Alright Already, Tiger Didn't Win

Look, no one roots for Tiger more than I, but let's get over the fact that he didn't win, or come from behind, or scare anyone into dropping seven shots.

With the deep fields and constant Tiger talk, today's golfers are not that scared of the number-one player in the world, like the media would have you believe. There's no question every player in the field knows Tiger can win and win often, but they don't just collapse like they used to. Which is my theory into why Tiger has finished second more often these days.

Up until 2005, Tiger only finished second once...in fact he either won or wasn't a factor.  But fast forward to April 2008, and Tiger has finished second four more times, twice at the US Open and twice at the Masters. 

I'm also tired of the media saying that instead of the winner playing well, they say Tiger lost the tournament. Come on, this year Trevor Immelman played his tail off for the first three days, and with a six-shot lead didn't need to play aggressive. He forced everyone else to play out of their mind, and Sunday at the Masters is not the time to go low.

But hey, since when was it a bad thing to finish second, much less in a major championship. Remember Jack Nicklaus finished second 19 times in the majors and was gracious in defeat. Of his second place finishes, 13 were by two strokes or less, and he had nine come from behind wins.

But back to Tiger, finishing in second is still impressive, plus the pay check is more than most people will make in a lifetime. Tiger is just a victim of his own success, and we need to remember he can't win every tournament, and no he can't win every major.   

But his second-place finishes just let the rest of us know that even with poor putting, Tiger can finish near the lead.

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