Tiger for President

It's not often that an uproar in the golfing world does not involve Tiger Woods and this story is no exception. In case you didn't know, President's Cup captain Fred Couples, selected Tiger Woods with one of his two captain picks for the biyearly event taking place at the Royal Melbourne Club in Australia in November. The written rules for the selection of players to the team indicate that players are chosen based on point totals accumulated during the season that is gathered from their overall performance. Ten players are selected based on that number and another two players are selected by the Captain. They do not have to meet any standards regarding points but they clearly need to hold a certain regard with the current Captain. Now it's no secret that Fred Couples and Tiger Woods have developed more than a friendly relationship over the years. Fred respects Tiger's game and vice versa. In fact, Couples is one of the few players (former at this point) who Tiger speaks especially highly of. So the clear dispute is that Couples chose Woods simply because of their established bond. Sure, that's a possibility but let's be clear. We are talking about the greatest golfer of our generation. No one in the top 10 or top 12 has even come close to achieving what Tiger has done.

Is the pick unsexy? Sure, Tiger's last 2 years on the course have been anything but lackluster. While he has had some moments of redemption, his career has taken a wrong turn and it could be some time before he gets it back on track. But remember who we're talking about here. This guy has won 71 times including 14 majors. He singlehandedly changed the game of the golf for the coming generation. No one would be making the kind of money they're making now without Tiger Woods and the players definitely recognize that. The President's Cup is selected based on season stats but it also elects players who have had a significant impact on the game. No one has a greater impact on the game than Tiger Woods. If Couples chose not to select Tiger as his captain's pick, there would likely be an uproar over that as well.

It's clear that a consensus is needed regarding this argument. Leave Tiger off the team and people will complain that the greatest player over the last decade is getting a bum wrap. Leave Tiger on the team and people will complain that he hasn't properly earned it. Hasn't earned it? Now it's clear which side I'm on but come on. Tiger hasn't earned the right to play on the President's Cup Team? As the ever popular Chad Ochocinco would say, "Child Please."

Most Valuable Pitcher?

Major League Baseball has been awarding regular season honors for Most Valuable Player and Cy Young Award winner since 1931 and 1956, respectively. The definitions and requirements for both awards are typically unwritten since there are years where players may win because of their contribution to their team's overall performance or may win because of their overall statistics amassed during that particular season. Yet, that is not the issue. In recent years, the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) has come very close and in some cases even chosen a pitcher to win the MVP award when clearly they should merely qualify for the Cy Young Award. Here is the underlying issue with that: The Cy Young Award was created to award the most valuable pitcher who again may win either based on their contribution to the team's overall performance or may win based on their overall statistics. The same is true of the MVP award. Now obviously, there is no clear definition written within the rules of the MVP award that states that a pitcher is not eligible to win. In fact, 23 pitchers have won the award since its inception 80 years ago.

This may seem like a radical argument but think about it this way. Offensive and defensive awards are separated because they comprise different elements of the game. Likewise, pitching is an entirely different element of the game from hitting. The MVP award sometimes throws stellar fielding into the equation if applicable but is more commonly used to award offensively significant seasons. When Barry Bonds was slugging monster home runs under the influence of PEDs, his fielding was never considered. He simply won because his home run rate was historic for its time. Which leads me to the next point. In the steroid era, hitting records were bound to be broken. Players were juicing at significantly higher rates than in previous years and the statistics of those seasons affirmed that. Now, in a more pitcher friendly type of ball game, offensive numbers have slowly decreased overall. Yet, pitchers remain the same. Statistics have not wavered in excess numbers in that span and even in the steroid era when pitchers like Andy Pettitte were surely juicing too. No one's come close to 300 strikeouts. 30 wins seems near impossible. ERAs below 2.00 do occasionally occur but that is more likely to happen during a pitcher friendly era.

So what's the point of all this drivel? The MVP belongs to the hitter and the Cy Young belongs to the pitcher. Even though the last time a pitcher won the MVP was in 1992 when Dennis Eckersley saved games for the Oakland A's, the BBWAA has come notoriously close to putting pitchers first on their ballot. I'll compromise. The next time a pitcher throws 300 Ks in a season or eclipses 30 wins or has an era under 1.50, which I'm sure is not bound to happen for quite some time, give them the MVP. Until then, let pitchers have their own award show and leave the MVP to players who provide the most impact for their teams. A pitcher, at least a starting pitcher, throws once every 5 days. A reliever, specifically a closer, depends on the situation, but regardless of that, they do not play as often and as regularly as an everyday player. My suggestion? Let's rewrite the rules and split the awards down the middle. Pitchers can keep their Cy Young Glory and everyone else can look up to the MVP.

