Reading this only makes me think, once more, of the competition Jack had to face. Maybe it's the passing of the years has me putting Jack's competition on a pedestal, but Trevino, Player, Palmer, Watson.. those guys were fierce competitors. They were mature, they were mentally tough in ways Tiger's competitors don't seem to be.
Correct me if I am wrong- would Palmer or Player have taken a nine in such an infantile, idiotic fashon at the US Open? It almost seems Phil may as well have had a pacifier hanging out of his mouth while he hit those wedges- all because he thought the course setup was unfair. boo hoo. And he's the main challenger?
And don't even start me on Sergio...or Adam Scott.
Trevino would slice your heart out over a two dollar bet- and he was the most consistant ball striker since Hogan. He went toe to toe with Nicklaus Sunday after Sunday, and he was never intimdated. What about Gary Player, who in this country was regarded as the little brother among the "Big Three?" Guess who is one of only five guys ever to win the modern career Grand Slam? Palmer was never bashful about wanting to beat Nicklaus either- that's a given.
Maybe it's just me getting old, but I have a tendency to regard these modern computer perfected wonderkids as soft in the middle. The older guys grew up more in the school of hard knocks. If they didn't win tournaments, they were going to back to the farm to dig ditches. Many of these kids on the tour now are from the school of computer generated David Ledbetter perfect positions at the top. The swings may be better, but the GOLF, the human drama, is sorely lacking. They just seem to be a bunch of cookie cutter copies of each other today. They don't have any fire. Tiger seems to be the only one who could travel back to that era and be right at home.
But that's just me. I am sure lot's of people see it differently.