Now It's Official: Tiger Woods Could Beat You Standing on One Leg!

The recently completed US Open provided plenty of drama from start to finish.  But if you thought the drama was all over, think again!

During the tournament, thousands of fans tuned in to see if Tiger Woods could manage yet another US Open win and this time with what many critics saw as a major handicap—he had only recently "recovered" from major knee surgery.

Before the start of the contest, Tiger displayed confidence, telling those who questioned his ability to play with such an injury that he'd heard all that before (referring to the fact that last time he was recovering from a knee operation, everyone said he couldn't win, but he still did it anyway!).

But from the outset it was obvious that he was not in for a cakewalk victory.  Frequently his pain was all-too-visible and few spectators would not have been awed by the dignity and courage which have become such a familiar part of the Woods legend.

Fresh news released today reveals that the dramatic sudden-death playoff win was even more remarkable than it seemed.  In effect, Tiger literally finished standing on one leg.

Ignoring advice from doctors that he should rest, Tiger played the full five days with, get this, a fractured tibia and torn ligaments.   And typically his comment when interviewed during the Open tended to be something along the lines of: the knee was "a bit sore".

Certainly from his facial expressions, his body language, and the fact that he occasionally was seen using a club as a pseudo-cane, it was probably a little more serious than just a bit of soreness.  It also showed us that, on some level at least, Tiger must be human.

But perhaps, with our new knowledge of the full extent of the injury, and considering how well he did despite it, Rocco Mediate may not have been too far off the mark when he said "I'm playing against a monster!"

Mediate had good reason to think that.  He played the best golf of his life and he certainly appreciated that.  Speaking on the eve of the playoff, he said, "I made him [Tiger] do something amazing today.  He does it all the time, but I made him do that!... It was the most amazing day of golf I have ever experienced."

Even with Mediate's undeniably brilliant game, even with an injury far more serious than Tiger was prepared to let on, there was still no stopping the Tiger Woods juggernaut.  It just rolled on relentlessly.

Am I overstating the matter? No way! 

According to Tiger's comments after the victory was secured, he actually tore that ligament eleven months ago, meaning that for each of his past eight wins he has played with a very serious injury.

Don't be too surprised if the next Terminator movie features Tiger Woods as the main attraction.  He may have shown that he does actually feel pain, but he also proved that—to paraphrase Kyle Reese—he absolutely will not stop.... ever!