Midway through the afternoon coverage of Sunday's final round of the
Masters at the Augusta National, Tiger Woods looked ready to make a
charge.
Fresh off a birdie, he needed a short putt to continue up the
scoreboard but missed it.
With that, Trevor Immelman became the man, though the chances of him
coming to play the PGA Championship at Oakland Hills in August on the
verge of a Grand Slam are not inspiring massive media bookings in the
Detroit area.
This season was billed as the one in which Woods, who has already
gotten a "Tiger Slam," could threaten to win all four major
tournaments in a single season.
But all the early-season hype has vanished with Immelman's win.
It was a tournament my father-in-law, Hugh M. Diamond, would have
loved. Unfortunately, he died last weekend after a thankfully short
battle with cancer.
Knowing Mr. Diamond's love of golf, I joked that we should have had
the Masters playing at the visitation at the Potere-Modetz Funeral
Home in Rochester on the opening day of the tournament.
If Woods had pulled out the win on Sunday, adding to his legacy with
a come-from-behind victory as well, you could bet that Oakland County
would have been buzzing at the possibility of hosting what could have
been a historic PGA Championship.
Host to the 2004 Ryder Cup, Bloomfield Township's Oakland Hills
County Club's south course would have been buzzing with excitement
with golf's superstar on the verge of what was once thought to be
unattainable, winning all four majors.
I covered the Ryder Cup, and even though the Americans were trounced,
the golf was great, the crowds large and excited, and atmosphere
electric. I would have loved to have seen that multiplied by a
thousand, something that Tiger's pursuit of a Grand Slam would have
done.
The pre-tourney hype would have been huge; the media throng would
have challenged the Super Bowl's. Merchandise was sold today as a one-
day special at the country club, but image how much gear would move
if golf's — really, sport's — biggest star was nearing history.
Alas, that is not the case, and Tiger is indeed just human — at least
until next season, unless he can give TV a come-from-behind Sunday
win during the U.S. Open or British Open.