Tiger's Absence

When the 2008 British Open was held in June, third ranked Geoff Ogilvy bowed his hat to an absent Tiger by commenting that the trophy should have an asterisk engraved on it. The crowds still came out and cheered, but why did Mark O’Meara even have to deny that the British Open was not tainted by Tiger’s absence. His image was still present in the banners that welcomed the crowds, but his spirit was obviously missed.

Padraig Harrington did not hesitate to accomplish a back-to-back win at the British Open for 2007-2008 without questioning why it happened that way. Harrington is quite content with his Ryder Cup honors, but do not think he will stop any time soon. At 32, Harrington has been at the top ten of the Official World Golf Rankings between 2001-2008 and there is no indication now that he will be leaving the rankings to others.

One American might be Kenny Perry, 47, who has won 12 major PGA events, yet lacks any major tournament wins. Perry enjoyed three victories at the Memorial, Buick Open and John Deere classic in the last seven tournaments he entered. Tiger is the only other US golfer with more victories this year before his surgery. Perry decided not to enter the British Open, which opened the path for Harrington. With the PGA championship opening at Oakland Hills and Perry’s 48th birthday on Sunday, a new outlook for him may begin with all of the focus on Tiger’s absence. If he wins it will prove to the golf world that he can handle the pressure, even without Tiger.