LOS ANGELES - Tiger Woods won the Buick Open in Grand Blanc, Michigan on Sunday with a 3 shot margin over his closest pursuer, Jim Furyk.
The win set another record milestone in Tiger's career, marking his 50th career win at the relatively young age of 30.
He is now the youngest in history to win 50 times on the PGA tour.
Jack Nicklaus was the previous youngest record holder of 50 wins at 33 years of age. The next youngest to do it was Byron Nelson at 34 years of age.
Stronger and More Confident
Tiger was a picture of self confidence and was a dominating presence. He was hitting his iron shots with such control that upon hitting his last iron to the 18th green, he stopped looking at the flight of his shot, already knowing that it was on the mark. He dropped the relatively short putt for a birdie and a comfortable, seemingly stress-free win.
He put together four solid rounds of 66 each day for a 24 under total of 264. The fans would have preferred a battle royal down the stretch, but there were no duels in the sun on this Sunday as Tiger was in complete control.
Jim Furyk shot a 64 on the final day but it was not enough. He no doubt wondered what it would take to beat Tiger with his 'A' game. Many of Tiger's competitors could no doubt do the math and see that their 'A' games don't match up to Tiger's 'A' game; and that their best could never surpass Tiger's best.
Owing to his self-evident, higher standard of play, Tiger exudes a palpable intimidation factor or aura of invincibility. This invisible 15th club in Tiger's bag has no doubt won him tournaments that he would not have won otherwise, and it will continue to help him win tournaments. That same intimidation factor probably helped Jack Nicklaus win tournaments that he would not have otherwise won.
The unspoken and spoken truth among his competitors is that they know Woods is better and that there is not too much they can do about it; and he knows that they know it. This was also the way it was back when Nicklaus was the dominant one.
Controlled Ball Striking Reminiscent of Ben Hogan
Tiger is arguably a legend in his own time. Based on his two most recent performances at the British and Buick Opens that showcased his excellent iron control, this reporter began to see and categorize Woods in the same league as Hogan.
This conceptual transition was not easy to do as Hogan has always been the venerable icon against whom everyone else was judged.
Just as Hogan sought perfection in his golf swing, Tiger is also in pursuit of what is actually every golfer's dream, i.e., "the perfect repeating swing".
But alas, we all know it is impossible to achieve because of all the uncontrollable variables. Or is it? Deep down inside many sense that Tiger has come closer to that ideal than anyone else in history.
Of course it is not just the ball striking with the irons and metal woods, it is also the creative shots near the green and the putts that drop upon command. It is the total package. This includes the ability to turn on the power when needed and following it up with the most delicate touch in chipping and putting.
Tiger Gaining on Jack Nicklaus' Other Records
Tiger is now firmly on track to eclipsing Jack's greatest records in golf. He is beyond the half way point in majors won and currently three years ahead of Jack when he won his 50th tour title.
In his first 10 years of play Tiger has won 50 tournaments and 11 majors. If he can duplicate this winning record in the next ten years it would be 100 wins and 22 majors.
If he does it, he would easily surpass Jack Nicklaus' legendary records of 18 majors and 73 tour wins. If he gets even better in the next ten years, he may set records that will take a century or more to beat.
Actually, Woods has about 3 weeks before completing his first 10 years as a pro, so he still has a chance to add another major to his name by winning the upcoming PGA in Medinah, Illinois. If he does, it would be 12 majors in 10 years.
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