I have to admit that I missed this one completely.  Golf Channel Anchor Kelly Tilghman said on Friday that young pro golfers trying to catch up to Tiger Woods should “lynch him in a back alley.” Not a good choice of words, given the historical implications.

She’s since apologized, and Tiger’s agent says that no offense was taken.

Will Tiger Win The Grand Slam This Year? The answer, I think, is a cautious yes.

With Tiger, it’s all about the courses. There are a few courses that he totally dominates. In fact, by my count, 40% of his victories have come at just six courses: Bay Hill, Augusta, Muirfield, Medinah, Firestone and Torrey Pines. Six of his thirteen majors have come at just two courses: August and St. Andrews. Eight have come at three, if you add Medinah.

Given this year’s venues, hes got a pretty good shot at the Slam.

Augusta, of course, is home of the Masters. He’s always played very well there and has to be the favorite.

The US Open is at Torrey Pines. Over the years, Tiger has absolutely OWNED Torrey Pines, having won four of the last five Buick Invitationals. I predict that he wins both the Buick Invitational and the US Open at Torrey Pines this year. The USGA has practically handed him this victory.

Royal Birkdale, site of the Open Championship is a bit of an unknown. In 1998, Tiger finished third here, after shooting a 66 on Sunday and missing the playoff by just one stroke. Familiarity is Tiger’s friend. In the final analysis, I think he has a very good chance here.

The most problematic of the quartet is Oakland Hills. Tiger has played here in competition just twice. At the 1996 US Open, he was the reigning US Amateur Champion, but tied for 82nd after having two rounds of 76 and 77. Then there was the 2004 Ryder Cup. He was involved in 3 losses out of four in team events, but won on Sunday over Paul Casey 3 and 2. Not exactly impressive.

It is, in many ways, hard for fans to warm up to Tiger Woods. He is so guarded, so unapproachable, and in many ways, so mechanical that I sometimes wonder if there’s any soul there.

And then he comes up with this:

When asked to identify the most important thing he had learned about golf in 2007, Woods paused for several seconds, murmured, “Great question,” and, in an even voice, opened up.

“Not necessarily golf-wise, but life-wise, I think I’ve grown quite a bit this year,” he said. “After my dad passed last year [Earl Woods died at age 74, after a long battle with cancer, on May 3, 2006], I played well, but I was still not really feeling all that great about life in general.”

As the audience leaned in, Woods didn’t pull back.

“I felt like I hadn’t really appreciated having Dad around. I didn’t talk to him as much as I should have. I didn’t call him, didn’t see him, wasn’t there enough. It was kind of in my mind through the entire last year and even the beginning of this year. That I didn’t do enough.”

As the words filled the big room, there was only stillness.

“But when I had [daughter] Sam this year, I wanted to take in every moment and appreciate everything. And I think that’s where my life has changed off the course. And no doubt I played better as a result. But it’s sad. One thing I regret is that it took the fact of my dad’s passing for me to appreciate how good my life was with him. I wish I had been able to realize how good it was when he was there.”

That’s exactly the same thing I’ve thought in the last couple of years after my own father’s passing. And, in talking to friends, it’s a familiar refrain.

So Tiger’s human, after all. And perhaps more vulnerable than most. When my father died, I got two days bereavement leave and then my administrators and students expected me to return to work and pick up as though nothing had happened. It’s the same for most of us. Tiger, on the other hand, found it necessary to take a couple of months off from work.

Perhaps his steely demeanor is there to mask a vulnerable interior. It was not until years later that anyone knew the personal price that Bobby Jones paid for his superhuman feats of golf. No stretch is required to imagine a similar agony for Tiger. He has said on several occasions that his time in professional golf will be shorter than we might think. Perhaps that’s why.

You can read the entire Jamie Diaz article here.

An Irish magazine that published fake nude photos of Elin Woods during the 2006 Ryder Cup has apologized and reportedly will pay the Woods $182,000 over two years. Elin had at one time worked as a model, but apparently had done no nudes.

I can’t imagine what the publisher of the Dubliner was thinking. He had to know that Tiger would hire an army of lawyers and descend upon Ireland like the Vikings of old (Dublin was actually founded by the Vikings in 841). Faced with an opponent who has unlimited resources, the Dubliner had no choice but to settle. They likely would have spent far more than $182,000 fighting it in court.

