Pitarresi: Tom is in, Tiger is out

Wow. I just got a call from someone claiming to be Notah Begay III.

 

He said he’s firing Tiger Woods, hiring Tom Watson, and raising ticket prices to $500 for his NB3 Foundation Challenge at Turning Stone Casino and Resort next month.

 

Nah. Just kidding, but maybe Notah should think about it for a minute considering what’s gone on over in Scotland the last couple of days. Tom Watson holding the lead in The Open Championship after 36 holes? Tiger Woods out of it, missing the cut. The world has turned upside down. To have a 59-year-old man leading the field in one of golf’s greatest challenges, and the greatest golfer in the world headed home is pretty strange.

 

I’ve said it before. I love Tiger, with just some reservations about his occasional refusal to deal with the media on a tough day, but a failure like this one now and then probably is good for him, both competitively and as a person. Watson? You have to love the idea of an old guy – an old guy who is a year and a half younger than I am, which just kills me – winning a major tournament. I don’t yet believe he can do it, even if he has won five Opens, but I want him to.

 

I’ll be saying some Hail Marys for Tom the next couple of days.