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The fascinating Sunday show in Scotland has not changed our instincts here: Tiger Woods will still win on the PGA Tour, but he will not win another major championship.
Too many good players, too many punitive courses too Many chances for this version of Woods to make the kinds of expensive mistakes that he has made on the back nine to Carnoustie.
Yet the most salient point: Sports is about entertainment, and Woods placing itself in contention of a major – the British Open, the most historic golf tournament – was wildly, relentlessly, refreshingly entertaining .
We will take more of that, absolutely.
Viewers have absorbed it. Sunday's final round on NBC earned a 5.0 mark in the last round since Woods completed the career Grand Slam in St. Andrews in 2000. NBC's ratings for the week climbed 38 percent. % compared to last year.
Woods remains the king of golf on TV.
He's no longer the king of golf – no win in five years, no major title in 10 – but his name in the standings still awakens echoes of past glory. Spieth, who started playing Sunday tied, accidentally peeked at the board and noticed Woods alone at the top
Spieth mumbled in frustration at first, but he later acknowledged that you're dreaming of that. "
This made the stump at the Open House even more appealing.Marious characters join Woods in the fray, young champions Spieth and Rory McIlroy at rising star Xander Schauffele, to the old Justin Rose and the future winner Francesco Molinari
They offer a mixture of familiarity and freshness, a layer of gravity and electricity.
"It was great to Be part of it and hear the roars (with) Tiger in the mix, everything, "McIlroy told reporters afterward, and he continued," For a moment, I thought Tiger was going to win. My state of mind was going to spoil the party. It was really cool. "
Woods' last comeback is clearly different from his earlier attempts to get rid of the lingering problems, and he finished in the top six in 12 starts this season, having collected a top-10 in 11 starts in 2015 and only one starting in 2016 and in 17 combined.
His performance this year reminds us of his transcendent skills on
The Sunday show also illustrated the still-thin margin of error in the major leagues. his bonus, Woods played cleverly and cautiously in the majors, winning as much by avoiding mistakes as by striking mind-blowing shots.
So it was striking to see him get rid of # 11, a hole after that. He pulled off a difficult shot from a fairway bunker.This time, Woods' green flop shot seemed risky and stupid – and he drove double bogey, putting him out of reach.
As it was says NBC badyst Johnny Miller: "The golf course seduces you to try. "This is the new version of Tiger at 42, still capable of crazy tours but also prone to missteps that he has already avoided.
That's why there is no point in debating if Woods is "back." never come back to the tiger from 1999-2002 or 2005-08, when he has accumulated majors at an absurd rate.This is not realistic.
But what? he made this year is remarkable in his own way, coming back from four back surgeries to challenge the Claret Jug.He will likely argue again against a major, maybe even in June at the US Open at Pebble Beach
It is right to remain skeptical that he will pocket the number 15, but it's also stimulating to see him try. 19659002] United States Amateur on tap: Before the US National Championship returns to Pebble in less than 11 months, the oldest US Championship returns in less than three weeks. [1] 9659002] The American amateur will run from August 13 to 19 Pebble Beach and Spyglbad Hill, then match play at Pebble. It's rather the endurance test, with a field of 312 players shrinking to 64 for the match play; the champion must win six times to win the Havemeyer Trophy.
This hardware game includes the names of all winners dating back to 1895, a glimpse into the history of golf – from Bobby Jones to Francis Ouimet, Lawson Little to Harvie Ward, Arnold Palmer to Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson at Woods
Nicklaus won one of his two Amateur titles at Pebble Beach in 1961. He dominated, taking his semifinals 9 and 8 and the 8 and 6 finals
Kidd pursues birdies: An Oakland company, 18Birdies, has recently landed a notable investor: his native son Jason Kidd, who will be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in September.
Kidd learned about 18Birdies when he was playing with founder / CEO Eddy Lau at the celebrity-amateur event of last year before the American Century Championship near South Lake Tahoe. The company has created a smartphone app that tracks scores and statistics and connects golfers with friends, among other features.
As for his play, Kidd, a 7-year-old living in Arizona, said during a visit to the Bay Area this month. "The course has won a lot and he has an excellent record against me."
Ron Kroichick is a San Francisco Chronicle writer. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @ronkroichick
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