The Week in Golf: Tiger's Viral Moment and a Stat You Won't Believe
On Mondays, Alex Miceli will check in with what he learned over the last week.
Just when you think Tiger Woods deserves your admiration, he spits in your face.
The incident with the feminine hygiene product is just the latest in a string of misadventures by the man many believe is the GOAT of professional golf.
And as usual the apology, if you can call it that, fell on deaf ears because it was such a bad joke that nothing about it was redeemable.
Think for a minute about the dismissal of Ted Bishop, the former president of the PGA of America, who was shown the door for calling Ian Poulter “L'il Girl” in 2014 on a social media post.
Bishop, who has two daughters, made a mistake and did everything possible to rectify it and sincerely apologize on the Golf Channel.
It was just playful banter that got Bishop the ax.
It was an off-the-cuff comment, that kind we know that can get you in trouble, but there was still no premeditation and no desire to hurt or harm.
In Woods's scenario with Justin Thomas, the host of the Genesis Invitational had to purchase or somehow obtain the item, put it in his bag and know at some point he was going to slip it to Thomas after he outdrove him, which he did in the first round on the 9th hole.
It was a premeditated act, one where you think it through and still decide it’s a good idea, not an off-the-cuff comment.
How Woods thought he could get away with the handoff and it not get out into the public domain is just another mystery that seems to hover around Woods like a fog.
While being lambasted by media and others on social media, hopefully Woods's most critical call came from his 15-year-old daughter Sam.
His action marginalized women, including his daughter, and if she is anywhere near as stubborn as her father, she would have read him the riot act on the absolute insanity of his actions.
In the end, on Sunday afternoon Woods hobbled to a T45 finish, which to many was miraculous after his car accident from two years ago, a single-car accident due to a high rate of speed for the road he was on.
In the end, what I learned about Woods is he is still self-destructive, but also seems to have the shots at times to be considered a hell of a golfer.
Oh, by the way, the fact that he outdrove Thomas at all made little difference, since the reigning PGA champion finished 5 under for the tournament in a tie for 20th.
All Rahmbo, All the Time
Intrigue surrounded Woods, but thankfully it didn’t overshadow Jon Rahm.
Three wins in a calendar year that hasn’t even seen March, the Spaniard is, dare I say it, “en fuego.”
Unlike when he first left Arizona State, where Rahm seemed like a hothead who at times lost his temper and focus, the current version has transformed into an intense-but-still-passionate player who seemingly lets more run off his back then he did in the early part of his career.
The most recent of the three wins is the most impressive, because of the venue, Riviera, and the field, full and stacked.
After winning $3.6 million on Sunday in Los Angeles, Rahm has $44,888,792 in career PGA Tour winnings—or $327,655 per event played.
Moving to world no. 1 and becoming the betting favorite for the Masters is just a byproduct of his two months of incredible success.
Rahm has thrown the gauntlet down and it will be interesting to see who picks it up.
65 Is the New ... ?
The Chubb Classic saw the oldest winner ever on the PGA Tour Champions take home his 45th, not a typo, 45th title on the over-50 circuit.
Sixty-five-year-old Bernhard Langer shot his age on Sunday to tie Hale Irwin for the all-time wins mark at 45.
Successfully defending his win at the Chubb in 2022, Langer’s position on the leaderboard in his last six rounds at the Naples event were first-first-first-T1-first-first.
Speaking as someone who's the same age as Langer, I must wonder: How is this actually possible?
Does he jump out of bed and immediately do exercises? Which in itself would be miraculous.
How does he do it, while everyone else who remembers black-and-white television does not?
Whatever it is, the feat of shooting your age, much less beating a stellar field that included Fred Couples, Steve Stricker, Steven Alker and Padraig Harrington, tells me all I need to know about Langer.
What I learned about Langer is that he is not done winning and what I learned about being 65 is that you still have a chance to shoot your age.