No, it’s not some new exotic sandwich at the Elephant Bar, it’s the best damned golfer in the world showing the rest of the so-called “big four” (Phil, Ernie, Vijay and Retief) how to get it done. Watching the final round of the PGA on Sunday, you could almost see the rest of the field visibly shrink in size and drop whatever pretenses they might have had, for, if there were any doubts remaining following his British Open win last month, Tiger’s effortless excellence at Medina sent a resounding “I’M BACK!” shockwave you could feel through your wide-screen.

With two more majors in the bag this year, all of a sudden that Jack Nicklaus record of 18 major wins seems pretty reachable for Tiger, even if he were to go into some kind of slump down the road. Hell, he’s already 2/3 of the way there.

…And you know he’s going to win next year’s Masters, if only for the satisfaction of having Phil put the green jacket back on him like Tiger had to do this year – something you could tell he was NOT happy about. For Tiger, revenge will be sweet, indeed.

From all appearances, Tiger looks as if he’s taken his game to a new level – one that I believe puts him in a great position not only for another “Tiger Slam”, but also the hallowed “Grand Slam” next year. And, SI’s Gary Van Sickle seems to agree.

Bottom line: Whether you like Tiger or not, or are bored watching him win whatever tournaments he chooses to grace with his presence or not, you have to respect him and stand in awe of what he is and has been able to accomplish as a professional athlete. We’re watching true greatness at work here – something that many in professional sports aspire to (eh, Phil Mickelson?) but few achieve. While there are others that, I suppose, could approach him from a pure talent standpoint (although that too, is arguable), there is no one currently in the golfing world who can approach his intensity, drive, motivation, and work ethic. Tiger is all and only about excellence and greatness, and until age, injuries, or something unforeseen happens to slow him down in the coming years, everyone else will just have to settle for the leftovers.

Well done, Tiger.