Tiger tearing a new one...

A new page in the record books, that is. Five victories in his last five tournaments and 7 of 14 this year on the PGA tour. It's back to 2001 when it was Tiger versus the rest of the field -- an incredible feat in a world wide sport where victory is based on outscoring everyone else simultaneously, not eliminating them one at a time (and, by the way, thanking your competition for eliminating all but logBase2(n) - 1 of each other, e.g. 120 out of a field of 128; you have to beat the other 7 yourself, like Roger Federer will this fortnight at the US Open (tennis).)



But if his compatriots are mad at Tiger for his "Back to the Future" performance, they shouldn't be. Professional golf purses have accelerated like the DeLorean from those films since Woods repopularized the sport and arguably brought a broader audience to the game. Tiger was a phenom from the start and pulled a lot of eyeballs to the links. Of course adding in his endorsements of everyone from Buick to Upper Deck trading cards, and of course Nike, he makes a mint, but so do dozens of other pro golfers these days. Even the anti-charismatic Vijay Singh has non-equipment endorsements (84 Lumber). And like the royal animals he's named after, Tiger is a joy to watch go through his paces.