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Tiger Woods: astonishing moments of greatness

Woods has already re-written the game's history books and by the look of it will continue to do so for many years to come.

Ewen Murray
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This is not the first time I have come back across the Atlantic wondering what the current crop of top players can do to halt the march to the pinnacle of the game of Tiger Woods.

In Tucson on Sunday, Tiger rose above the standards he has set in the last 12 years. After a shaky start against J.B.Holmes on Wednesday, when he came back from three down and five to play, Tiger reeled off 51 birdies and two eagles in the next 118 holes to claim his 15th World Golf Championship and took the Accenture title for the third time.

On four occasions during the week, his opponents had putts to put him away. On four occasions they failed. That's the maximum of chances Woods will give you, if you don't take them, you face certain defeat.

Prowess

During the past 12 years since Tiger came on to the professional scene, we have witnessed some amazing performances. The 15-shot win at Pebble Beach, a Masters win by the margin of 10 and our Open at St Andrews in which he never visited a bunker, eventually winning by eight.

A few weeks ago in Dubai, he had a last nine of 31 in which he limited himself to just nine putts. In all of these victories there have been some astonishing moments of greatness but we should not be so surprised. He has all the shots in his bag and when you add his desire and his self motivation, you have what Tiger Woods is today; the world's supreme sportsman.

Tennis fans today enjoy the excellence of Roger Federer, and in recent times, motor racing followers have marvelled at the exciting exploits of Michael Schumacher. People of my era felt privileged to see the rise of golf's big three, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus, but the next generation are blessed to be born alongside Woods who has already re-written the game's history books and by the look of it will continue to do so for many years to come.

His win in Arizona takes him past the wins of Arnold and within one of equalling the career wins of the legendary Ben Hogan. He is 20 away from being the most prolific winner of all time, a record currently held by Sam Snead. Impressive, yes, but even more impressive is the fact that Tiger only plays in the big events and that means he is always competing against the highest ranked players. His schedule is built around the majors and these WGC events, and he has the ability to peak for each of them.

Will he win the Grand Slam in the calendar year? Even with his sublime gifts, I don't think it is possible because everything has to go your way and some of them he can't control. You need to be healthy during the four weeks, have your top game in every department and you need some luck with the draw, especially at our Open. However, if Tiger wins the first three, he is the only player in that position who would have the nerve and mindset to take the PGA Championship in August.

Contenders

So what can the others do to halt the domination of the American? I honestly don't have the answer to that question, rather like them.

Butch Harmon has told us Phil Mickelson is determined to give it his best shot over the next five years. True, Phil has the nearest short game to Woods, but much more than that is required. During this winter, Mickelson has added much to his repertoire. More fairways have been found and with his shorter, wider back swing and he has eliminated some of the destructive shots that have plagued him in the past.

Beyond that, there are some fine players like Adam Scott, Sergio Garcia, Ernie Els and alongside them Henrik Stenson, who enjoyed another classy performance in the Desert. Are they in the Woods league? I have to say, they are not.

Of our own, I'm sure, like me, you admire the natural ability of Justin Rose, Paul Casey, Luke Donald, Lee Westwood... I could go on but there is no point because they are the best of the rest. Can they perform to a higher level? Of course they can and they will have to otherwise Tiger will be at the summit of the sport a decade on from now.

Purse

Is there too much money rewarding those behind Woods? Certainly last week I thought so.

The losing second round contestants took home $90,000 and those who bowed out on Friday, a cheque for $130,000 was banked. The total purses of the WGC events is around $8 million, and maybe a different distribution of the cash would help.

Say $15,000 for first round losers instead of $40,000; $30,000 for the next round loss, then $50,000, $125,000 for those making the quarter-finals, instead of $260,000. The fourth place say $400,000, with the play-off winner receiving $750,000, and $1 million for the runner-up. That would leave roughly $4 million for the champion. It would handsomely reward excellence, not mediocrity.

It won't happen of course because the powers that be are employed to do a job by the players and I can understand why they would be against that idea. I do think however it would add more urgency to perform at the highest level possible. I suspect many of you reading this would disagree, but I might have some supporters.

I'm flying over my homeland at the moment and the Outer Hebrides look majestic in the morning sun. My next event is the CA Championship, the second WGC event of the season. Its venue is famed Doral in Miami.

The defending champion? You've guessed it, Tiger Woods. I hope the next time I fly south over Stornoway, I have a different tale to tell you. Somehow, I'm not confident I will.