From Superman To Mere Mortal

OAKMONT, Pa. For years Tiger Woods's pursuit of Jack Nicklaus's record 18 major championship wins has had a sense of inevitability about it that has drained drama from what once promised to be the greatest career-long quest in American sports. Whenever he had a chance at victory, Woods seldom finished second. His fierce will, superior concentration and sounder tactics, especially on Sunday, almost always separated him from his foes. Surely, in time, a 19th major title would be a foregone conclusion.

An aura of near invincibility, amassed since childhood, surrounded Woods, protected him and, often, appeared to intimidate others. The thought in almost every mind, whether fan or foe, was: If he is close, Tiger will win. As a result, entering this season the 31-year-old Woods owned 12 major titles, yet had been a runner-up only twice, a vastly better ratio than Nicklaus, who had a remarkable but frustrating 19 runner-up finishes.

Now, the law of averages or perhaps just the nature of golf itself might be gaining a bit of ground on Woods. Not much, mind you. But perhaps enough that Tiger's pursuit of the Bear will become riveting rather than a mere ritual. In April, little-known Zach Johnson beat Woods at the Masters by two shots. An aberration? On Sunday, Angel Cabrera of Argentina, ranked a modest 44th in the world, beat Woods by a single shot in an all-day duel in the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club. A trend?

"Facing second place is never fun," Woods said. "You play so hard. In the last four majors, I have two wins and two seconds. It could have been a little better."

As usual, Woods has summed up the situation best. Over the past year, he has been almost sublime, winning the British Open and PGA Championship and running off a streak of six straight tour wins that led to a ridiculous $13 million 2006 season.

This year, he already has three more tour wins and, except for his Tiger Slam in 2000-01, has never held the No. 1 ranking in the sport by a wider margin. With Phil Mickelson, who missed the cut here, in the dumps, nobody approaches Woods. Yet Johnson and Cabrera have beaten him on brutal courses in tight battles. Every top player has noticed. Woods is not vulnerable. But he is also no longer invincible in the events he wants to win the most. Not even when he's on his game.

"I played well all week," said Woods, who shot a tenacious but unspectacular 2-over-par 72 in the final round and was passed by Cabrera, who started the day in seventh place but shot 69.

"My pace on the greens was really good. I only had one three-putt all week," Woods said. But you still didn't quite win? "Obviously, I have to analyze that.

"I hit so many good golf shots and had all these 10- to 12-foot putts with two or three feet of break," said Woods, who did not sink a single such putt, out of perhaps a dozen, in the last 36 holes. "When I kept the ball under the hole, I made 'em."

Woods now has the fascinating record of going 12 for 12 in majors when he has at least part of the third-round lead but is 0 for 29 when he has had to come from behind -- even when the day's leader (Aaron Baddeley) makes a triple bogey on the first hole, presenting Woods with an instant share of the lead.

"I haven't gotten it done," Woods said of never coming from behind in a major. "That's one of the things I need to go back and analyze, too.

"It's not easy. It's not like they're handing out the trophy on the first hole. We still have a lot of holes to play."