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Tiger will dominate round 3...
Woods clearly fails ... to teach Barkley a lesson
With time to kill after ditching clubs, Sir Charles opines on game's 'greatest'
By STEVE CAMPBELL
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
SPRINGFIELD, N.J. - Another retired golfer made a cameo appearance in the television broadcast booth Friday. Fans of the 87th PGA Championship, brace your eyes and ears for the analysis of Sir Charles Barkley.
Barkley has a long and laughable track record as the biggest hacker this side of Lizzie Borden. He is to the golf swing what Shaquille O'Neal is to the free throw, attacking the ball with a random sequence of twitches, spasms, lunges and lurches. Still, it wasn't until a traumatic event last month that Barkley decided he ought to hang up his soft es.
For good. At least for now.
The way Barkley figures it, finishing behind actress Cheryl Ladd in a celebrity tournament left him with little choice.
"I always told myself, 'If you can't beat the girls and you can't beat the smart kids, you need to quit,' "Barkley said. "Golf is probably the first sport I just (stunk) at. If I played baseball, I might not be good, but I wouldn't totally (stink). I'd be able to make contact once in a while. Golf is the first sport I've said, 'This is going to drive me crazy.' "
Having taken many a good cart ride spoiled on some of America's most lush layouts, Barkley can appreciate what it takes to succeed on the PGA Tour. Put a club in Barkley's hands at Baltusrol Golf Club this week, and he'd be a round mound of rebounded shots off trees and other assorted obstacles. Member of the NBA's Greatest 50 team that Barkley is, he's not easily impressed. Still, Barkley can't help but look at Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els with starry eyes.
Even if they would have about as much chance as the truth in a presidential campaign of defending Barkley in the low post.
"Vijay is great, Phil is great, Ernie Els is great," Barkley said. "They're all great, just like Patrick Ewing was great, Gary Payton was great, Karl Malone was great, John Stockton was great. I thought I was great, but we were no Michael Jordan. Tiger Woods is a once-in-a-lifetime player."
Can't win 'em all, maybe
The Sultan of Swoosh enters the weekend tied for 62nd, 12 strokes behind second-round leader Phil Mickelson. The chances of Woods winning his third major championship of the season are about the same as finding a gourmet meal on a commercial flight, but how would a guy who travels the world by private plane know that?
"I grinded my butt off today," Woods said. "You've got to stay patient, stay in the moment and keep grinding. You never know what can happen."
Woods had to sweat it out to the end on a steamy afternoon at Baltusrol, making the cut on the number with a birdie on the final hole and shooting 69. That might not seem like a seismic PGA Tour development, but it extends Woods' majors cut streak to 38 — one short of Jack Nicklaus' modern-day record.
"I've never seen a jock in any sports who works harder than Tiger," Barkley said. "If Phil worked as hard as Vijay and Tiger, it would be like a flip-flop (on the leader board) all the time. If Phil wants to compete with Tiger and Vijay all the time, he's got to take it up another notch workout-wise."
Can't hack it
Barkley said he has tried working out with Woods. Take a wild guess who wore out whom. Because Woods is secretive about his workout regimen, Barkley won't divulge many details.
"He's hit balls for six, seven, eight hours straight, and that's incredible," Barkley said. "That's after lifting (weights) and running."
Of course Woods — unlike some of his compe ion — doesn't have to deal with the horrors of subcutaneous fat. His only fat zone is his wallet, what with 10 major championships and more than $52 million in tour earnings.
"I don't think you give that boy enough credit for how hard he competes," Barkley said. "He doesn't ever give up. He's going to have the red (behind) if he misses the cut. He's going to have the red (behind) if he doesn't win the tournament. But he's had a monster year."
Know it when I see it
Barkley said he foresaw a monster career, just as he did after he saw Jordan up close and personal at the 1984 Olympic trials. Cut loose from that powerhouse team by coach Bob Knight, Barkley began regaling friends with accounts of Jordan's supernatural abilities. Barely a decade later, before Woods had hit his first shot as a pro, he invited Barkley to join him in a round of golf.
"I went back to my hotel, called all my friends and said, 'I just played golf with the greatest golfer who ever lived,' " Barkley said. "When I saw (Jordan and Woods) firsthand, I said, 'I'm seeing some (stuff) I've never seen before.' "
In the end, though, there are limits to Woods' powers. He doesn't win every tournament. He doesn't have the ability to bestow any of his greatness unto others. As Barkley is his witness, Woods has tried. Woods has spent hours on the range working with Barkley, trying to smooth some of the rough edges off his swing. The result of all the tireless work: Barkley considers himself a former golfer.
For good. At least for now.
"He's not a very good teacher," Barkley said. "He's a better player than teacher."
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Tiger will dominate round 3...
Phillip is going to run away with this tournament.
Book it.
You da man, Sequ!!!
Too bad you are not as good at predicting bball.
Huh???You da man, Sequ!!!
Too bad you are not as good at predicting bball.
He said "run away." He did anything but.
If Tiger would have played the par 5's like he usually does, he would have won by 4 strokes.
Consider Phil very lucky.
Well Tiger didn't, so tough .
Phillip ran away with the trophy and a million dollars.
Phil Mickelson got lucky that everyone else absolutely gagged, because he practically was handing the trophy to everyone and their brothers...
Phil Mickelson literally won this tournament by default.
Barkely=worse swing ever. It makes me cringe every time I see it.
Tiger was having the nastieset run of bad luck.
there had to be some major voodoo placed on his clubs to have missed so many damn easy putts.
I'm blaming Laker fans for the bad voodoo. they are good for blaming alot of on.
I'd like to place the blame on the hands of that guy who ruined the Cubs' season 2 years ago in the playoffs when he grabbed a ball that would have been a sure out....since then the entire sports world has been out of whack (with the exception of the NBA, Spurs would have won anyways)
I'd like to place the blame on the hands of that guy who ruined the Cubs' season 2 years ago in the playoffs when he grabbed a ball that would have been a sure out
What was the team's excuse after that....
Phil made a great birdie on 18...he earned it. He is first guy in decades to win 2 majors with a birdie on the last hole.
He is fun to watch, because you never know what he might try to do....he is more like us regular guys than most of these PGA pros in that way.
If Tiger wouldn't have blown up in round 1 he would have won this thing going away.
Tiger blew it on saturday blowing putts on 17 and 18.
He makes them hes going into extra holes.
Of course, now its just been found out that Woods wasnt even THERE on MONDAY!!
If If If........
If is a stupid word.
I guess thats why you said it four times, huh?
If Phil would have shot a 62 on Sunday, he would have won by 11 strokes.
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