The Woods said that the money would be donated to cancer support charities in memory of Heather Clarke, the late wife of British golfer Darren Clarke.

The full article is here.

Jack Nicklaus, who at this writing still holds the title of Greatest Golfer Ever, advises kids not to focus on just one sport:

“You see kids specialize in golf. I think that is idiotic,” he said. “To play all the sports is great. I played everything. My dad played everything. Golf to me was just another sport until I was about 19. When I won the National Amateur at 19, I finally said, ‘Hmm, I must be a little better than I think I am.’ It was just a game - still is a game.”

His advice to young golfers?

“I think kids should be playing everything, doing everything,” he said. “Eventually, if you want to specialize in something, that’s fine. But go out and enjoy, and be happy to be able to play other things.”

I think its going to be interesting to see whether the current generation of young golf stars—especially those who have been focusing on the game since a relatively young age—will show the same kind of longevity as Nicklaus. I’ve long thought that Tiger would face this issue. Nicklas was very competitive into his 40s, but he didn’t play a full round of competitive golf until he was in his teens. In that sense, Tiger (and others) have a six to ten year head start on Nicklaus.

Seve Ballesteros perhaps is the poster child for this. He turned pro at 16, and won the last of his five majors at age 31. He was a physical and mental wreck by 40.

Tiger is such a freak of nature, though, that this probablky doesn’t apply to him. But others with lesser physical skills trying to follow in his footsteps may run into trouble.

Although terms of the agreement were not officially disclosed, Tiger’s recent $100 million deal with Gatorade seems likely to put him at—or near—the $1 billion mark for career endorsements. Think about that. Golf has made Woods the first billionaire in professional sports.

While as a free market economist, I understand intellectually the idea that Tiger should be able to charge whatever the market can bear, there’s a part of me wondering how our priorities got so out of whack. How in God’s name did a golfer come to be worth a billion dollars? In the end—foundations and charity not withstanding—golfers produce nothing of lasting value—not jobs, nor products that make people’s lives better or easier. I’ll toss golfers loosely into the same category as actors and junk bond dealers.

But maybe I’m underselling the actors. A movie star can, at least, provide jobs for thousands in the film industry by lending her star power to the selling of tickets.

But now I’m starting to sound like a socialist., and must remind myself that income is all a matter of supply and demand. Tiger can demand unlimited rents because there is only one Tiger. Business owners, doctors, nurses—and movie actors—in comparison, are a dime a dozen.

Still, I wonder what makes Gatorade think that Tiger is worth $100 million to their business. When I think Gatorade, I think sweat. And that’s not what I associate with golf.  Sure, golfers get drenched when playing, but it’s not a good basketball or football effort sweat; it’s an “I’m standing around and it’s hot” sweat.

Mrs. Golfblogger says that I’m a natural skeptic, but even working hard to be optimistic, I can’t see this deal working for Gatorade. I frankly don’t know many golfers who chug sports performance beverages while playing. Mostly, they drink beer. Or water. And I can’t imagine anyone could think that drinking Tigerade will improve their game; it’s a big enough stretch to think that playing the same ball and clubs will help.

So Tiger must be adding something else to the Gatorade franchise. As it turns out, he’s picked out the flavors: cherry blend, citrus blend and grape. And, he apparently will be donating his sweat for analysis. Gatorade will figure out what he’s leaking through his pores, and replicate it in the drink. So golfers all over the world will be able to chug Tiger sweat.

Yuck. I’ll leave tasting his sweat to Elin.

But the striped one isn’t going to stop there. Apparently, other products in the offing:

“Gatorade has been part of my game plan for years, whether I’m training or competing, so this is an ideal match,” Woods said in a statement. “I’m eager to launch my first signature product in a few months and look forward to developing additional sports performance beverages with Gatorade in the coming years.”

How about a Tiger Woods Gatorade Popsicle so you can lick his sweat?

AP golf writer Doug Ferguson touts Tiger’s most recent adventures and then asks a scary question: What if Tiger still hasn’t hit his prime?

I don’t think he has. But I also think that his peak is closer than we think. He’s been playing golf for a very, very long time, and in spite of his unprecedented conditioning, all of those violent swings have to take a toll on his joints.