The Jesus Shot - Tiger at His Best!

What more can we say about Tiger? He's got it all! Great talent, great story, great smile, great wife, baby, foundation...the list goes on. Now, he even walks on water to produce miracle shots. What will be next, President?

The above YouTube clip is a funny and very clever use of pop culture to capitalize on Tiger's celebrity and market his brand. It seems that everyone wants a piece of his greatness and marketability. Myself included! I am personally very grateful to Tiger, all his marketing genius aside, for he offers the world such a clear picture of greatness, as an athlete and as a man.

With the simple caveat that I don't personally know him or anyone that does know him, I am still unabashed in my admiration of what I see and read of him. I realize that many are weary of the constant adulation given his person, but I cannot dismiss the extraordinary talent and dedication that he has shown us in the way he plays this game, not to mention, lives his life.

Let me point to just a couple of the traits that I see that stand out for example. Most notably is his passion and dedication for what he does. Tiger's commitment for excellence is revealed not just in how hard and long he works, but in the intensity of his passion. His enthusiasm for what he does is real. When he is amped-up for sinking a putt, he is electrifying. In his disappointment for pull-hooking a drive, you watch and feel the pain in which he takes it out on his golf bag. I hear that even at the ping-pong table, his drive to win is remarkable.

Yet, the second point I will offer stands in dramatic contrast to this fierce determination, his humor. Tiger is well know for his 90 million dollar smile. But, his contagious smile only hints at a depth of joy in which his life must dwell. As I have said, I am not privy to his personal life, so I can only assume based on how he acts and behaves in public. He loves to laugh. He laughs at himself or he'll laugh at some stroke of outrageous fortune or turn of luck. He laughs with his caddy and often with his fans. But, the people who really see the sparkle of his joy are the numbers of youngsters who get to spend mornings with him at a special clinic or at one of the innumerable charity functions in which he gives his time. He loves kids, that is obvious. But, what is special is the way he cherishes the smiles of kids who are beginning to see the world in a new and exciting way. As they become more confident and hopeful, his smile gets bigger.

In another blog entry, I spoke of balance. It might appear that Tiger's life is a whirlwind of dedications and that he lives for golf, at the expense of all else. But, nothing could be farther from the truth. He is a master at living in balance with the elements of his life that are so true for him. He is extraordinary not just for what he does, but for "who he is." And as a result , we are all better-off to have him as our teacher.