[PA PLAYA]

I used to belly-ache all the time that no one would step up to the plate and challenge Tiger. Some of these guys have had their chances. Ernie, Phil, Vijay, Adam Scott, Goosen, Furyk, Sergio, or just about any tour player you wish to enter into the equation.

I've come to accept it. And I guess the thing that has helped make it easier to accept is that ultimately, they just don't have the drive to win like Tiger does.

Kenny Perry turned down the chance to play in the US Open because he wasn't thrilled with the idea of playing 36 holes in one day to qualify. Fair enough. But contrast that with Tiger, who hadn't played for two months. Who had a torn ACL, a stress fracture, and knee surgery 8 weeks prior. He knew it would be rough. He knew it would be painful. He knew that it would test him like never before, despite the US Open conditions that awaited him. And he knew that his season was basically over, after this event.

He could've simply said that he wasn't ready, and that his injuries were too much for him to discount to play. And maybe that would've been the practical decision in the end. But he chose to play. Some will argue that he chose to play because of the venue. But I believe that ultimately he chose to play because he has a drive to win that no other person in the history of the game (imo) has ever had. And we all know what happened.

Of all the attributes that people conveniently tout that Tiger has that the rest of his peers don't have, his drive is what ultimately puts him in a class all to himself. All of those attributes that he has, they're a product of that drive.

He's gonna be out of golf for 8-10 months. For just about anyone else on tour, the expectations afterward would be uncertain, at best. But for him, he probably sees this as yet another challenge in his career to overcome. That drive is what will most likely bring him back next season good as ever, with very few uncertainties.

If he can beat the world's best golfers on one leg, then obviously he can find a way to do it again healthy. And again, his drive -- his desire to win -- is what will ultimately distinguish him from everyone else in the history of the game.

So in a way, he should be at that level all to himself. No one else wants to win as bad as he does. You can teach the game, but you can't teach desire.