| HeraldNet - Snohomish County's online news source |
 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2010 10:26 am |
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Sports 
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No green jacket this year, Tiger Seven shots behind leaders Cabrera, Perry will be too much for Woods AUGUSTA, Ga. -- The graphic was about as jarring as Shingo Katayama's outfit, at least to those who believe golf lives and dies with only one player. Give CBS some credit for journalistic integrity for putting it on, but if anyone needed a reminder that there might be better things to do on Easter Sunday than sit in front of the television and watch the Masters, there it was for all to see.So spend a little extra time at church. Take the kids out to hunt for some eggs. Put a glaze on the ham. Anyone of a handful of players could end up with the green jacket sometime early this evening, but this much is sure. Tiger Woods is done. History tells us that, as CBS so bravely acknowledged during its Saturday telecast when it ran the graphic showing Woods has never won a major championship when trailing after three rounds. That surely didn't please advertisers desperate for the ratings a Woods run would bring, but the truth is the world's greatest player isn't the world's greatest charger. He plays defense in tough conditions on tough courses, and hasn't done badly for himself by doing so. But while defense wins championships, it won't win this Masters for Woods. Not from seven shots behind. Not with nine players ahead of him, and eight others tied. Not when there are guys in the lead who know a little bit about winning themselves. The green jackets who run Augusta National tried to salvage a bit of magic for the final round by pairing Woods with his alleged rival, Phil Mickelson, who earlier in the week said he would love to battle it out with Woods on Sunday. But unless they decide to play winner-take-all for each other's private jets or Mickelson goes after Woods' caddie for calling him names a few months ago, the twosome will be little more than a sideshow to the real action taking place behind them. That should please the purists, who believe that the Masters is such a hallowed event that it doesn't need star power on Sunday to set it apart. They believe the course should be the star, with the players merely interchangeable parts who come and go and sometimes implode in entertaining ways when it all gets to be too much. They used to be right. Yes, Arnold Palmer saved golf here and Jack Nicklaus provided drama aplenty, but before Woods arrived on the scene the Masters could be won by a Sandy Lyle one year and a Larry Mize another without doing any damage to the popularity of the tournament. But for a lot of casual fans, golf changed when Woods arrived, and the expectations of the Masters changed along with it. He destroyed the field by 12 strokes in 1997 in his inaugural appearance as a pro, and when Nicklaus suggested that he would end up winning more than 10 of them in his career, most people assumed that would become true. People who don't watch golf tune in when Woods is in contention and, even though the Masters generates the strongest ratings in golf, wins in the past two years by Zach Johnson and Trevor Immelman didn't exactly ramp up the excitement meter. That's not likely to change in today's final round, though there are plenty of capable players with solid credentials in contention and the course seems set up perfectly for some back nine thrills. Before golf became Tiger Time all the time, the pristine layout and a leaderboard featuring two U.S. Open champions, one British Open winner and a veteran winner like Kenny Perry would have suited everyone just fine. It's not Perry's fault that being good is no longer enough. He's more than done his job on the course this week, but he and Chad Campbell didn't draw much of a following in the last group Saturday even among the more knowledgeable fans at the Masters. They certainly didn't drive the ratings on CBS. Blame the media for part of that. We're so fixated by Woods that we tend to gloss over a story like Perry's rise from bag boy to proven winner, or Angel Cabrera's tale of going from elementary school dropout in Argentina to U.S. Open champion. It's all Tiger all the time, and when Tiger isn't around it doesn't seem nearly as fun. It won't be today, but that's OK. Augusta National will be as beautiful as ever, and they'll still hand out a green jacket. And, somehow, golf will survive. |
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- Everett rethinks boutique wineries
- A tidy lawn could be law in Lynnwood
- Snohomish County's bargain housing won't last
- Boeing's 747-8 takes off after weather delay
- Plan for I-5 closures this week
- A new bowling alley for Monroe?
- Lake Stevens man homeless after fire
- I-5 bridge joint may give you a jolt, but it isn't damaged
- A tidy lawn could be law in Lynnwood
(9) - Vote on school levies by Tuesday (9)
- Everett police officers cleared in 2008 shooting death (5)
- 1949 travel aid shows how few places blacks were welcome in Washington (4)
- Everett rethinks boutique wineries (4)
- Toyota has powerful D.C. friends (3)
- I-5 bridge joint may give you a jolt, but it isn't damaged (3)
- A new bowling alley for Monroe? (2)
- ORCA a whale of an improvement for Community Transit (2)
- Large part from 747 falls outside Miami mall; no one hurt (2)
- Edmonds educator, famous announcer dies
- Mill Creek to appeal ruling on annexation
- Through the air, with the greatest of ease
- E-W thriving under new coach
- The path to citizenship
- EUUC puts on ‘Pants & Shoes’
- Wolfpack wins the ‘Battle'
- Lynnwood’s annexation plans OK’d
- Arlington's Cascade Valley Hospital celebrates expansion, national award and 100 years of service
- Business Licences Feb. 2010
- Technology tips for launching your own business
- Business Events Feb. 2010
- Tech Talk: No excuse today for going without a Web site
- State already raising fees and rates that restrict business growth
- Some legislators again targeting people’s initiative petition rights
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