For Love of the Game

Tiger Woods shot a -9 (63) at the second round of the Buick Open Friday.  If not for a bogey on his ninth hole, Woods would have posted 29 on his front nine.

Tiger was -6 under through five, thanks to a second hole eagle. If not for a slow back nine, Tiger could have gone for the course record of 61, which he set at the 2005 Buick Open. 

After a stretch of doubt and disappointment since a performance of lifetime at last year's U.S. Open, Tiger has once again reminded us how good he really is.

He's not only the best there is, the best there was, or the best there ever will be...

He is the ultimate standard.

Michael Jordan was the ultimate standard.

Wayne Gretzky was the ultimate standard.

Tom Brady is the ultimate standard. 

All of these athletes are on the same level of stardom, celebrity, and are as iconic as they come. However, what separates Woods from a Jordan, a Gretzky, or a Brady is he does it in an everyman's sport.

He is the ultimate standard in a standard-less sport.

Before you say "what the hell is an everyman's sport?" or a "standard-less sport" let me tell you, it's quite simple.

Golf is played by the widest and random people in the world.  There is no qualifying standard like there is in the NBA.

Everybody knows to have a chance of playing professional basketball, you must be a minimal 6'1", 185lbs, and freakishly athletic.  There is no such standard in golf.

Basketball, Hockey, and Football are generally not played by a 5'8", 163 pound, grade school teacher.

You will not see the neighborhood UPS man owning the court on Saturdays, but you will see your local doctor coming into the clubhouse every now and then.

No 67 year olds play basketball, no middle age women play hockey, and no accountants play football. 

I'm 5'10", white, weak, light, and Jewish.  Am I even aloud to dream about the NBA?

Maybe if it's LeBron winning a championship in 2010...

Golf brings society together. White and Black, Young and Old, Americans and Europeans and Asians.

The list goes on.

There's husband and wife, grandparents and grandchildren, father and son, fans, athletes, co-workers, neighbors, friends and enemies, skilled and unskilled.

For crying out loud, Michael Jordan and Tom Brady played in a scramble last week! 

Golf is more than just a game, more than just a hobby, it's a lifestyle.

Rain or shine you know somebody will be teeing off at the local course on Saturday and Sunday.  Nobody is canceling anything until the Club Pro sounds the lightening horn. 

Golf gives you more.

It gives you meeting the family for lunch on a Sunday afternoon.  It gives you a challenge every round.  It gives you goals that can be accomplished throughout a lifetime like shooting your age.

What are you going to do, make 88 consecutive three-pointers?

Golf gives you an excuse to gamble, an excuse to compete on a Wednesday night, and an excuse for a new shirt.

Golf gives you a reason to shop.  Girls believe guys don't shop.  Man are they wrong.

There is always another club, ball, or shoe to try next.  When we say we're going shopping, we're not taking a stroll through Macy's or Old Navy.  It's straight to Dick's or Golf Headquarters.

"Honey did the new Golf Digest come yet?"

or is it, "Dad, did the new SLAM come yet?" 

...didn't think so.

"Dude! You got the new Taylor Made R7!?" 

"Yeah dude!!! I haven't hit the ball this straight since 'nam"

When was the last time you freaked about your friends new basketball, or his football cleats?

And then, Golf also takes from you.

Golf can take your morals, it can take your soul for an afternoon, and it can take your wallet.

A new driver usually will cost upwards of $300, and a set of Iron's $600. For Godsake, if I three-putt six holes in a round, I'll drop $130 on a new Odyssey!

But we'll do it anyways. Just to get better, just to feel better, just to be better. 

When were you best at basketball, 18..19..23? When was the last time you threw a football 40 yards? 

But as a golfer, all I have to say, man I cannot wait 'til my 40s roll around!

Golf is the one sport you can put yourself in the same position as the pros. You don't have to look over your shoulder to make sure you are alone before counting down an imaginary clock to win the national championship.  

You get to play the same courses, hit from the same tees, and read the same greens as the pros.  And then after shooting a 78 you can ask yourself, "I wonder how well Tiger and Phil would have played here today?"

It must be a bummer to retire and travel the country playing holes you watched on TV.  Every fan dreams of one day playing at Augusta, or walking the shore at Pebble Beach, getting a feel of the history at St. Andrews, or plunging three in a row in the water at TPC.

How often do you get to play 3-on-3 at Madison Square Garden, or go to the batting cages at Yankee Stadium?

I am not saying that Golf is the best sport known to man, or that only a handful of people can play basketball or football.  I am simply saying, Golf is slowly becoming a game for everybody.  Something we all can enjoy together.

And together, we all look up to one man, a man who we all aspire to be like, but know we never will.

I'm not sure why it took another Tiger Wood's masterpiece to spring this thought...but am I really surprised?