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Journalism of Courage
vALHALLA, AUGUST 21: Before he had Jack Nicklaus’ records to aim for, Tiger Woods had another target, and his name was Bob May. May remembered that on Sunday as he prepared to tee it up with Woods in the final pairing of the final round of the USPGA Championship.
"I have always kept track of Tiger," said May, who was finishing up his days in the junior ranks in California just as Woods was beginning to burn a path through on his way to superstardom. "I’m not trying to toot my own horn, but in southern California I was before him, and he wanted, in some newspaper articles he’d say `I am going to beat Bob May’s record and this and this and this’ … which he pretty much proceeded to do. He kept on saying it and doing it, saying it and doing it, so I was kind of hoping I could get a chance to get back at him," May said with a laugh.
The 31-year-old player couldn’t completely turn the tables, he settled for a playoff defeat. But he gave Woods his closest call in three Major triumphs this year. The affable player admitted he was shocked by the noise and hubbub that surrounds Woods during a round, but he coped admirably with the help of a dozen friendly faces in the crowd — his parents and some friends from Las Vegas. His wife, Brenda, expecting their second child in five weeks, stayed home with with their young son Trenton. After spending a night in which he dreamed of golf holes, May was satisfied with the outcome of the actual round. "If I would have won today, it would have been a dream come true," said May, who lost his US Tour card in 1994 and went to the European Tour to rebuild his game before regaining his US Tour privileges this year.
But even finishing second was pretty good in May’s book, not only for the calibre of the competition but also for his own weeklong performance. "He may be, when he is done, the best player ever, and I went head-to-head with him, and lost out in the playoff," May said. (AFP)
