golf

Ever since Tiger Woods became the youngest Masters champion in 1997, we have wondered.

We've wondered what it would take to defeat a man in a major championship who was 8-for-8 when leading after two rounds and 14-for-14 when leading after three.

We wondered who had the deep, dark secret. Who could provide the answer.

Y. E. Yang once dreamed of becoming a bodybuilder and owning a gym. He first swung a golf club at age 19, when a friend took him to a small driving range in Korea, where Yang smacked balls off a mat and into a net. He broke par for the first time at 22.

Not exactly the anticipated profile of a future Tiger slayer, eh?

This column was supposed to be about Tiger Woods' 15th major victory.

About how he could conceivably break Jack Nicklaus' record by this time next year.

About how 100 wins on the PGA Tour isn't out of the question.

Then a funny thing happened Sunday afternoon at Hazeltine National Golf Club.

When Rich Beem won the PGA Championship here at Hazeltine in 2002, he offered hope to every struggling assistant club pro who made more money hustling members than teaching hackers.

Tiger Woods was only 26 when he played here at the 2002 PGA Championship at Hazeltine National. But even back then -- long before he returned to Minnesota for this week's 2009 PGA Championship -- the search was on for the so-called young guns that would challenge his stranglehold on the PGA Tour.

Smart guy, that Tim Finchem.

On Monday, The Associated Press breaks a story quoting an anonymous PGA Tour official who claims Tiger Woods will be fined for publicly criticizing a rules official after winning the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

On Tuesday, the story is dead.

Or at least denied.

Finchem, the Tour commissioner, made sure of that.

Count Padraig Harrington among the leading PGA Tour pros who consider a good sports psychologist on par with the right set of clubs.

If Tiger Woods does not win next week's PGA Championship, he will finish 2009 without a major title. And his season, even with four victories and counting, will practically be an abject failure.

Anthony Kim and Hunter Mahan were major golf revelations on the international stage at last year's Ryder Cup. Kim and Mahan offered such fresh energy and clutch shots that U.S. captain Paul Azinger sent them out first and second, respectively, in singles play on the final day.

A fellow told a story during the RBC Canadian Open last week. It was about a man, his young son, and Tiger Woods. It wasn't pretty.

The father and his son had been watching the first two rounds of the Open Championship two weeks ago, where Woods missed the cut. He threw clubs. His face contorted in anger at himself.

It wasn't pretty.