Never has a major golf tournament been so dominated before play by one player, Tiger Woods, who is participating in the U.S. Open at the Congressional Country Club in Bethesda today through Sunday. That's one reason it is sold out.
The Masters winner has a shot at golf's grand slam, which has never been done with the modern four major tournaments in one year. The pressure is on. Everyone else in this year's field is an underdog.
Mr. Woods is the brightest golfer (as in "Tiger! Tiger! burning bright/in the forests of the night. . .") around. He went to Stanford; how many other pro golfers could get in there?
And the tall guy with the winning smile is only 21 years old. His parents, Earl and Kultida Woods, lovingly groomed him from infancy to be the greatest golfer around. In an era of tennis daddies from hell and Little League parental bullies, it is gratifying to see such ambitions both justified and realized. Should young Mr. Woods bring home the silver cup at Congressional, what a Father's Day present!
Pub Date: 6/12/97
