Masters 2011: Why Tiger Was Lucky Coming Up When He Did

The gallery was silent, as it usually is when someone putts. Rory McIlroy stood over the ball on one of the most difficult puts in this year's Masters. He took the same time, as usual. Then, with confidence, he stuck the ball.

It slowly progressed across the green, slightly downhill, then rose briefly. The tempo was perfect. It broke right, then to the pleasure of everyone, to the left. Into the heart of the cup.

And the crowd exploded, in the loudest cheer of the tournament so far.

On 18, Tiger Woods backed up. He knew something big had happened. He struck his ball after returning, and slammed the ball—very fortunately for him—into the stands behind 18. The ball rebounded and became a makeable up and down, which he did not make, leaving another stroke to par on the last hole. Something to fret over for the next 18 hours or so.

The telling signs of the third round included further evidence of two important points.

First, Tiger Woods is finished. That this is fact despite how many people remember only the Tiger of old with no care about his horrible personal past is more and more evident.

Tiger is finished as a winner of any Major. Period.

The second point, however, underscores how lucky Tiger was to have been his precise age, coming up when he did.

Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer's generations—spanning common ground so that Nicklaus and Palmer played against each other as young and old—were smokers, overweight and in far worse shape than Tiger Woods, who brought a different game tuned, as it turned out, for the newer golf technologies.

It has been said that five inches make the difference between great golfers and those who are merely good: the grey matter in the head.

But that is the past.

Today, being in shape is essential. And few are in better shape than youngsters who hardly feel the effort, whose coordination is better and whose future is always brighter in any sport, including golf.

Nicklaus was overweight and Palmer a chain-smoker. None of the younger generation now playing are any of these. They spend time training and become true athletes.

When Tiger Woods started as a professional, few if any golfers approached his conditioning. And he was alone in approach and physicality. And being the only one in this condition, playing this way, made him very unusual.

And gave him a unique advantage.

This is not what is happening today. And Tiger is a mere mortal.

Today, Tiger is past not only due to his already dissipated youth. He is truly a different man because of the infidelity.

And probably, most important, because of the young players.

Tomorrow is another day. Tiger may enter the day in the high hope he can make up seven shots.

But he will not.

How many major championships would Tiger have won if the current youth were present when he came up?

You answer that question yourselves.