Masters and second major ('07 U.S. Open).
2009 U.S. Open: Lucas Glover, USA. His first major title and second Tour title overall (he added a third this year in the Wells Fargo).
2009 British Open: Stewart Cink, USA. Beat Tom Watson in a playoff for his first major title. He hasn't won since.
2009 PGA: Y.E. Yang, South Korea. He overhauled Tiger Woods in the final round for his only major title and second Tour win.
2010 Masters: Phil Mickelson, USA. His fourth major and third Masters. He is the last American to win a major; the U.S. drought is at a record six.
2010 U.S. Open: Graeme McDowell, Northern Ireland. His first major started a bit of a trend for Northern Ireland, which claimed two of the next five majors.
2010 British Open: Louis Oosthuizen, South Africa. It was his second win of 2010, but he has none since.
2010 PGA: Martin Kaymer, Germany. Beat Bubba Watson in a playoff and did ultimately rise to No.1 in the world. He's currently No.3.
2011 Masters: Charl Schwartzel, South Africa. Schwartzel birdied the final four holes to earn his first major.
2011 U.S. Open: Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland. The 22-year-old star, who staggered down the stretch in the Masters after entering the final round with a four-shot lead, dominated throughout. The expectations continue to rise.
2011 British Open: Darren Clarke, Northern Ireland. The 42-year-old veteran hadn't contended in a major since 2001.
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