The Quiet Leader

The Texas Rangers have sat atop of their division each of the last 2 years. After years of complete obscurity sitting on the bottom of the American League West under the leadership of Alex Rodriguez, the Rangers have finally found success. With the rise of players like Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz and Ian Poulter, the Rangers have become a force to be reckoned with in the American League, especially after making it all the way to the World Series last season and winning the franchise's first pennant in team history. Yet, one player has seemingly been left out of the discussion as the undisputed team leader. Until now.

Michael Young. Perhaps the most devoted and loyal player in MLB history. He has stuck with the team through thick and thin. Through good and bad and he's suffered through much more bad than good. He's allowed the team to shuffle him throughout the field, from shortstop to second base to first base to designated hitter to third base. He stuck idly by when then owner Tom Hicks gave Alex Rodriguez, then the most lucrative contract in sports history, a 10 year $252 million contract (A-Rod has since increased that record contract with the Yankees), that would set the team back for years to come and hamper their financial stability. This past offseason, Young became fed up. He did not feel that the team was treating him fairly and wanted a better opportunity to play the field elsewhere. GM Jon Daniels accepted the request and told media that they would search for alternate opportunities for Young. Apparently, he was not a part of their future plans. Long story short, after a shaky and uncomfortable summer for both sides, Young remained with Texas and it's likely the greatest move they have ever made in franchise history.

Young was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in 1997 but later traded to the Rangers in 2000 for Esteban Loaiza. He began full time play in 2001, playing in just 106 games. He struggled in his sophomore season but did total 150 hits. His career took off the following year in 2003, batting .306 with 204 hits and 106 runs scored. Since that point, Young has become an absolute star in the Major Leagues. His accolades include 7 All-Star appearances, including All-Star MVP in 2006, a gold glove award in 2008 and a batting title in 2005. His career stats include 980 runs scored, 382 doubles, 896 RBIs, a career .303 batting average, a career .349 on-base percentage and 2,013 hits. Not too shabby right? Sure, Josh Hamilton is a great player, but would he have stuck with the team through all the troubles they encountered during the early 2000s? Would Adrian Beltre have even bothered signing if the team was putting up records like it did a decade ago? Ian Kinsler? He'd be gone once his rookie contract ran out. Yet, the Rangers are finally relevant again and still Young is rarely mentioned.

Now, you don't achieve those kind of stats, especially the 2,000+ hits without being somewhat what people would call an "above-average" player. Sure, Young has gotten some recognition for his accolades. But compare him to similar players like Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter and he is eliminated from the discussion. A discussion that he absolutely deserves to be a part of, especially since Rodriguez has since been outed for his steroid use during his time in Texas and likely in Seattle as well. Young has escaped the stigma of playing during the dreaded steroid era but it has done little for his overall popularity throughout baseball. Well you know what? It's time this guy got his due. In a league where money has become the primary object and good old baseball has been thrown to the side, it's rare to find a player quite like Michael Young. Consider this. Young signed a 5 year $80 million extension during the 2009 offseason. Decent money right? Jason Bay signed with the Mets in 2010 to a 4 year $66 million contract with a $17 million option for 2014. His salary the past two years? $16 million a year. And I'm sure everyone's aware of the struggles he's gone through since his start with the Mets. Yet, Bay's struggles get more press than Young's year in and year out solid play. Is it fair? No. But that's just the way the game goes.

So while we've been scratching our heads over ludicrous contracts and overrated players, Michael Young has effectively slid under the gun. Well now it's time to give the greatest and most devoted player in Texas Rangers history the respect and admiration he deserves. At 34, he's got plenty of playing time left. So forget A-Rod, forget Jason Bay. Michael Young is the player we should all be rooting for. Sure, he once was a quiet leader. But no one said he couldn't lead with fanfare too.

