Tiger Woods' great victory

      Editor: Dave Uphoff

Even though Tiger is one of the longest hitters in golf, he used his brains instead of brawn by using long irons rather than his driver when teeing off. By doing this he avoided the many pot bunkers lining the landing area of those who chose to use a driver. In the end, it was Tiger's accuracy and putting that won the tournament and not his length. This feat showed that he is the number one golfer in the world by any standard of measurement.

While the drama built up during the last few holes to see if Woods could withstand the challenge of his closet competitor, Chris DeMarco, the final drama came after he sank his final putt on the 18th green to win his second consecutive British Open and his third overall. After letting out a yell and then hugging his caddy, Steve Williams, he burst into uncontrollable tears. The whole world watched as he then hugged his wife while sobbing with a mixture of joy and sadness. The death of his father and closest friend, Earl Woods, had finally hit home. His father died last May 3rd and Woods did not play in any tournaments until the U.S. Open in the middle of June - and for the first time he failed to make the cut in a major tournament.

The victory in the British Open not only reaffirmed his status as the number one player in the world but it also relieved the pressure he was under the past 2 months and gave him closure with his father's death.

There have been many other stirring and emotional moments in sports history. Probably the most famous was a dying Lou Gehrig's final speech at Yankee Stadium in 1941 when he told a packed stadium that "he considered himself the luckiest guy on the face of the earth." Babe Ruths's final appearance at Yankee Stadium in 1948 was also a sad occasion as the Babe was dying of cancer and could hardly talk. Neither hero shed a tear or showed the kind of emotion exhibited by Tiger after his British Open victory.

Years ago it was considered cowardly for a man to show tears and if you did, you paid the price. Consider Edwin Muskie who was running for president in the Democratic primary in 1972. At a news conference he became so upset about a reporter's insensitive comment about his wife that he broke into tears. That ended Muskie's career. But that was then and this is now.

Thankfully, we now realize the importance of not blocking our emotions and weeping is considered a healthy release for those who are suffering from grief or depression. Apparently, the Pantagraph doesn't understand this as they reported Woods victory with the unsympathetic headline, "Woods Wins Then Wails", while the New York Times carried a more sedate headline with "Woods Reins in Game, and Frees Up His Emotions". Obviously, us midwesterners don't take kindly to a softy!

Tiger's grief over his father's death is understandable. Not many can say that their father is also their best friend nor has many fathers done as much for their son as Earl Woods.

I salute Tiger Woods for his great British Open victory and for his unabashed display of emotions that showed the depth of his love for his father and the grief he has experienced in his loss. It shows that even those with super human skills have the same emotions and cares as everyone else. So Tiger, keep up the great golf. I just want you to know that I am capable of weeping also, especially after playing a round of golf.

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