Sunday of Champions

Sunday was a day of champions. From the golf course to the tennis court, Tiger Woods and Roger Federer dominated the field once again. With nearly $2.5 million in purse winnings between the two, I believe we are witnessing two of the most dominating athletes ever, and almost the most dominant in our time (MJ is obviously the best until these guys throw in the towel then its up to another round table of discussions).

Entering the final round 4 strokes back, Tiger came out on a tear shooting a 7-under 65. Not that any of us expect anything less, but he came through in the clutch on 17 and 18 with back to back birdies. First was a 9-foot putt on 17 then a pin seeker on 18 to a foot to seal the win. He had his best driving week since The Masters in 1998 missing only 5 fairways all week and zero in the final round. He was hitting greens, hitting fairways, making putts, and getting up-and-down. I can guarantee that every PGA member is thinking, "Here we go again", just as Tiger disappeared for 8 months with surgery on his knee, he's back. Back and ready to tear through every tournament and reach that coveted mark of 19 majors. Even Jack, the host of The Memorial, claimed that he would be shocked if Tiger didn't win in two weeks at Bethpage Black. It has to be so hard going into the final round not concerned about the person behind you, but concerned about Tiger, no matter how far back he is.

I am not a big tennis fan, but Roger is proving himself to be one of, if not the best tennis players ever. He won in straight sets yesterday against Robin Soderling 6-1, 7-6, 6-4. After the first set, it was pretty obvious that Roger had a game plan in mind which certainly didn't involve a second place trophy. He now has reached the Grand Slam summit and has tied Pete Sampras with 14 major titles. I think he has clearly separated himself from any debate of who is the best. I loved Agassi with his sweet hair and killer kicks, and for Sampras watching him litteraly gut it out over and over, but Federer has simply performed at the highest level consistently for so long.

Now for both of these guys: We are witnessing history, history that I'm not really sure will ever be challenged, atleast not in our life-time. Both of these guys have one competitor, and that competitor is themselves. They go into every tournament with nothing less than a W on their mind. That is what separates these guys from other athletes. There is no one else that can beat them. They play individual sports where success depends on their own performance. Not Mo Williams missing a last second shot, or Terrell Owens missing a 1st down by a foot. And for all those skeptics out there that said Tiger was ailing or Roger was on his last leg heres one for ya: Stop the talking because these guys are not gonna stop winning.

I think we've all been spoiled with this greatness. We all should sit back and truly realize how lucky we are to witness greatness. I think these two should steal Lebron's tagline: We Are All Witnesses. Lebron is good, but these guys are spectacular.

Until next time...