A Masters-Piece!

You can't give enough credit to Tiger Woods and what he's done for the game of golf. He's transformed a sport which has been nearly unwatchable for most of us across the country into a form of entertainment that cannot be ignored. In fact, there hasn't been another athlete in our era that has done as much as Tiger has for any sport. He's become so dominant that Vegas has narrowed the line down to just two wagers: you can take Tiger, or the Field. Not Garcia. Not Singh. Not even Mickelson. And what's even more unbelievable is that most are willing to bet on Tiger alone rather than his 50 competitors, which is why Woods is now bigger than the game itself, and you're either for Tiger, or you're against him.

But this past weekend, the inevitable happened. Tiger was outmatched.

Woods began the Masters with a 72 shot performance in his first round. Not bad. But not great, at least in Tiger's standards. He followed that with a 71 in Round 2 before catching fire in the third round of 18, shooting a 68, and bumping him from 13th all the way up to 5th in the standings, and once again, reminding us why he is the world's best golfer. But he wasn't. Fate had taken over.

In 2006, a 26 year old man from South Africa named Trevor Immelman was beginning to make a name for himself in the PGA. In June of '06, Immelman won his first Tour event at the Western Open before withdrawing from the Open Championship to be with his wife and their first born child. However, Immelman finished 2006 ranked in the top ten in the world, and was named Rookie of the Year.

But in 2007, all of that became subordinate. In December, Immelman was forced to withdraw from the South African Airways Open due to severe discomfort surrounding his ribcage area, making it difficult for him to breathe. A week before Christmas, he was forced to have surgery where doctors discovered a lesion roughly the size of a golf ball on his diaphragm. After further testing, doctors diagnosed the lesion as a calcified fibrosis tumor, which was discovered to be benign.

In 2008, Immelman sat out the first 8 weeks of the PGA season, as he spent time recovering from his surgery. But by the end of January, Immelman found himself back on the greens, where he competed in his first tournament since being diagnosed with the tumor. After shooting a 68 on the first day of the FBR Open, he would struggle on his next 18 holes, finishing the round with a 73, forcing him to miss the cut. Two weeks later, he performed even worse at the Northern Trust Open in California, shooting a 72 in his first round, and followed with a 75 in the second leaving some to doubt if the South African was not only physically, but also mentally ready to return to the Tour. After finishing 17th at the WGC's Accenture Match, Immelman struggled again at the Honda Classic, failing to make another cut. He spent the next month competing in three more tournaments, shooting just one round under 70, while placing no higher than 40th. Then a week before one of golf's most prestigious events, The Masters, Immelman struggled once again at the Shell Houston Open, failing to make the cut for the fourth time of the '08 season while heading into the first major of the year.

Meanwhile, Tiger Woods entered Augusta on fire, beginning the season on a winning streak of five consecutive PGA Tour victories. Talks of a Grand Slam began to heat up again. Even Tiger himself was willing to admit that it was a possibility. But nobody could have expected what was about to happen next.

Trevor Immelman would have been happy by just making the cut after Friday in Augusta. But instead, he would thrust himself into the spotlight. He shot a 68 in the first round, and followed that with an encore performance in the second, while heading into the final 36 holes at -8 under with a one shot lead. But the focus remained on Woods. Tiger birdied just four holes through his first two rounds, and headed into the weekend 7 shots behind the South African. But instead of being counted out, most were waiting for Tiger to make his move. And on Saturday, he did. Woods shot his best round of the tournament, a 68, moving him up 8 spots in the standings. But Immelman wouldn't back down. He finished his third round with four birdies en route to a 69 shot performance, and held a 2 shot lead heading into the tournament's final round, six shots ahead of Tiger.

But many were waiting for Immelman to fold under the pressure. The 28 year old had never held this big of lead in any major tournament. And his skeptics were right. Immelman bogeyed two of his first nine holes dropping him to -10 under. But Tiger continued to play average, shooting a 36 through the front nine. Then on the 16th, Immelman double-bogeyed, allowing Tiger to have a shot. But Woods was dealing with his own struggles. Tiger bogeyed twice on the back nine, and needed an eagle to pull himself back into the race. However, there would be no magic for Woods this time at Augusta. Immelman would finish the final two holes by saving par on both to win just his second PGA tournament since joining the Tour two years ago. And just 4 months removed from being diagnosed with a tumor on his diaphragm, Immelman won his first major of his career with his wife and one year old son, Jacob, there to greet him.

Whether you're for Tiger, or you're against him, this year's Masters wasn't about Woods. It was about hope and inspiration. Which is why the 2008 Masters was truly, a Masterpiece!