A PERSONAL life. A professional life.
Each one of us has both.
Take Tiger Woods’s case.
Woods has a wife; they have two kids. That’s his personal life.
Woods is a golfer; still No. 1 in the world. That’s his professional life.
We are basically similar with Woods: Two lives.
The only difference is, most of us, aren’t celebrities like Woods.
That’s a whale of a difference.
Because Woods is a world celebrity, his personal life is almost always attached to his professional life.
Anything he does, or does not do—whether related to his personal or professional life—becomes grist for media copy.
Only the obscure—Mr. Nobodies like you and me—do not have personal lives for public
viewing.
Only a twist of fate happens, such as Mr. Nobody winning the lotto jackpot, would make us instant headline hogs.
This week being the 92nd edition of the PGA Championship, the question begging for an answer—again—is: Will Woods’s losing streak hold?
After two fourth-place finishes in the Masters and U.S. Open, Woods faltered miserably in the British Open.
Yet, it was on those three majors’ venues that Woods won half of his 14 majors (four short of Jack Nicklaus’s 18 record majors).
Even before the Bridgestone Invitational ended last Monday, pundits are already predicting a Woods defeat in the PGA ending on Monday at Whistling Straits, Kohler, Wisconsin.
Consider: In the Bridgestone event, a no-cut tournament, Woods finished second-to-last: 80th among 81 players.
You are the world No. 1, and you beat just one of your 80 opponents in a non-major event. What does that make of you?
And to think that Woods had won the Bridgestone Invitational seven times in his last 10 starts there.
To abuse the obvious: Woods’s personal life has contaminated his professional life.
Since that fire hydrant accident in November that unearthed his marital infidelities, Woods has not won in all his eight starts in the last 10 months.
Will the shocking slump slap him again in the PGA Championship?
Yes, it will.
It is also nature’s way of exacting revenge.
(alsol47@yahoo.com)