{image1} There is greatness in sports, and then there is Greatness.

The "capital G" Greats transcend their sports, in ways that mere "lowercase g" greats cannot. They re-write history, re-write what people deem possible, sometimes they re-write the rules themselves.

And that's Tiger Woods. Someone who finds the big moments, relishes the big moments and puts his indelible stamp on the big moments. Someone bigger than and above the very sport he plays.

I made the mistake after the first round of pronouncing this year's hopes for Tiger's fourth green jacket D.O.A. And in my business, we call that "loud wrong." Dead wrong, "hit another ball, pal, you are playing three" wrong.

Note that the basic logic behind the prediction was sound. Tiger was getting bad breaks, on bad swings, with a bad attitude. There were some 35 or more players between him and the lead. He had no business finding his swing, turning the bad karma upside down and getting hotter than an asphalt parking lot in August.

But he did.

Because that's precisely what the Greats do. Most of the time, we just assume that Great players do Great things only at the peak of their greatness. What is not as commonly recognized is what Greats do when their game is at a momentary low point, or crisis moment.

Tiger somehow found it in himself to make that weekend move on Saturday and Sunday. He somehow found a way to put pressure on the guys at the top of the leader board. He just found a way to get it done.

Greatness. Pure and simple.

It was like Nicklaus finding a way to win in 1986, long past his prime and not playing particularly inspired golf at the time. It's Michael Jordan, having the game of his life with a debilitating flu against the Utah Jazz in the NBA Finals.

And don't confuse Greatness for mere "dominance." While the Greats are often dominant (like Tiger in 1997, or 2000 at Pebble Beach), plenty of athletes can be merely dominant without being Great. (Shaq, Bonds, etc.)

TV ratings took a dramatic spike upward this year over last April's potboiler. Sure, the golf was great. But it was even better last year. Indeed a multi-ethnic Tiger brings a broader and younger demographic attraction versus Country Club Caucasian Phil. But sports fans are not stupid. They know the Greatness when they see it, and they will stop whatever they are doing to sit and watch it.

Sorry for doubting your Greatness, Tiger. Welcome back to the throne. It should be a very fun year in golf, after all.

Technology Update

What could be behind the Tiger Woods resurgence this year? Sure the swing is getting tighter, but let's not overlook technology. Tiger has gone to one of the new massive 460cc driver heads, and Nike went back to the laboratory to "custom match" its new "Tiger ball" to his swing and equipment. Think all this is hokum? Look at the driving distance stats, and then get back to me. Tiger has his intimidating length back, and that's not good for everybody else.

Say What?

Overall, CBS did its usual excellent job of covering the tournament from a technical standpoint, including some new camera positions like the rotating boom-camera on the 12th hole bridge over Rae's Creek. Announcing is another story. Many people told me how much they resented the overt rooting the CBS mic men seemed to be doing for Tiger. I can accept that as a factor of CBS knowing that a Tiger victory would mean huge ratings, and a little bit of human nature. However, what I thought was easily the most ridiculous comment of the broadcast came from Peter Kostis. With Woods working on a three shot lead on the front nine Sunday, Kostis said (paraphrasing) that Tiger's "body language" and pre-shot focus was the result of his desire to win the tournament in a blowout, in order to give an emphatic "in your face" to all of his critics. Whoa! Pete. That's a lot of backseat psychology there. I saw Tiger Woods on the front nine doing all of that, because he was worried about just winning the tournament. Period! Unlike Kostis, Woods had a more than healthy respect for how tough and talented Chris DiMarco is as a player. Woods, unlike Kostis (who should know better) was well aware that double-bogey lurks constantly at Augusta, and that a mere three shot front nine lead was no invitation to try to "cover the spread" in order to silence media critics.

Amateur Hour

While the Masters remains the best golf tournament on the planet (by a long shot) it is about time the old green jackets relinquish some operational control of the event to people who know how it should be done. In other words, time to end the amateur hour that is getting ridiculous. For one, the Saturday afternoon "re-frame" of the field was completely botched. Not only did players like Tiger not know when they would be going out in the afternoon ("Ah, stick around, Eldrick, and enjoy a lemonade. We ah uh workin' on that...") but there was an easy chance to get the event back on track for the television audience by sending out the bottom half of the field later on Saturday, not earlier. Instead, the leaders on Saturday didn't go out until almost 5 p.m. causing the millions of viewers worldwide to miss the thrilling back nine run Tiger made Sunday morning amidst the TV blackout. Common sense would say send out the guys with no chance of winning the event late on Saturday, and let them finish their third round on Sunday morning. That way, the leading pack of players could re-tee around 3 p.m. Saturday, and we would have seen the back nine before darkness. Surely Augusta National can keep a firm grip on most tournament matters like ticket prices, invites, course set up, etc., while relinquishing control of purely logistical matters like weather delay restarts and pairings to PGA Tour officials who handle these problems on a weekly basis.

Chip Shots

Where does Tiger's chip-in on No. 16 rank in terms of major championship shots? Certainly Top Five, in my book. (Note: I said "shots" not "putts" which is an argument for another day over another beer.) Considering the author, moment, drama and location it may be No. 1. Watson chipping in at Pebble against Nicklaus is there. Larry Mize's chip-in to beat Norman is there. Tway from the bunker at Inverness. And maybe a few more that I am forgetting.

Shoegate

What poetic justice to have Phil and Vijay paired together on Sunday in the third from last group, and to have neither of them make a move. This, following the petty "spike-gate" controversy where Vijay asked officials to check his shoes for illegally long nails from several groups behind him. An exchange then occurred in the champions locker room after the round, although sources say it never got physical. For some people, they wish it had. Vijay has never been popular with the press or fans, while Phil can come off as overly disingenuous at times, despite putting on a wholesome and honest front. As for me, I don't care. I remain one of the few golf fans who ranks these guys among my handful of favorite players.

Not So Sweet Action

Apparently a 106 is not a 106 unless you sign for the check afterward. Billy Casper authored that awful number (worst in Masters history) on Thursday, but then pulled the bush league move of not signing his scorecard. What did that mean to anybody? Nothing. Except a journalist in England who legally wagered the "over" on Casper's score at 90 and stood to make a cool $3,200. Except the bookmaker says he technically doesn't have to pay it, because Casper walked off without signing. Ouch. I know one thing. If I was that guy, I would somehow track down Casper's scorecard, and then one day show up at his doorstep. "Mr. Casper. You can either sign this scorecard, or sign me a check for $3,200. Your choice."