Posted 4/14/03 9:57 am ET

Woods' challenge enjoyed by some

Tiger Woods' dominance of his sport draws mixed reactions from his opponents

Michael Holahan/AugustaChronicle

By Scott Michaux
The Augusta Chronicle

Tiger Woods ... Tiger Woods ... Tiger Woods ... Tiger ... Tiger ... Tiger ...

The modern professional golfer can't escape Woods' shadow if he wanted to - especially at Augusta National Golf Club, where Woods will attempt to win his third-straight Masters Tournament and fourth overall.

Phil Mickelson can't dodge the shadow on paternity leave. Ernie Els can't outrun it around the globe. Davis Love III can't lock it outside his motor home.

Tiger Woods is the most pervasive presence in the history of the game. His on-course dominance intimidates many of his peers. His off-course influence saturates every player interview.

Some don't want to talk about him. Some do it grudgingly. Many probably wish they'd been born in an earlier era when champions such as Jack Nicklaus were willing to share a little more of the greatness with peers.

The search for Woods' rival has turned up plenty of candidates but no true contender. In the final round of last year's Masters, the cream of the crop all soured on Sunday.

This year alone, Mickelson fizzled at Torrey Pines. Els drowned at Bay Hill. David Toms came up short at La Costa.

With a victory at The Players Championship and a notable Masters pedigree, Love has slipped back into the hot seat as the man most likely to put the heat on Woods this week.

BUT ONE PGA TOUR pro with top-20 credentials says this quest to find a rival for Woods is mere folly. It's not that Woods can't be beaten on any given Thursday through Sunday; it's just that Rocco Mediate believes a true peer doesn't exist - and may not ever.

"He can be beaten weekly," said Mediate, who won the Phoenix Open in 1999 playing the final two rounds with Woods. "But if you're trying to beat him in a career, you need to find a new sport. It's just not going to happen. Whether people want to hear that or not, I really don't care. That's just the truth.

"This guy's the best probably of all time. There's nobody coming up that's going to beat him. There's no one being born that's going to beat him. It's just not going to happen. There's something special going on that we just don't know what it is."

You can always count on Mediate to give it to you straight. He's not afraid to say what's on his mind. He's not afraid that praising Woods is a defeatist attitude.

Most of all, he's not afraid of Woods.

"It's just golf," he said. "Tiger doesn't scare me, unless we're getting in a fist fight. Then I'd have a problem."

If every golfer would adopt a little bit of Mediate's attitude, we might see a few more competitive donnybrooks with Woods on tournament Sundays. Mediate craves the chance to play Woods. He relishes the few opportunities he's had. He checks the tee times, hoping to be paired with Woods or at least near him, so that unmistakable buzz surrounds him on the course.

"With him is always the most fun," he said. "He brings (out) the best in me. I want to put my game up against the best guy. So he kicks my butt, so what? But I'm going to beat him every once in a while. Out of 10 times, if I get one, I'm happy.

"He helps you in so many ways, indirectly. Tiger's made me a better player, not because he told me anything or helped me with anything, but because he's him. He's made me better that way, trying to get better and compete with him as long as I can. I can tell my kids, 'I competed with Tiger and I beat him one year in the final round, and that's cool.' I think he helps the whole tour because he makes us all work to get better."

Several players, such as Mickelson, say they don't like to watch Woods swing. They say his rhythm can only throw them off.

But Mediate calls Woods' turn the "most functionally perfect golf swing in history - and power unlimited." Add to that a spectacular short game and masterful strategic mind, and Woods is the dominant force he is.

"Why wouldn't I watch what he's doing?" Mediate said. "Maybe I'll figure something out. ... The way he plays golf courses - he takes them apart the way they're supposed to be taken apart. He's not stupid. I don't know how many dumb shots this kid's hit, but it ain't many. He's hit bad shots, but so has everyone else."

THE WAY MEDIATE gushes about Woods is a bit unusual. And unlike many pros, Mediate never gets tired of the Tiger talk.

"A lot of guys don't even want to talk about him. Why? Embrace it," he said. "I'm happy to be in his era. I think he's in some guys' heads to where they can't beat him. He probably loves that. He wants to get into battle. He wants whoever it is to come to the last hole tied. He wants that feeling more than anyone else wants that feeling. I'd love that opportunity, because I take it as he's supposed to beat me. But what if he doesn't? If I lose, I lose. If I win, I'm a hero."

Case in point - Rich Beem at the 2002 PGA Championship.

But for players such as Els, Mickelson and Love - players who have the skill and the desire to challenge Woods regularly - beating Woods is still only an occasional thing. While that might be good enough for Mediate, it's not good enough for the players ranked Nos. 2 through 10 in the world.

Mediate says those stars need to get used to it.

"I'm not saying these guys aren't that good, like Ernie and Phil," Mediate said. "But they're not that good. Sorry. He's proved it. This guy is the best of all time. And as long as he wants to remain there, he will. ... People just don't want to hear it."

What about today's young guns - players such as Charles Howell, Sergio Garcia, Adam Scott and Aaron Baddeley who have reams of talent and the desire to be the best? Can't they eventually challenge Woods?

"They're marvelous, marvelous players," Mediate said. "But they're not Tiger. Adam Scott is such a good player. Just solid. Charlie's solid. Baddeley is maybe the best putter I've ever seen. Jonathan Byrd is tremendous. These guys are all great. But we're looking for another Tiger. There wasn't another Jack (Nicklaus), was there? No. There's not another Tiger. These guys will challenge him. They'll get close. They'll beat him. But for a career, I don't think so."

 

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