Glory's Last Hope

Let's just say that these past few years haven't been so easy on us Americans. We're still stuck in two deadly wars, the economy is tanking and there doesn't seem to be any real cohesive plan to fix our numerous problems. In times like these, citizens tend to look for heroes to lift our spirits. While it may not solve our money woes, it at least shows the rest of the world that we've still got it. Unfortunately, we've been failing at that too. Our American women made it all to the way to the World Cup Final against Japan but lost a stunner in penalty kicks. Our NBA players are moving to the other side of the Atlantic while we eagerly wait for some kind of progress in the NBA labor talks. Don't even bother with tennis. Andy Roddick? Please. Even golf, a sport that we have dominated for so long thanks in large part to a Mr. Tiger Woods, is turning towards the Europeans as I type. Can anybody save us from this wretched horror?

Keegan Bradley.

Who?

Keegan Bradley, the 22-year old kid who single-handedly lifted us out of obscurity. So who is this guy? Well even the avid PGA Tour fan knew little about Bradley going into the PGA Championship. He had won at the HP Byron Nelson Championship earlier in the season but his name was still unknown heading into last weekend's final major of the season. Just what did Bradley do? He put on perhaps one of the greatest comebacks in PGA Championship, heck, PGA history. After recording a triple bogey on the water filled treacherous par 3 15th, Keegan stood on the 16th tee down 5 strokes to Jason Dufner who was just approaching the 15th tee box. 5 strokes down with 3 holes to go? The tournament's in the bag right? Wrong. Dufner, a fellow American, made the biggest mistake of his PGA Tour career. He chunked a 5 wood right into the water about 20 yards in front of the hole. When he could have played it safe and likely run away with the Championship, he chose to challenge the pin and it cost him. Oh, did it cost him. Dufner was able to save bogey on the hole but as he was losing a shot, Bradley was hitting a remarkable approach shot to the 16th green. He would drain the birdie putt and a 5 stroke lead was now down to 3. Dufner approached 16 with the same attitude from his previous 69 holes but even he could not predict what would happen next. Dufner's approach shot into the 16th green fell onto the middle of green but a long way from the hole. His birdie putt ran by the hole and he was in danger of bogeying yet again. Just as Dufner was lining up his par putt, Bradley was about to drain a remarkable putt from the center of the green at the par 3 17th, a hole that had been troubling players all day. Bradley sank the birdie putt, Dufner missed the par putt and the players were suddenly just a stroke apart. Bradley approached 18 tee, not knowing the score as Dufner headed to the difficult 17th. Bradley found fairway, Dufner found the center of the green, similar but farther than the spot of Bradley's approach at 17. Bradley found the green with his approach and Dufner again ran his birdie putt past the hole, setting up yet another troublesome par putt. Bradley was able to two putt for par but Dufner was not so lucky. He made the same mistake that he made on the 16th green, 3 putting yet again. The score was tied. Dufner would par the 18th and the two would go to a playoff. After Keegan birdied the 16th yet again on the first playoff hole, it was all but over. Bradley would go on to win the 3-hole aggregate playoff and claim his first major championship in his first season on the PGA Tour.

So why did I bother to tell you all of this? Well, Americans had failed to claim the previous six major championships dating back to Phil Mickelson's triumph at last year's Masters. All hope seemed to be lost. Tiger was still not himself and European domination seemed sure to captivate the final major of the season. You know, the PGA Championship is frequently referred to as "Glory's Last Shot", primarily because it is a player's last chance to claim a major for the season. But this year's PGA Championship had greater importance. America needed a pick me up. America needed someone to help them claim it's last shot at glory. Looking forward, is Keegan Bradley "Glory's Last Hope?" I think it's safe to say he's "Glory's Next Shot." Preposterous? Maybe. But he may be our best hope. The remedy for our great nation of America.

