Column as I see 'em

Author: JEFF PATTERSON

The anxiety for Chris DiMarco and Tiger Woods on their final holes at Augusta National was nothing compared to that shared by golf fans on campus this Sunday. When we turned to CBS' 50th Anniversary coverage of golf's first major, we saw a fuzzy picture, not the tournament that Fuzzy Zoeller won in 1979. Adelphia Cable must have had enough with the weeklong warm weather and felt that it was time for snow. The televisions from Atwater Commons all the way to the Grille were infected and it seemed like the camera man was so focused on focusing-in on a dimply Titleist that he chose not to capture any of the action.
With a commanding four-shot lead after two rounds and Tiger Woods lurking six shots back, it appeared that AuGustA wind, could not loosen Chris DiMarco's lead. DiMarco was dropping putts and playing mistake-free golf, but he underestimated the power of Tiger's roar. Eldrick had several tricks up his sleeve in his third round, where he made seven straight birdies and shot a 65. Seven straight birdies in a major championship is a feat that pretty much left defeat out of the question for Tiger. The eight other times that Tiger was at the top of the leader board at the start of the final round of a major, he ended with a trophy in his hands.
In one of the most memorable moments, Tiger's caddy, Steve Williams, jumped in the air in his jump-suit, when his player chipped in on the par-three, 16th hole. Woods aimed well left of the pin, and watched his ball roll, stop and then eventually drop. Even when we're old that shot won't get old. His resulting fist pump could have knocked out Ali, Frazier and Tyson all at once. DiMarco, however, handled the blow and rebounded like Dennis Rodman. Despite DiMarco's third-round 74 that included a severe Tom Seaver (41) on the back nine, he forced a playoff at 12 under-par. In sudden-death, Woods hit the playoff's first green in regulation and canned his birDIE putt in fashionable fashion to kill Chris DiMarco's chance of winning.
With rain delays forcing the tournament officials to play ketch-up all week, it was not surprising that the man wearing red on Sunday came out on top. He would relish the victory, in his fourth green jacket.
Woods now has half the major championships of his idol, Jack Nicklaus' 18. The Golden Bear's total still looms large; however, the British Open returning to the Woods-suited Old Course at St Andrews this year, down the road, Nicklaus' record looks like it is in Alex Trebek's show. Show me the money, Tiger. You just won $1,260,000 for your victory and you've retained your number-one World Ranking.