Do not feed the animals.
Tiger is on the warpath yet again this year, wrapping up a dominating weekend on Sunday to cruise to a Buick Invitational victory. And yet, Ian Poulter still has the cajones today to say that Tiger hasn’t seen his best, and that Ian could give him a run for his money. Poor, poor Ian. We’ve all seen this before. Tiger is at his best when irked by the media or another player.
And let’s take a second to reflect on Tiger’s life right now: married to a hot supermodel, making over $100 million in endorsements each year, and choosing, that’s right choosing, which tournaments he thinks are the most lucrative to play in each year. If there’s not enough money, he takes the week or two weeks or the month off. Tiger can just hang out and go to the range until the $$$ are there.
In finding an equivalent to his situation, an actual person, there are not many who have his luxurious lifestyle. The only lifestyle that comes to mind, is that of an aging crooner or balladeer, a la Sinatra or Elvis in the later years.
The reasoning behind this is because it has to be someone completely self-reliant. That excludes all athletes except other golfers, bowlers, individual swimmers, etc. and all entertainment figures except solo singers and the possible stand-up comedian. But the person has to be an icon, someone who can draw a crowd no matter where he/she shows up.
Many will argue that once Sinatra peaked, his later years of performing were solely for financial purposes. He wasn’t really contending with Jacko in the eighties, or making songs that everyone was singing. Yet, when he decided to play, the house would be packed. He could get any girl he wanted. Though he wasn’t a factor in the grand scheme, people wanted to see him, even if it was just to say, “I saw Sinatra.”
Elvis, on the other hand, one could argue that he did his best songwriting during the later, more corpulent years. He wasn’t as popular as he was in the height of his career, but he still sold out arenas and was making music that everyone was buying. When he performed his comeback concert in Hawaii, he owned the state for the night. However, given his health conditions, its easy to say that he was on his way out.
That brings us to Tiger. How astonishing is it that he is not even at his golfing prime yet (which is for most golfers around age 35) and he keeps getting better and better, already having accomplished so much. He can pick his spots when he wants to play, yet isn’t rusty, and instead dominates and makes the other players want him to go back into hibernation. No matter where he plays, the crowds seem to double in size. He created his own tournament in D.C. last year, and out of thin air, there were crowds 20 people deep.
As fans, we don’t think we’ve seen his best yet, which makes commentators heads nearly explode and the other PGA Tour players want to develop serious drinking problems. I think 2008 is his year. More than ever before. I don’t think he’ll be out of a top ten finish in any tournament he plays in. I think he’ll win three majors. Maybe ten tournaments overall. And yet, if he does all those things, at the end of 2008, we’ll still be saying, “2009 is the year of the Tiger.” Barring major injury, he will continue to outdo himself when he wants, where he wants, for the money he wants.
Oddly enough, Tiger is playing in the Dubai Desert Classic this week, one of few times in ’08 when he’ll play in back to back weeks. My prediction: he’ll win, not as convincing as his eight stroke win last week, but by three or four.
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