When Tiger Woods tees it up tomorrow at Augusta National, he can add another line to his already remarkable list of accomplishments. With another victory at the Masters, Woods can become the only golfer ever to claim the green jacket three years in a row. For golf fans and all general sports enthusiasts, this weekend will provide an opportunity to watch some great golf, see the game's brightest star at his best and -- potentially -- witness history in the making.
Yet the headlines from Augusta National may not be about golf or Tiger Woods at all, but about protest and controversy. The highly-publicized battle between activist Martha Burk and the Augusta management over the club's male-only membership may steal the spotlight. Protest and counter-protest antics threaten to drown-out or marginalize Woods and his quest for the first-ever Masters three-peat, and that is a shame.
After all, only rarely is the world visited by truly brilliant talent in sports, science, art or any other field of endeavor -- talent like Woods'. Make no mistake about it, the hype is real: Tiger Woods is the best golfer in the world. He can hit a six iron out of a wet bunker, carry the ball 230 yards over water, and somehow stick it ten feet from the pin. He can hit all his shots with length and accuracy, while mediocre golfers pray for just one out of the two. He can drain tricky, 15-foot putts for par on hole after hole. He can succumb to food poisoning during the final round and still beat the field by 11 strokes (as Woods did this year at the Bay Hill Invitational). He can win eight majors by the ripe old age of 25. And he can make it all look so easy. To state once more the oft-quoted assessment of golf legend Jack Nicklaus: Tiger Woods "plays a game with which I am not familiar."
That's why watching Tiger Woods at the top of his game is so much fun. It's like listening to Yo-Yo Ma play cello or seeing Baryshnikov dance -- there is a trance-like fascination that comes from watching a master at work. And, knowing the historical weight of this week's Masters, there is little doubt that Tiger Woods will be at his best come Sunday. Woods has an encyclopedic knowledge of golf's history; he is not satisfied with being the best golfer in the world -- he wants to be the best golfer ever, and he knows what he must do to claim that title, starting this week at Augusta.
Just as importantly, Tiger Woods is one of the few true role models remaining in sports. He is the consummate professional; he goes about his business and lets his game speak for him. He's clean-cut and respectful. He gets a tad angry with photographers at times, but that's excusable. Tiger Woods is on the news for winning tournaments, never for missing court dates or being busted with dope. And, quietly, he gives back through the Tiger Woods Foundation, which has donated millions of dollars to junior golf and other youth programs, reaching more than 85,000 children.
Unfortunately, this wholesome image makes Woods an attractive target for activists like Burk, who want dearly for golf's biggest name to sign on to their causes. Burk demanded that players -- especially Woods -- boycott the Masters unless the club admits a female member. The New York Times editorialized that, even if no other players opt-out of the Masters, it is Woods' duty as golf's biggest draw to avoid Augusta in the name of the cause. Woods resisted being drawn into the debate, and will play at Augusta tomorrow.
In our celebrity-soaked culture, we expect stars to use their fame to promote their personal opinions. Hollywood actors weigh c in on politics, while rock stars proffer wisdom on foreign policy. They are well within their rights to do so. But Tiger Woods also has the right to keep his views private, as he has throughout his career. Indeed, Woods' steady refusal to use his fame as a podium, preferring instead to support charitable causes quietly and without much fanfare, shows a self-restraint that warrants more respect than the outspokenness of his celebrity brethren.
But one of the qualities that makes Tiger Woods the world's premiere golfer is his incredible focus, his ability to reduce the world to just a swing, a ball, a hole. It shouldn't be surprising that such a focus on golf leaves little room for grandstanding.
If only we had that same focus, because that's what it may take this weekend to pick through the distractions around Augusta and zero-in on the real story: a great sportsman and his great challenge. And if Tiger Woods plays with his usual brilliance, that will be a thing worth watching.
