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| |  Wednesday, 4 April, 2001, 12:19 GMT 13:19 UK Woods leaves Slam debate to posterity Woods refuses to be drawn into the Grand Slam debate Tiger Woods has decided to let posterity judge whether victory in this week's Masters, which would be his fourth consecutive Major, would constitute an authentic Grand Slam. It was a cautious response to criticisms by purists, such as Arnold Palmer, that it could be called a Grand Slam only if all four victories were achieved in the same calendar year. Woods conceded that winning all four Majors in the same season would be more difficult than capturing four titles in a row. "But I think if you can put all four trophies on your coffee table, I think you can make a pretty good case for that too," he said at a news conference.
Woods finished third in last year's Masters, but followed it with victories in the US Open, the Open and the USPGA. But Palmer, along with fellow golfing legends Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, claims that the Masters, starting on Thursday, marks the beginning of a new season, not a continuation of last year. "I'm not saying they're wrong," Woods said cautiously. "Everyone is entitled to their opinion." The golfing star was equally careful about comparing his feats to those of Bobby Jones or Ben Hogan. Jones, co-founder of the Masters, won the US and British Opens plus the US and British Amateurs in 1930, to claim the Grand Slam of his day. Hogan won the Masters, US Open and the Open in Britain in 1953, but did not compete in the PGA because the dates overlapped with qualifying for the Open at Carnoustie.
"Whether I do it or not, just to be able to say or to have people start saying those kinds of things and compare it, that means I've done all right for myself." Some of the other competitors were keen to offer their own views on the young golfer's achievements. Darren Clarke said that Woods could define his own terms. "I think if he wins this week and holds all four, he can decide whatever he wants to decide," Clarke said. "If he wants to decide it is a Grand Slam, he has every right to decide it is his." Putting it in context Phil Mickelson pointed out the difficulty of comparing the achievements of players from different eras. "If somebody as strong as Tiger tried to play with hickory shafts he would break them. Not only that, he would hook everything, or not hit it straight," he said. "The shafts were just not capable to hold that type of clubhead speed." Vijay Singh, who will be aiming to retain his title this week, sided with the purists. "He will be holding all four titles if he wins here, but a Grand Slam appears in one year, not in two." Davis Love agreed, saying: "I wonder if Bobby Jones had his two Amateurs and two Opens over two different years he would be calling it a Grand Slam." Whether victory at Augusta can be considered a Grand Slam is debatable, but it would still be an impressive feat for Woods. It would bring him his sixth Major triumph and another step closer to his goal of matching Jack Nicklaus' amazing 18 career Majors. | |
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