The Dream Team

The proverbial term "Dream Team" has come up often recently in sports talk, more so than should be allowed. Why you ask? Well, sports experts nowadays like to prescribe sports teams with insurmontable labels in the hopes that their ludicrous headlines come to fruition at season's end. Does it ever happen? Sometimes. Is it safe to bet on it? Absolutely not. The term dream team was not really commonplace until 1992, when the United States Mens Basketball team sent a group of 12 men to the Summer Olympics in Barcelona. They dominated their opponents, winning by an average of 44 points on their way to defeating Croatia in the title game and winning the gold medal. The team featured 11 hall of famers, 2 of whom were just recently inducted, Dennis Rodman and Chris Mullin. Christian Laettner was the only member of the team who did not make the hall of fame. That team certainly deserved the label "dream team" and it has stuck since their victory in 1992. Sure, there have been excellent sports teams prior to 1992 like the great Yankee squads in the 1930's and 1950's and the dominating Celtic teams from the 1950's and 1960's. Yet, those teams were never designated "dream teams" primarily because the term had not yet been established by the press. In present day, where the press plays such an enormous role in sports talk and analysis, reporters are quick to pull the trigger on giving the label "dream team" to squads that possess what they believe are the capabilities to dominate their leagues. Of course, this does not always pan out and the Miami Heat are a prime example of that. Last summer, when the NBA still had an offseason, the league had perhaps its deepest free agent class in history. More than a dozen all stars were on the market and teams had been saving up for years just to get a piece of the prize. The undisputed winner of the free agent parade was the Miami Heat who were able to re-sign Dwayne Wade, and sign Chris Bosh and Lebron James, the most coveted player on the market. The second that trio came together, the NBA world quickly deemed the Miami Heat the dream team and the absolute team to beat for the upcoming season. Sure the Miami Heat had a good season but they did not break the Bulls 72 win record like many assumed they would, they did not win their conference like many assumed they would and they did not even win the NBA championship which seemed like a certainty when the trio joined forces. So clearly "dream team" does not always equal immediate success. In fact, the Heat went through a number of struggles during the season and in no way did they fulfill the definition of "dream team." Why am I telling you all of this? Well, the NFL is back and since the lockout cost the league a lengthy amount of free agency time, it was compounded into a short 2 week period prior to the start of the preseason. The undisputed winner of the NFL free agency game? The Philadelphia Eagles, who are receiving laudations from every corner for their team roster. Let's just point out that like the Miami Heat, the Eagles were being branded the dream team prior to any actual games being played. As the Miami Heat showed, it took an incredible amount of time for their lineup to mesh and it's safe to argue that they have still not completely jelled into a complete team. The Eagles shocked the football world when they swooped in and nabbed the prize of the free agent market Nnamdi Asomugha and traded their backup QB Kevin Kolb for Dominique Rogers-Cromartie and a draft pick, among other moves. Quickly, analysts were labeling the Eagles as the dream team for the upcoming season without a game even being played. If the past few years of the NFL has taught us anything, it's that any team can get hot at any time and surge into contention for the Super Bowl. You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who chose the Green Bay Packers to win the title in the preseason and even more hard-pressed to find anyone who chose the Green Bay Packers to win the title during the season with the number of injuries they sustained. Yet, the Packers got hot when it counted and were Super Bowl champions in the end. So ultimately, dream team can be a curse more than a blessing. The 1992 Men's Basketball roster was a dream team because it featured 12 of the best players in the world. That distinction cannot be given for the Miami Heat or the Philadelphia Eagles. Sure, they've got star players who've proven in the past that they can perform. But is every player on their team sure-fire hall of famers? Absolutely not. In fact, more players on those teams are not potential hall of famers than are. If history has taught us anything, you'd be hard-pressed to find a real dream team other than the 1992 Men's basketball team. Until a roster like that is emulated again in professional sports, let's just leave the term dream team on the sidelines until it deserves its proper use. For now, let's just watch some damn sports.

