Less than 24 hours after losing the US Open Tiger became a father to a little girl called Sam Alexis Woods. Which, as a besotted father of a girl myself, fills me with a strange happiness.
The aftermath of the US Open and the discussion, both on the boards and in the press, about Tiger has nevertheless been fascinating. It never ceases to amaze me how many supposed “chinks” in Tiger’s armour are dragged out and flaunted just to create a few inches of press coverage. The big one at the moment relates to the fact that Tiger has never come from behind to win a Major. He has led 12 times on the Saturday night and won every time but never managed to get it together with an “Arnie charge”.
The implication, amongst various factions of the press, is that he will never be a true crowd favourite until he does this. With tears of laughter in my eyes I read today in The Times that he lacks the “killer instinct” to ever do what Jack Nicklaus did at the age of 46 to win his last major – the 1986 Masters.
There is a wonderful story we love to tell in Northern Ireland about George Best. Many years ago he was staying in The Europa Hotel in Belfast in the penthouse suite. He was errrr “entertaining” a beautiful young lady (possibly, for the sake of the story, one of the several Miss Worlds he “entertained”) and ordered more champagne. The room service boy arrived at the door to see something of a chaotic mess. Empty champagne bottles, vast amounts of cash lying around and a beautiful lady strewn on the bed. He tutted and said to George “Where did it all go wrong?“
“My advice Tiger? F&*@ ‘em!”
I wonder as Tiger sits at home tonight does he wonder “where did it all go wrong?”
He has won twelve majors and is married to one of the most beautiful women on the planet. He earned nearly $100 million dollars last year and has just spent $44 million buying up houses round his new “pad” to give himself a bigger garden. He has a healthy baby girl. His record in the last four majors is win, win, second, second. He is slowly but surely demolishing every golf record that really counts.
I get the feeling that a perceived lack of “killer instinct” isn’t exactly something he worries about.
It does highlight just how relentlessly negative and tedious the press are though. How, even when you’ve reached the simply incredible heights that Tiger has, people still want to take pot-shots at you and try to find some way to bring you down. I noticed on an Australian forum he was even getting abuse for not being able to produce a son!
I’ve said it a million times and I’ll say it again – one the key skills to any success is the ability to focus entirely on the task in hand and to totally ignore the advice of 99.9% of the critical population.
Correction – 100%
Watching him on Saturday was FAR more entertaining than the
NBA playoffs. It was part sporting event, part personal development
seminar, and part Gladiator. Absolutely BEAUTIFUL comeback and
spectacular round of golf. All on the verge of his wife about
to give birth….