Jackassalope

Just Do It

Tiger Woods gave a performance today worthy of any sport’s hall-of-fame. Despite it only being the third round of the U.S. Open, what Tiger accomplished at Torrey Pines is what movie scripts aspire to be. Down five shots with six holes left to play he was able to sink a 70-foot eagle putt, a chip-in for birdie, followed by a 30-foot eagle putt on the 18th green to end the day with a one-stroke lead. The sheer skill involved in the comeback was enough to talk about, but most noticeable was the fact that he grimaced in pain after almost every shot and limped to the 18th green. His body was showing obvious signs of wear from his recent knee surgery. But Tiger did what he does day in and day out; play golf and play well.

If he would have given this performance in the final round, it would be forever written in the history books as one of the greatest comebacks in golf’s history. Nevertheless, it’s on par with Laettner’s final second jump shot that propelled Duke into the 1992 NCAA finals. No one remembers the winner of the Championship game, but we still remember the amazing shot that ended Kentucky’s chances at moving on. Even if Tiger doesn’t win tomorrow, people will still talk about today. Those are the moments that make legends. When a single performance can outshine the result, you know you’ve seen something special. This is why people root for Tiger. This is why he is so important to the game of golf.