Once more, the Masters belonged to Tiger

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Once again, the Masters belonged to a master, taking us back in time to what not even half a year ago seemed an impossible dream.

Tiger Woods got around Augusta National on Thursday without a limp and with only two bogies.

That after an opening-round 1-under-par 71 he was several shots out of the lead that mattered much less than the fact he was very much in the tournament.

It was Feb. 23, 2021, that Woods was in a rollover car accident so serious one law enforcement official insisted Tiger was fortunate to survive. 

His right foot had to be reattached, and the thought of him walking normally again, much less a full 18 holes in a round at one of game’s most difficult courses, seemed unlikely.

But there he was, wearing a glowing pink shirt and hollered on by a massive crowd of fans — sorry, patrons — saving pars and, some cynics might say, golf itself.

Even nature seemed to be welcoming Woods and the Masters, the sun making an appearance after days of thunderstorms that drenched the property to the point that play Thursday was delayed a half hour.

But once it began, golf got the unexpected joy of Woods, who roamed from one hole to the next and kept adding followers, like the Pied Piper.

Sure, there were other golfers on the course, including the Australian Cameron Smith, who double-bogied one, double-bogied 18 and still had a 4-under 68, a shot behind leader Sungie Im. But they were bit players in this story.

Woods, now 46, won five Masters in his younger, dominant days (one fewer than the record six of Jack Nicklaus), and because of his history (including but not limited to the auto crash), you’d have to say he didn’t disappoint us. Or himself, although certainly he hoped (if not planned) to be in first place, no matter the circumstances.

The first question to Woods after he signed his scorecard was an interesting one: “Considering what’s transpired over the last 14 months, how would you describe your emotions leading to the first shot on the first tee this morning?”

Woods had prepared himself, as he always does for any situation, discourse or divots. From the moment he arrived, there were cameras as well as curiosity.

“Well, I did not have a very good warmup at all,” Woods began. “I hit it awful. As my dad (used to say), did you accomplish your task?

“That’s exactly what I did (mentally), not blocking physically to avoid hitting a hook. I felt, hey, I’m warm. Go play. Let’s just go get it done. You know where to put it. Execute each shot.”

If that sounds like somebody who has just taken a lesson, not somebody who has won 82 PGA Tour events, well, even the greatest are prone to slipping back on occasion, if not for long.

And not having competed in any regular tournament for more than a year, much less a major such as the Masters, Woods had to have some nerves. 

“I was able to get to the red,” he said, talking about the numbers on the scoreboard designating under par.  “I made two stupid mistakes (the bogies). But to end up in the red, that’s right where I want to be.” 

Tiger is right where the golfing public, and the media, want him to be, playing again where he gained fame.

“The thing I came up here for,” he said, “was a test run to see if I was able play 27 holes (including the par-3 contest). And once the adrenaline kicks in, I get fired up and into my world.”

An opening day of the Masters again belonged to Tiger.

Of course Tiger was going to play

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Of course he was going to play.

Tiger Woods hadn’t come to Augusta National just to check out what Hideki Matsuyama was going to serve as the featured dish at the Champions Dinner.

He came to show us he could still could play. Came to show himself he still could play.

“You da man,” is the accurate if ungrammatical shout for Woods. He is and has been since that emphatic, historic Masters victory in 1997, the one that changed competitive golf — the whole tour started lifting weights and working out — and our response.

The Masters had Hogan and Snead, Palmer and Nicklaus. But until Woods and his fist pumps, it never had a golfer who appealed to the masses and especially to ethnic groups.

It wasn’t so much that he changed golf. He changed the way the world approached golf.

It no longer was a genteel pastime where an official in a voice barely above a whisper would remind, “Quiet, please.” It had evolved into a a boisterous confrontation, Giants vs. Dodgers, Packers vs. Cowboys — partisan instead of polite.

Golf purists were horrified, saying in essence, “Look what they’ve done to my game.”

If Woods were on the course, the first question was “How’s Tiger doing?” And that led to learning what everybody else was doing.

ESPN understood. It goes for names as much as it goes for games, and there is no name larger than Tiger’s. It didn’t so much cover an event as it covered Tiger.

