Proof Positive the Americans Don't Know Golf

I received an email from the folks at a site called Predicto.  It's a site that asks people to make predictions about sports, pop culture, and the like.  If you get it right, or enough of them right, you win a prize.  That's not the point though.

In the email, I was told that 74% of people responded that Tiger Woods would win his first tournament back after knee surgery.

74% of Americans were wrong.  Dead wrong.  I was wrong.  I picked Woods to reach the finals against Martin Kaymer.  That's not happening now. 

Look, match play is awfully tough to predict.  It is the most unpredictable format in golf.  Every number one seed in the Match Play event is gone now.  There are much better chances of a #1 seed being successful in the NCAA tournament. 

Even during a slightly more predictable medal play event, you would be a goofball to bet on a single player to win a tournament.  Despite Tiger Woods' ungodly winning percentage over the years, I would still pick the field in any tournament if I had to wager.

The field at the Accenture Match Play comprises the 64 best players in the world by ranking.  To be that good, you are likely capable of beating any one player on any given day in one round of golf.  Tiger knew that going into it.  That's why he picked this event instead of another to make his comeback.  Match play requires consistency, aggression, and a desperation to win.  Tiger had it in his two matches.  It just so turns out that Tim Clark had a better combination today.

If you played that match 100 times, Woods might win 70 or 80 times.  The beauty of this tournament is that they only play once.  The "one game scenario" is why the NBA has seven game series, and why MLB loathes the idea of a series less than 5 games.  Series - like four round tournaments - tend to allow the best to emerge.

For the Tour and the companies that sponsor golf, this is a disappointment.  To mainstream golf fans, Woods' defeat is a huge letdown.  On the other hand, this is one of Tim Clark's finest hours.  He has finished on the medal stand in two majors before and I am telling you that this one round ranks right up there with those finishes. 

Clark may not be young, American, or particularly handsome, but this guy can play.  He's a good man.  He won the Australian Open this year.  The guy could be marketed as the David to our sport's Goliath.  Likely, that won't happen. 

Still, Clark should be celebrated for his win.  He earned it and Woods will tell you as much.  In fact, Woods may have been the only man in America to think that this was possible.  Perhaps that is proof positive that Tiger Woods is an awfully smart man.