Tiger Woods smackdown of Rory Sabbatini

When will these guys learn? Don’t tick off Tiger Woods! Don’t even think you are in the same league, just be glad to take second place money. When Tiger is in full form, all cylinders, smooth take away and transition into his downswing, his shot making is so perfect, he can run away with any tournament, and most of the PGA know it. So, what in the world is a punk like Sabbatini thinking when he “calls out” the worlds No. 1?

He reminds me of the loudmouth punks back in high school, who would try to trash talk their way into trying to mess with my mind playing sports. Good players don’t need to trash talk, or as they say today, talk smack. Good players just play and see what happens. IT would seem to me that RS was trying to talk himself into it, that he could somehow convince himself that, “yeah, Tiger is beatable now.” Or under his breath, “I hope he is beatable now.”

Hmmm…Stephen Ames…creamed 9-8 after some unsavory comments.
Sergio, creamed after some “sure, he can be beat” type comments.
Phil, don’t know if we will ever see him in the winners circle of a major again, with Tiger in the field.
Chris DiMarco…not up to the task.
Adam Scott…still looking for his heart.
Ernie, doesn’t even go there.

The only two guys I see on the PGA Tour that have the game and the guts to go after Tiger are Jim Furyk, and Padraig Harrington and maybe we can throw in Angel Cabrera.

Listen to Tiger describe his “self talk” and see how totally positive and calculated it is:

WOODS: Well, I thought … after the start … we all birdied 1, and then I got one there at 2 and then I birdied 4. When I birdied 4, as you said, it was a two-shot swing, but the way I looked at the way Rory was playing, he made two good saves at 2 and 3 just to be where he was at, and if I just … I felt if I could just keep putting the pressure on him, keep hitting fairways, keep hitting greens, keep giving myself a lot of looks at them, I could put a lot of pressure on him because he didn’t look all that comfortable with his swing today. He looked like he was making some putts just keeping himself in it. I wanted to put some pressure on him because I felt I was swinging the club well, and if I could give myself some looks I could put some pressure on him.”

Total awareness of both what he needed to do, and the state of mind of his opponent(s).

Compare that to the pathetic whining from Sergio as he gave away the Open Championship at Carnoustie just a few weeks ago. The scar tissue is growing in that young man’s mind, and I don’t see how he can undo the damage he is doing to himself.

Man, do I love to watch Tiger work. It is just plain inspiring. Thanks.