Open was Tiger's to lose

Watching the final few holes of this year's U.S. Open was painful.

I'm not even sure I remember who won the tournament, but I certainly know who lost it. "Tiger vision" was on full-display Sunday.

The television coverage was all Tiger, all the time, as NBC's cameras fixated on golf's superstar. NBC's announcers tirelessly analyzed every shot Woods would and did take, not to mention piping in with the necessary formula Tiger needed to do to claim the U.S. Open title. When Woods putt came up short on the 72nd hole, Angel Cabrera had not won the title, Tiger had lost it.

What? Wait a second, Cabrera played an outstanding tournament. He shot a 69 in the final round, bouncing back from a round of 76 on Saturday. Cabrera was the best golfer at Oakmont and rightfully WON.

But that's only because Tiger lost. Just look at some excerpts from today's sports columns:

"Woods lost the 107th U.S. Open by one stroke Sunday, leaving his major championship victory total stalled at 12..." - Jason Sobel (ESPN)

"This is not supposed to happen. Tiger Woods is not supposed to be in the lead at a major, or at least tied for the lead, and not win. But it happened in the U.S. Open. As two months ago it happened in the Masters...[Woods and Furyk] gave it away on the 18th, and it went to Cabrera." - Art Spander (Fox Sports)

"Cabrera might want to check the papers Monday and he will find a different answer. For his shot at celebrity, however long it lasts, Cabrera will have to send thank-you notes to Woods and Furyk for such a neatly-wrapped gift." - Mike Purkey (NBC Sports)

Golf is an individual sport and a professional can only be concerned with how they play. On Sunday, Cabrera played better than Woods, Furyk, Fasth, Toms, Verplank, Rose and everyone else at the top of the leaderboard. Please, give the man some credit.


The final note - Not the greatest, not yet

As Woods winced and grabbed the bill of his black hat on the 18th green Sunday, it marked the 29th time that Tiger has not been able to win a major tournament after he trailed beginning the final round. That's right, Woods in 0-for-29 when trailing at a major entering Sunday.

Tiger still trails Jack Nicklaus by 15 career runner-ups finishes at major championships. During his career, Nicklaus came from behind to win eight majors. To date, that would be eight more than Woods. If you ask me, Tiger has a long way to go to prove he is the best golfer ever. Nicklaus is possibly the most consistent golfer at major championships with 18 titles and 19 runner-up finishes.