The Sports Monitor

No Tiger Woods? No problem. There might be a lot of talk about how awful golf will be without Tiger while he recovers from his back surgery, but I won't be one of them. I certainly won't be worried about the Masters. The first major kicks off later today and I'll tune in. And I'll watch Friday. And Saturday. And Sunday, too. It's the Masters. Green jacket. Amen Corner. A tradition unlike any other. Next to Opening Day in baseball, it's the surest sign of spring. I'm a golf fan and I'll watch. The Tiger fans can stay home. That's fine with me.

Phil Mickelson rules the British Open. I never thought I'd type those six words. But after a sizzling final-round 66 Sunday, Mickelson won the major he never thought possible. For a Phil fan like me, it was amazing. The birdie on the 18th hole left a smile on my face. And I couldn't stop talking about the charge he made. And the national media couldn't either. I did get a little annoyed when I heard a host on the radio last say night that Mickelson looked like Tiger winning the British Open. Ah ... no. Absolutely not. Phil did something Tiger never did: win a major coming from behind on Sunday. It was a memorable day. Lefty had one of greatest closing rounds in major history. Couldn't ask for a better finish, especially after the U.S. Open last month.

Tiger Woods always is the story, isn't he? He was in control of the Masters Friday when things went awry. By now you heard what happened, and have heard all sorts of opinions whether he should have been penalized or not, and whether he should have been disqualified. My point today is if Tiger is the dominant golfer everyone wants him to be, he still would have won the Masters. If he had regained whatever it is he lost, he would have won. He would have used all the detractors as fuel to win. And maybe he tried. He's just not the same golfer. The chase for Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 majors continues, but Woods remains four back. I'm not sure he gets there.

Tiger Woods won another tournament. He has a new girlfriend. He's back at No. 1 in the world after Monday's win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Wake me when he wins a major. That's when he's back to being Tiger.

Any minute now, Tiger Woods will wrap up the Farmers Insurance Open. Even before he sinks that final putt, we've heard that he's back. As much fun as it was to rip him when he was going though his public divorce, the media now wants to build him back up. Sorry, folks, I'm still skeptical that he's all the way back. This is just one tournament. It's on his favorite course. It's January. Heap all the praise you want on Woods. In my book, he's not back until he wins a major. That may or may not happen again. He's lost the air of invincibility. In sports, that's difficult to get back. The players will truly be the judge on Tiger's status. And, it won't be by what they say in the press. If the pros start to quiver in a major when Tiger's making his climb up the leaderboard, then I'll start to be convinced. Until then, I won't bestow the comeback label on him.

Can you call Tiger Woods' performance in the U.S. Open as a disappointment? Not if you're like me and you didn't think he would win. Most people though Woods was back entering the tournament. After the first two rounds, many still believed, thinking this could be his big return. I didn't. I held firm after 36 holes of the tournament at the Olympic Club in San Francisco. After seeing Tiger struggle at the Masters, I knew something wasn't right with his game. I didn't think his game could hold up over four days against the best in the world. Yeah, he can win a normal PGA Tour event against a weak field. That doesn't mean he's back. Saturday and Sunday confirmed it. Maybe next time Tiger's game will be up for it. Only time will tell, but he's slowly running out of it.

I watched the Masters last week and couldn't believe the outbursts by Tiger Woods. Was I surprised? No. He's been doing it for a while, but I thought Woods could have shown a little more restraint and decorum. I don't recall a golfer who consistently gets upset and displays it as much as Woods does. He expects every shot to be perfect, every putt to find the hole. The problem is, it's golf. You can't be perfect. While I was rooting for Phil Mickelson (I expected a meltdown and got it) and was amazed by Bubba Watson's shot that set up his playoff win, I couldn't help but compare Woods to John McEnroe. Mac was the best in tennis at one time. He wasn't as dominant for as long as Woods was, but his touch around the net and shotmaking was brilliant. Oh, there was that temper, too. Woods has that same temper. It seems that with each passing day, there could be a growing audience in golf to see if Woods explodes on the course. That number migh...

I don't usually delve too much into the world of golf, but with the U.S. Open in full swing, this is as good a time as any. What prompted me was a column by Associated Press columnist Tim Dahlberg about Tiger Woods. Dahlberg, it seems, is missing this tournament without Woods not being there. In a "letter" to Woods, Dahlberg writes, "Believe me, this tournament needs something to make it interesting." Ah, did you happen to watch the first round, Dahlberg? Rory McIlroy blew threw Congressional Country Club. And on Friday, he did it again. McIlroy's 11-under is a record through 36 holes at the Open. That's not too shabby. Not many expected it, I'm sure, especially Dahlberg. Maybe we just need to embrace change. I don't miss Woods and his surly attitude. I don't miss Woods swearing after every errant tee shot. When McIlroy withered on the final day of the Masters in April, he handled it with class and grace. I'm confident enoug...

Tiger Woods lost. That was a couple days ago and I'm still stunned. That's not supposed to happen -- at all. Anytime Woods has the lead in a major, he's supposed to win. It's predetermined. It's automatic. Well, tell that to Y.E. Yang. Woods' battle with Yang was one to remember on Sunday at Hazletine. I'm still a bit perplexed by how many people have reacted following the end of the PGA Championship. It seems not many people want to say Tiger Woods choked. It's hard to suggest, let alone believe. But, think about it for a second. If the roles were reversed, and Woods shot a 70 and Yang a 75, what would people have said about Yang gagging on a lead entering the final round? I'll bet there would be a mention or two of Yang choking. That doesn't diminish what Woods has accomplished to date. He's his generation's greatest golfer, and likely the best of all time. But he still didn't close it out when he should have. What do you think?