In an odd way, professional golf is benefiting from Tiger Woods' collapse. One would think that the PGA Tour would lose ratings without it's No. 1 player at the top of this summer's leader boards. But what Woods' poor play has produced is the opportunity for other players to win, and no other was bigger for Hunter Mahan than his victory at Firestone on Sunday.
Mahan's win at the Bridgestone Invitational was the tops of his career, and the rewards abundant including over $1 million in prize money and a berth on the U.S. Ryder Cup team.
The story is two-pronged and the PGA Championship this week at Kohler, Wis., should be the beneficiary of both sides. With Woods playing poorly, the door is open for others to win a major, including Phil Mickelson, although Mickelson didn't bring down the house at Firestone. His mediocre performance allowed Woods to retain the rank of No. 1 in the world.
It will be Woods versus the field again only the field will be the way to bet. Look for Ernie Els to have a shot at giving the Wanamaker Trophy a kiss this Sunday evening.
*****
add Woods: According to recent reports in the media, including an excellent story this morning in the Wall Street Journal, several golf experts are now predicting that his chances of catching Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 majors is slipping away, citing the facts that Woods is 35 years old and that his tumultuous personal life has affected his golf swing. A quick look at Nicklaus' record, though, reveals that he won several majors after age 35, including two when he was 38, another when he was 40, and, of course, his stirring sixth Masters victory when he was 46.
With this in mind, it would seem that if Woods gets back to being the old Tiger, he still has a good chance at catching the Golden Bear.
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