What Earl was saying to me was that he had taught lessons to Tiger so well that, under pressure, Tiger could hear Earl's voice in his head telling him what to do. It's as if when we saw Tiger's lips move he was asking: "What should I do now, Pops?" And then Tiger would hear his Dad's words and remember the mission at hand and how to accomplish it.
There are those who do not think golfers are athletes. Sadly for them, they have to live with the knowledge that perhaps the most remarkable athlete of our lifetime happens to be a golfer. The man won the U.S. Open--the most demanding of all tournaments--with a torn ligament in his left knee and two stress fractures in his left leg.
What Tiger proved is that beyond his immense physical skills what really makes him special is his mind. With no disrespect to anyone else playing the game, this is absolutely true: No one wants it as badly as Tiger does.
Think back to when he won at Bay Hill earlier this year, making an 18-foot birdie putt on the final hole for the victory. He took off is hat, threw it to the ground, screamed, and pumped his fist. It was as if he had never won tournament before--and it was victory No. 64. Winning never gets old for Tiger. We saw that again at Torrey Pines.
Once again, Woods willed something to happen. Once again, Tiger and Earl talked their way around the golf course. As we speculate on what kind of competitor Woods will be when he returns from knee surgery remember this: He will still be able to will things to happen, he will still be able to hear Earl's voice in his head, and he will still want it more than anyone else. That's a difficult combination to beat.
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