Tiger Woods is that rare athlete.

Pick a cliché and Tiger proved it true this weekend and today.  Mind over matter.  Check.  Drive for show, putt for dough.  Yup.  Comparisons to the great Willis Reed.  You betcha.  The point is, Tiger is the rare breed of athlete that transcends any amount of words or praise we can heap in his direction.

Limping through the U.S. Open, there was a distinct feeling that Tiger was in the midst of something special.  Despite dealing with a serious knee injury, Tiger persevered through 90 holes of knee-twisting golf to walk away the U.S. Open champion.  Unquestionably, Tiger did not bring his A-game to Torrey Pines.  In fact, like most of the field, Tiger was subject to rough the thickness of a brillow pad, greens as hard as a glass bowl and fairways as narrow as a cracked door.   But despite Tiger’s fall to the level of mere mortals, he still walked away with his 14^th career major title.  So what did Tiger bring with him to Torrey Pines that everyone else left behind?

Is it the overwhelming desire to win?  I doubt it.  There was not a single golfer in that field that did not yearn for a U.S. Open title.  Then if it isn’t a desire to win, is it the will to put in the effort to win?  Probably not.  Tiger’s work ethic is notorious, but many players have logged similar hours on the range and the course without the same outcome.

On the Mike and Mike show this morning, Greeny argued that what Tiger Woods has that almost every other athlete lacks is a supreme self-confidence.  I agree.  While every athlete feels pressure, not every athlete truly believes they will perform in crucial situations.  In some part of their mind, most athletes do not believe they can consistently perform under do-or-die circumstances.  In some circles, we call these types of people realists.  Let’s face it, even Michael Jordan missed more game-winning shots than he made.  But despite that, he believed he would make that shot the next time.  Every time.

Tiger is no different.  No matter what the situation, Tiger believes that he is not only capable of performing, but he will perform.  There is a significant difference.

I often question what greatness is in an athlete.  It is one of those things that you know when you see, but it is hard to neatly define with a few words.  Here, I offer my own definition of greatness.

Greatness is when an athlete is so special that he/she renders all hyperbole and exaggeration useless.  Tiger Woods has done that yet again.

Tomorrow kicks off one of my favorite four days of the sports calendar year–The Masters.  There is something about the mystique and lure of Augusta National that produces an event–you know what’s coming next–unlike any other (sorry I had to).

And just like years past this year’s Masters is not short on intrigue. Sure, Tiger Woods comes to the tournament as the overwhelming favorite, but he is doing his part to add a little drama despite what many view as a forgone conclusion.  Since the golf season started, Tiger has been beating his own drum, proclaiming “the Grand Slam is easily within reach.”  Many may scoff at such bravado but before we work ourselves into a frenzy, let’s evaluate this statement for what it is–the truth.

Tiger has been playing golf at a level never seen before.  It has to be demoralizing for his competitors to know that if Tiger brings his A game, they simple can not win.  No way.  No how.  Tiger is one of the few athletes in sport (if not the only one) that is so clearly without peers he can’t lose on his best day.  It is this fact that gives him the right to say a Grand slam is easily within reach.  If Tiger continues to play the way he has to start the season, it is not only easily within reach, it is an absolute certainty.

By putting a stake in the ground, Tiger has added a certain level of drama to this tournament.  If he doesn’t win, will people be questioning his bravado?  I know I won’t.