Most people think that the PGA tour doesn't really begin until The Masters (A Tradition Like No Other), but, in fact, the golfers have been teeing it up since the first weekend in January, but it's kind of gotten lost in the shuffle of the NFL Playoffs. Until, that is, the past two weeks.
In case you missed it, two weeks ago Tiger Woods won, and in pretty much Tiger-like fashion, the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. This was the eighth time that Woods has won a tournament at Torrey Pines. This past weekend out in Scottsdale, Phil Mickelson went wire to wire in a beatdown of the rest of the field, including a round of 60!
I don't think that we will ever see the dominant Tiger Woods of the early part of this 21st century, but let's remember that he did win three tournaments last year, and he looked pretty damn good two weeks ago. Of course, Woods has set major championships as his standard, so the big question about him is always, will he ever win another Major, and if so will he break Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 Majors (he has 14)? My thought - yes, he will win another Major, sometime, but, no, he will not break Jack's record.
Mickelson has reached an age, he is 42, where guys just don't win with regularity on the big Tour. I'm not sure how many more performances like we saw this past weekend Phil has left in him. Still, his performance last weekend, and Woods' the week before, does tantalize you with hopes of Tiger-Lefty showdowns at Augusta and the US Open later in the year.
Speaking of Mickelson, how did you like the pity party he threw for himself about how he was getting screwed by the tax laws on the Federal and the State of California levels. My heart really ached for him. By the way, he made $45 million in 2012. I would happily trade him my income and taxes for his income and taxes. Guys who have grown up in the life of country clubs and elite amateur and then professional golf, they really have a handle on the real world, don't they?
Some of the biggest off the course news this year was the signing of Rory McIlroy, the current #1 in the world, to a mega-millions deal by Nike. In case you haven't seen it yet, Nike has produced this cool commercial featuring their two big guns. Interestingly enough, Woods and McIlroy were NOT together when this commercial was produced. A triumph of clever film editing.
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