Be Yourself

There's a great Audioslave song that goes "To be yourself is all that you can be." Truer words have never been spoken. Now normally, I take anything that Stephen A. Smith says as a joke considering his meager track record as a sports reporter. But while listening to ESPN radio today, he actually said something that made sense. Tiger Woods needs to be himself again. I couldn't believe my ears. Smith was saying something for once that actually made total sense. Say what you want about Tiger, he is the greatest golfer of our generation. Since his infamous incident in November 2009, people have been quick to pull the trigger on his career. Sure, that's somewhat true. The circumstances are ultimately different for Tiger now. He is viewed in a different light and put on an even higher pedestal after his infidelities. But you know what? The Tiger of old wouldn't give two shits about what people thought of him. Of course, the Tiger of old is from so long ago that that existence is barely remembered. Yet, if you do happen to remember, Tiger did what he wanted, when he wanted, irregardless of what people, most especially the press, would think of him. Let's just say that during that time span, Tiger played some of the most dominant golf in history, and implanted his label as the most renown sportsman in the world. No biggie right? Well, when Tiger was smashing records, winning tournaments and drinking down the sweet taste of glory, he created the rules of the game. Now unfortunately, he is letting the rules of the game dictate him. Sure, every now and then he'll give a quick, insincere response to a reporter, but it's still nothing like the Tiger of old. Stephen A. Smith went so far as to say that marrying Elin Nordegen was the stepping stone for his downfall. While I do not completely agree with that statement, it is true that marriage and children does take something out of you. Then again, at this same time (we estimate), Tiger was also getting busy with a few other women which back then no one knew about. Yet, even despite the incredible weight he was carrying with his personal life, (which he kept infinitely private) he was still dominating the game of golf like no one had ever seen. He forced tour officials to lengthen courses, "Tiger-proofing" them, as the term goes. Players complain today, especially at this week's PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club and at the U.S. Open at Congressional, that holes are playing too long. You know whose fault that is? Tiger Woods. Because he was too good. Now we look at Tiger, who is struggling to regain his prior form. He's tried swing changes, new coaches and extended leaves but what Tiger really needs is to get back his old attitude. What Tiger really needs is to take off the facade that he keeps wearing and just let out his true self. Once he accomplishes that, the rest will take of itself.

Something's Missing

I woke up this morning and felt like there was something missing in my life. I knew it wasn't baseball because we've been enveloped with the boys of Summer since April. It wasn't the NFL but it nearly could have been. It wasn't the NHL because frankly, I don't follow it (no offense). And it definitely wasn't the PGA Tour, which returns to action this Thursday at Atlanta Athletic Club for the 4th and the final major of the season, the PGA Championship. After much deliberation, I realized what was missing. On this day last year, the New York Knicks signed Roger Mason to a free agent contract. Sure, it's not such big news since it's only Roger Mason who would play just 26 games last season. But one word stuck out to me. Season. Something the NBA had last year but now is void of until further notice. Fast forward one year since Roger Mason signed and look at what the Knicks are doing today. Well actually, they are legally not even allowed to speak to Roger Mason, or they will be fined a substantial amount of money. Wait. So you're telling me that players and teams cannot associate at all? Yep. In fact, the NBA under David Stern, filed two claims against the NBAPA, the players association, in a New York federal district court last Tuesday. How the hell did that happen? Well, as everyone knows, the NBA last locked out during the 1999-2000 season, shortening the standard 82-game schedule to 50 games. Back then the issue was mostly due to contracts and such and even though the season was shortened, the two sides (NBA and NBAPA) came out feeling much better about the future. The same cannot be said today. Since the lockout was instituted on July 1st, the two sides have barely spoken. The big dispute this time around includes ballooned player contracts but the biggest issue is league revenue. Last season, 22 of 30 teams lost money and the NBA lost over $300 million. Here's a disgusting statistic. The NFL splits team revenues 60/40 which means that a visiting team makes 40% of total revenue for a regular season game while the home team makes the other 60% of that revenue. You know what the split is for NBA games? 100/0. That's right. The home team takes all the earnings while the away team gets nothing. We're already seeing players contract to other leagues since no contact is allowed and players simply want to work. A number of players have already signed contracts to play overseas including Deron Williams while a number of others are in serious consideration to soon sign contracts including superstars like Dwayne Wade, Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki. Some players like Andre Iguodala believe the season is lost while others like Lebron James are still holding out hope for the upcoming season. In truth, the season does not start until Late October/Early November but we have already seen the Las Vegas Summer League cancelled and all rookie camps delayed which are invaluable to incoming draftees from this past year's class. As the NFL has shown us, the lack of off-season workouts can have deleterious effects on its players. A number of draftees including Giants rookie cornerback Prince Amukamara and Lions rookie running back Mikel Leshoure are both lost for the season due to training camp injuries. So this all sounds pretty bad right? Well, at this rate the NBA is sure to lose its season. Neither side has really been talking and most of the talks have been more negative than positive. Sure, it's all hunky dory that we get to see the rest of the boys of Summer, preseason NFL action tomorrow and the PGA's final major of the season this weekend but there's still something missing.

Stevie takes the Bridgestone?