An ESPN SportsCenter segment on a tournament, anywhere, anytime, would start with Woods, no matter how poorly he played. It was infuriating. And brilliant.

There is a precedent from another era, Arnold Palmer’s. Writers might tell you Arrnie wasn’t in a tournament rather than who was in.

“Why don’t you mention the other guys, then the fans will know who they are?” a PGA Tour official once told me.

Correct, the fans will know they aren’t Arnold Palmer.

Woods said his start in the Masters on Thursday is, borrowing from the NFL, a “game-time decision.” He’s not worried about hitting the shots. He’s never lost that ability, although at age 46 he doesn’t have the length of the big hitters.

He’s concerned with the condition of the right foot that was surgically reattached after the rollover car accident some 14 months ago. At the time, an LA County sheriff said that Woods was lucky to be alive.

The Masters course, Augusta National,  is hilly and long, and Woods, along with every other golfer in the field, must walk every step of the way. Yet, proud and intense, Tiger would not have made what seemed a surprising decision to enter if he were not confident of going the full 18 holes.

“I’ve worked hard,” said Woods, as if he required a reason to compete. “My team has been unbelievable. I’m lucky to have great surgeons and physicians. We’ve worked hard to get to this point, to get this opportunity to walk the grounds and test it out. To see if I can do it.”

He'll do it. Tiger is anything but a quitter, as we were reminded in the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines when on a leg injured so painfully he grimaced on every swing and won — needing to go an extra 18 holes in a playoff.

Everyone will be watching Tiger. He’s not going to want to disappoint. “My recovery has been good,” he said. “I’m excited.”

He’s certainly not the only one.

“I’ve had to endure pain before,” he said, anticipating his struggle. “This is different, obviously. This is a lot more traumatic. It gets agonizing and teasing. The simple things take hours.”

Success never is simple. It demands all that a person can offer. Woods has won the Masters five times, and so after what he’s gone through, someone asked whether Woods thought he could win again.

“I do,” he said.

Or else he wouldn’t play.

Is Tiger teasing or going to The Masters?

This was a few years ago when he was starting to lose his hair but certainly hadn’t lost his grip on the game. There were rumors Tiger Woods was going bald, so at a pre-tournament press conference, playing a game other than golf, with a grin lifted his cap for a moment.

 It was a Tiger tease.

 Which makes one wonder about his very non-secret flight to Augusta (Georgia, of course, not Maine) Tuesday morning.

Is he really going to defy logic and the predictions and compete in the Masters next week? Or is he just teasing? With Tiger I’ve learned since his days at Stanford, virtually anything can happen.

His career has been a succession of comebacks, disapprovals, and verifications.

He was five holes down to Steve Scott in the 1996 U.S. Amateur at Pumpkin Ridge in Oregon and I went on the phone to KNBR in San Francisco while the match still was underway. saying Scott would win.

Not only was I wrong but Willie McCovey (it is the Giants station after all) later berated me for a lack of both insight and faith. Woods rallied to become the only male to win three straight Amateurs.

The 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, Woods’ knee was in such pain (he had undergone an operation and would have two more) he could barely walk. Every swing brought a grimace.

 Ninety holes (a full extra round for the playoff) brought him the victory over Rocco Mediate. Followed by more surgery.

 Who could foresee that remarkable Masters triumph of 2 He hadn’t won anything for years, He was 43.

It’s wrong to say Tiger has done the impossible, because if were impossible, he couldn’t have done it. So say extraordinary. If he tees up in the 2022 Masters some 13 plus months after an auto accident which could have been fatal, this will be extraordinary.

Woods teamed with 12-year-old son Charlie in the PNC event in December. But that was only a 36-hole tournament on a flat course in Florida, and he was permitted to use a cart. The Masters course, Augusta National is extremely hilly, and Woods, as everyone in the field, would need to walk every step.

Did he make it through Tuesday’s round? Will he make it through four rounds of the tournament, or two, if he misses the cut? 

You can be certain Woods is ready. So too is the world. Tiger is the most compelling figure in sports, a hero, a trailblazer, even to some a heartbreaker.

Tiger, one supposes, is forcing the issue because it’s his nature. He’s a competitor . He’s the guy who battles back from four down. Who revives his image when it’s tarnished.

