YOU are Tiger Woods.
You are leading a tournament with eight holes to go.
Behave or be beat.
Before grabbing the lead, you were behind by four shots at the start of the final round.
A birdie or two had triggered your rally.
It helped too that coleaders Xander Schauffle, 24, and Jordan Spieth, the formidable defending champion, were horrifyingly hurtling down.
It’s the majors. Masters. US Open. British Open. Professional Golfers’ Association Championship.
In his time, Woods won them all.
But that was 10 years or so ago.
This time, Woods would falter—in the last British Open ending last Sunday, with Francesco Molinari winning it to become the first Italian to pocket a major.
Appearing ready to snap a 10-year winning drought in the majors, Woods was blunted by a wayward wedge and a disobedient putter, mostly, in his last eight holes.
Ahead by one shot, Woods double bogeyed the par-four 11th.
It happened when a flop shot spun back. A putt below the fringe went 5 feet past the cup. Now putting bogey, he missed. Stung by that double bogey, he bogeyed 12 on another errant putter.
In a two-hole span, Woods’s impending resurrection from oblivion was snuffed.
Bye, 15th major.
But don’t despair. It’s only a matter of time when the old Woods would resurface again.
Tigermania had just peeped out the window. In Carnoustie, Scotland.
A good, joyous sign.
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THE beauty of sports is once again highlighted when Ginebra gunned down Rain or Shine on Monday, forging another Sister Act Final against San Miguel Beer (SMB) in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup. The best-of-seven series begins today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
It is a beauty because both finalists started from the bottom, SMB stuck at a 1-3 start and Ginebra mired at 1-5. A change of imports propelled the teams’ remarkable rise from the grave, after SMB rehired Renaldo Balkman and Ginebra recalled Justin Brownlee.
Both SMB and Ginebra barely survived the eliminations to make the Final 8 en route to their best-of-five semifinals against Alaska and Rain or Shine, respectively.
Their identical 3-1 triumphs proved hurtful for Rain or Shine and Alaska, which both finished 1-2 in the eliminations.
Sweet wins for sister-teams SMB and Ginebra, painfully bitter for Alaska and Rain or Shine.
Beer or Gin?
There’s spirit in the air.
THAT’S IT Hat’s off to the Ateneo Blue Eagles for their 5-3, win-loss finish in the just-ended Jones Cup basketball in Taipei. They played eight games in eight days. Against a virtual international cast that included Iran, Canada and South Korea, among others. Wow! Now, if you think that’s incredible enough, how about this? 1) The Eagles helped fallen foes up from the floor during every game. 2) They unselfishly obliged to sign autographs to the fans’ eternal delight. And 3) They left their locker room clean, spic and span every day that they used it. If that’s not a class act, what is? Indeed, it’s not in the winning, but in the playing: in how we conduct ourselves before, during and after competition. Bravo Ateneo!