ST. ANDREWS, SCOTLAND – Penicillin didn't seem like such a great idea at the time, either. Let's get this straight: One of the greatest medical advances of the 20th century — a treatment for everything from pneumonia to scarlet fever to gonorrhea — came from … mold?
Some suspected the Wright brothers had gone off on a flight of fancy when they unveiled the airplane. Others wondered how anybody could get Americans interested in spending minutes, let alone hours, sitting around watching a box that came to be known as the television.
Back in 1876, when the Old Course at St. Andrews was an adolescent coping with acne and peer pressure, Western Union determined that a talking box called a telephone had too many shortcomings to be of any value. Other unenlightened naysayers were steadfast in their insistence that haggis — an amalgam of heart and lungs of a sheep or calf, minced with onions, oatmeal, suet and assorted seasons boiled in the animal's stomach — could never become a staple dish of the Scottish.
So Tiger Woods is in heady company. As usual.
Woods overcame the prophecies of a legion of skeptics, doubters and detractors to win the 134th British Open. That's Woods' story. And he's sticking to it.
He captured the 10th major championship of his career Sunday, cruising to a five-stroke victory over Colin Montgomerie. Three majors into the 2005 season, Woods has sandwiched victories at the Masters and the Old Course around a runner-up finish at the U.S. Open.
To hear Woods tell it, he waged yet another triumph over relentless, hostile interrogation tactics that would make the Gestapo blush. Woods decided last year to collaborate with a new instructor, Hank Haney, to reinvent a swing that had been good enough to win seven of 11 major championships at one point. What next, a Mona Lisa makeover complete with pierced tongue, spiked dog collar and Gothic makeup?
“I've been criticized for the past couple years: Why would I change my game?” Woods said, unable to resist the chance to gloat. “First, second and first in the last three majors — that's why.”
Self-censorshipAsked by a BBC announcer what he would say to all his “critics,” Woods shot back with a grin, “I can't say it on the air.” Off the air, Woods continued to hold his tongue.
“I can't answer that now,” Woods said. “I cannot.”
It seems a little stubbornness and defiance can go a long way toward climbing Mount Nicklaus. Jack Nicklaus set the standard, winning 18 major championships from 1962 to 1986. Woods is only 29, and he's already third in career majors behind Nicklaus and Walter Hagen (11).
“There are a few people cursing their luck now — the ones people say should be major champions,” Montgomerie said. “But you have to beat Tiger. If he stays fit and healthy … we all know Jack had 18, and he's over halfway now. Can he achieve the impossible? He's on his way.”
Woods is the only player besides Nicklaus to win all four modern majors more than once. Nicklaus was 31 years, 1 month and 7 days old when he achieved his second career Grand Slam. Still, Woods looks around and sees enough mountains to climb to keep up his interest.
“The drive is always to get better,” Woods said. “You can always get better, no matter what. You never get there. It's a never-ending struggle. That's the fun of it: No matter how good you play, you can always get better, which makes it exciting for the next day.”
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