ST. ANDREWS, Scotland -- There's a great new Nike commercial
debuting this week that will bring a smile to your face. Tiger
Woods is a kid of 5 or so again, hitting an orange ball with a
small wood made of actual wood, and doing a little dance when a
putt goes in.
The fun part is that the vintage footage is digitally
transplanted onto the Old Course when he won the British Open five
years ago. In one scene, little Tiger carries his bag down the 18th
hole, as fans run excitedly behind him.
As he wins, the song in the background says, "I wish that I
knew all I know now when I was younger."
Don't we all, because it sure would have made life different, if
not a lot more fun.
But, precocious as he must have been, even young Eldrick
couldn't have envisioned how he would rule the game of golf some
quarter of a century later.
He's back at St. Andrews this week to play the Old Course for
real, and this time no camera tricks are needed. The last time he
was here, he blew away the field by eight shots to win his only
major this side of the pond.
This time the opponent seems to be history. And in a place
loaded with it, Woods sets out Thursday as a prohibitive favorite
by British bookmakers in a chase for his 10th major championship.
That number isn't just significant because it defines him,
though it increasingly does. There are other numbers, such as the
$50 million mark Woods recently crossed in career earnings, and the
142 consecutive cuts he made before finally missing one this year.
But the only number that concerns Woods revolves around the only
real goal he has left in golf -- his chase of the once seemingly
unapproachable figure of 18 majors won by Jack Nicklaus.
Years ago, when he wasn't hitting orange balls and being filmed
as a future star, Woods was studying the list of Nicklaus
accomplishments pasted on his bedroom wall. His accommodations have
been upgraded somewhat, but he can still probably cite from memory
the majors Nicklaus won and the age he won them.
Now, in a tournament that will celebrate Nicklaus for one last
time, Woods has a chance to get past the halfway mark to Nicklaus
at a pace quicker than that set by Jack himself. For three years he
was stuck on eight, but his win at Augusta this year jump-started
his chances again, and he nearly added another at the U.S. Open
last month.
Woods cautions people to be patient. That doesn't mean he's
discounting his chances.
"It took him probably 24 years, or something like that, to win
all of his," Woods said of Nicklaus. "So it's going to take me a
while. At least I'm heading in the right direction."
Indeed he is. Woods is tied with Ben Hogan and Gary Player in
major wins, with only Nicklaus and Walter Hagen (11) in front of
him. He's won his nine majors in 34 attempts as a pro, slightly
ahead of the seven Nicklaus had won at that point in his career.
Woods may be the most celebrated player of his time, but he
surely knows that to be considered the greatest ever he has to at
least get somewhere near a record some thought would never be
broken.
If not, he'll have to be satisfied with a billion dollars or so
and a beautiful Swedish wife.
"It's certainly not something I plan on getting to overnight,"
Woods said. "Just in my 20s, I've won nine. I didn't think I would
win this many in my 20s. Golfers' prime years aren't usually until
their 30s, so hopefully I can keep it going, if not get a little
bit better."
Woods may preach patience, but he's also aware that the next 10
years are more crucial than the last.
Time isn't exactly running out, but a glance around St. Andrews
on Tuesday had to be a sobering reminder of how quickly a career
can go.
At one end of the driving range, Greg Norman looked surprisingly
fit at age 50 and was booming drives toward the 300-yard sign. But
he has about as much chance of winning here as Tom Watson, who was
signing autographs for a line of fans who probably had no clue he
has four more Open titles than Woods does.
Then there's Nicklaus, who never wanted to become a ceremonial
golfer but is playing that role to the hilt this week in one last
stroll around St. Andrews.
Can't imagine Woods hiding what remains of his graying hair
under a hat? Carrying a bit of a pot belly around? Trying
desperately to stay up with the new generation of power hitters?
Neither can he.
"When my best isn't good enough, I'm walking," Woods said
earlier this year.
That doesn't figure to come for a long time, especially since
his second major swing change has Woods excited about hitting the
ball again. He was stroking putts one-handed on the practice green
Tuesday, and if the putts begin to fall it's conceivable he could
go on a winning streak similar to the one a few years ago when he
won seven of 11 majors.
Speaking of streaks, here's one to ponder. Woods won the last
U.S. Open Nicklaus played in, the last PGA Championship he was in
and his last Masters.
A win here would give Woods the Grand Slam of Nicklaus goodbyes.
"I wish he'd keep retiring," Woods said.
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Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated
Press. Write to him at tdahlberg@ap.org