Most casual golf fans know that Adam Scott won this past week's PGA tour event, the WGC Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone in Ohio. Some may say word spread because Scott is an increasingly popular player on tour. Others say it's because it's a World Golf event, which carries extra prestige and prize money due to its importance to the global game of golf. Some even say it's because the Bridgestone is the precursor to the Tour's final major of the season, the PGA Championship, which begins this Thursday from Atlanta Athletic Club. Sure, you're entitled to your opinion, but do you want to know why everyone seems to know that Adam Scott won this past week? Two words. Stevie Williams. Right. That guy. Everyone knows or knew Stevie as the frightening caddy at the helm for Eldrick Tont Tiger Woods over the past decade. Stevie was on the bag for 13 of Tiger's 14 major championships (Mike "Fluff" Cowan worked the bag for Tiger at his historic first Major win at the 1997 Masters; he's worked for Jim Furyk since 1999 when Tiger and Stevie joined up). There seem to be only be two notable caddies on tour and Fluff is certainly not one of them. Stevie Williams as the guide to Tiger's mastery of the PGA tour during the last decade and Jim "Bones" McKay as the caddy for the ever popular Phil Mickelson. Other than those two, I can assure you that even a devoted golf fan as myself cannot readily name another caddy on tour. However, everyone is well aware of the few missteps that Tiger has taken these past 2 years and I'll skip the details since they've been overstated millions of times but almost no one could have really predicted Tiger firing Stevie Williams. The story goes that Tiger was forced to miss the US Open and the British Open due to injury so Stevie asked Tiger if he could do some work for Adam Scott, a fellow Aussie, while he waited for Tiger to heal. Tiger apparently said yes to the request and that was that. However, it soon came to light that Tiger had actually fired Stevie a few weeks prior to the US Open at the AT&T National, Tiger's annual event. Long story short, Tiger is now taking applications for new caddies while Stevie now permanently works for Scott. Now, everyone knew Tiger was coming back last week to play the Bridgestone as prep for the PGA Championship and to try and make a final push for a place in the final 125 for the FedEx Cup. Tiger's story dominated the lead up to the tournament and he even played moderately well in the first round, shooting a -2 68, but he would falter the next 3 rounds and finish T37 and +1 for the tournament. End of story, right? Wrong. Scott absolutely dominated the field, shooting a -8 62 on Thursday en route to a commanding 4 shot win on Sunday. Yet, Scott's incredible play was overshadowed. Overshadowed by who, you ask? Well it wasn't Tiger Woods. His story ended on Friday. Phil Mickelson? Finished well out of the top 40. Ryo Ishikawa? Well he did finish T2 but who the hell is that guy (he's the only the next branded Asian phenom but you probably didn't know that)? So then who dominated the headlines after Scott won? Stevie Williams. A caddy. That's right. The guy who at your local country club cleans your balls after every hole and gives you pretend advice and tips so you'll return the favor. Did Stevie Williams swing a club during the Bridgestone? No. Did he sink any putts? No. Was his name even on the leaderboard? No. Stevie actually carried a bag all weekend and then put it down on the 72nd hole Sunday to celebrate with Scott. So why is this guy the undisputed winner of the Bridgestone Invitational and not Scott? Two words. Super Ego. Sure, you're bound to gain a slight ego when you caddy for the greatest golfer of our generation for a solid decade but who would've expected this? Stevie stole headlines when in post-interview remarks, he said that winning the Bridgestone with Scott capped the greatest week of his life. He even went on to say that he absolutely meant it. While he did not mention Tiger by name, it was clear that his comments were directed to him. And not in a nice way either. Stevie Williams, a guy who was on the bag for 13 major championships with one previous player and zero with a current player chose the Bridgestone win as his greatest moment? Let's get something straight. If Mike "Fluff" Cowan or Jim "Bones" Mckay had been Tiger's caddy circa 1997-present, Tiger would still have likely won every single one of those championships. You know why? Because players win championships, not caddies. That in no way is meant to detract from the contributions that caddies give during tournaments and the countless hours they put in for their players. But in the end, on the last hole and the last putt of every tournament, the winner is the actual player. Stevie also told reporters that he'd won 145 tournaments after taking the Bridgestone. I'd just like to institute a recount on that one. Tiger 71. Stevie 0.