It's official: Tiger Woods is too good

I'm done watching golf.

What's the point? After watching Tiger Woods in the third round of the 108th U.S. Open, I've officially seen it all. I'm having a hard time writing about it. How do you describe something you've never seen before? How do you compare a person or his accomplishments when no one has ever done anything comparable?

Tiger Woods is the greatest golf player the world has ever seen. That statement was not preceded with "has the potential to be," or "might be someday if..." It's official. Jack Nicklaus, who previously held that title, has been saying it for years, and what Woods is doing this week at Torrey Pines is simply adding to his legend. His back nine Saturday was a microcosm of his career to date.

• His 70-foot, right-to-left swinging, so fast downhill that it could roll 150 feet off the green putt for eagle on the 13th hole was a once-in-a-career shot for most professional players.

• His one-hop-into-the-cup birdie chip on the 17th hole out of grass so long that it could have been transplanted from the uncut yard of a year-old abandoned house was a never-in-a-lifetime shot for most people who have ever picked up a set of clubs and played a round.

• By the time Woods’ eagle putt was tracking toward the cup on the 18th hole, I was screaming in disbelief at the television. When the ball dropped, giving Tiger a one-shot lead heading into Sunday's final round, I mumbled a few unprintable words and stormed out of the living room.

Here's my problem: Tiger Woods is too good. It's not fair. If you've ever played the game — or like most of us, tried and usually failed — you understand how seemingly impossible it is to accomplish the things Woods makes look ordinary.

Woods is so good, he's doing a disservice to himself and the other great players of this generation. Writers and TV commentators who help educate the masses have lost the necessary perspective, because Woods' greatness has blurred their vision. Phil Mickelson and Vijay Singh should go down in the history of golf as all-time greats, but between them they possess barely a handful of major championships. Younger players such as Sergio Garcia and Adam Scott are still searching for their first major. In fact, Woods is making greatness look so easy, many novice golf fans think winning a major championship is no big deal.

Conventional wisdom dictates that greatness in golf is measured by winning major championships. If others are not winning majors, they must not be great. At the same time, Tiger makes winning one appear so ordinary, that conventional wisdom says doing so must not be very difficult after all. Right?

Wrong.

Conventional wisdom in golf is dead. Tiger hunted it down and killed it.

From now on, there is Tiger, and there is everyone else. When watching golf, understand that some of the greatest players in the history of the game are currently playing. Watch them, cheer for them, appreciate their greatness and be amazed by what they can do.

Then, look at Tiger. Watch what he does and how he does it. Call your friends when he does something you've never seen and didn't think was possible. Scream at the television as if you were standing in the gallery behind the green. Watch it all, and know how lucky you are to witness the career of the greatest golfer the planet has ever seen.

I've never been a Tiger fan (he's clearly doing OK without my support), but I have always appreciated his unique abilities and marveled at his accomplishments. Woods might not be my favorite player, but that doesn't mean I didn't have goose bumps watching him charge up the leaderboard Saturday evening.

Tiger Woods is the greatest golfer the world has ever seen. So, I lied. I will keep watching golf. As impossible as it may seem, Tiger Woods has not done it all... yet.