Some will note his achievements, the 15 major championships, only three fewer than the record 18 by Jack Nicklaus; the 81 PGA Tour victories than Sam Snead, and ask why is Tiger doing this

  Why not? It’s what he’s done, at lea`st until the car accident, with a special appeal. Actors act, painters paint, golfers play golf.

Woods also designs courses, His work added character and charm to the remodel of the little Peter Hay nine at Pebble Beach. Yet he’s more recognized for winning the 2000 U.S. Open on the main Pebble links.

The essential factor is desire, love of the. You need to be driven, to show yourself. As well as showing others,

 Who dared imagine Tiger Woods had a chance to play the Masters? Tiger Woods, That’s who. And he’s the only one who matters. No teasing.

Fritz does what he never thought possible

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — This was early, about the time the uproar had been silenced into disbelief, their hero — good grief — having lost the opening four games when one of his super fans, the type who wave Spanish flags, shouted plaintively, “Let’s go Rafa.”

But on Sunday, Rafael Nadal wasn’t going anywhere. Except to his first loss in 21 matches this year, beaten 6-3, 7-6 (6) by Taylor Fritz, the guy who now may be going places.

Nobody goes undefeated (in the NFL, yes, the ‘72 Dolphins were the exception), particularly in a spurt where you’re traveling around the world and playing hurt, which Nadal was Sunday. So many types of courts. So many different opponents. So whlle Rafa, with his 21 Grand Slam championships, always is a story, Fritz in many ways is a bigger one.

Especially since he virtually grew up at Indian Wells, the desert resort owned by Larry Ellison (he was in the stands Sunday) a hundred miles or so from Fritz’s home in San Diego. Especially since Fritz, 24, is the first American to win the tournament since Andre Agassi some 20 years ago.

It’s a bit overboard to say this was a generational change for the sport in America, but the U.S. has been looking for some men who can perform like Jim Courier — who was there in the Tennis Channel booth at the BNP Paribas Open. Or Pete Sampras. Or Michael Chang. Or Andre Agassi. Or Andy Roddick (the last American to win a major, the 2003 U.S. Open).

Fritz wasn’t thinking so grandiosely. But this victory over the 35-year Nadal (whether or not Nadal had to call for the trainer after getting skunked in he first set) was transcendental in the hoping, the hype, and finally the win. Now, does Francis Tiafoe burst through the door?

Fritz, whose mother and father were tennis pros, said as a kid he thrilled to the cheers he heard for the great players and wanted to earn some on his own. Those came inside 23,000-seat Stadium One, where in an earlier match Iga Swiatek pounded wind-blown Maria Sakkari in the women’s final, 6-4, 6-1.

Fritz, who’s built like an outside linebacker, tweaked an ankle in his semifinal win on Saturday, but he wasn’t going to sit out a chance for glory. If Nadal could play with pain, a kid trying for a breakthrough was no less determined to be across the net.

“Yeah, I mean, I'm just so lucky I was able to go out there, play really well,” said Fritz, “and not be hindered at all by something that I thought.”

Fritz was asked if he could put into words his emotions, and he tried mightily.

”I mean, no. It's like after the match I kept saying, I'm going to cuss, but I said no effing way, no effing way, I can't believe it's real. I signed the camera, I just put question marks. Stunned. Couldn't even believe it. Seriously, this is like a childhood dream come true, like a wild dream you never expect to actually happen. It really hasn't even sunk in.”

It will, and he’ll become a target, the player everyone will want to beat, the way Fritz wanted to beat the big guns.

“I think to do it against Rafa in the end that's like the, I don't know, icing on the cake,” said Fritz. “It's just insane. Someone that I watched like dominate, win everything.

“I didn't watch a ton of tennis growing up, but it's tough to not know these guys, knowing they're literally winning everything, their Grand Slam finals, all their battles. It's insane to even be on the same court with these people, much less be able to beat one of them, to win such a big tournament. To do it here in Indian Wells, as well, the combination of all these crazy things that I never thought possible.”

But as we found out and Taylor Fritz showed, they are possible.

Fritz wins, and Rafa enters the picture

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Taylor Fritz was talking about what some would say was the biggest win of a growing career, and there over his shoulder in the interview room at Indian Wells was a television shot of, yes, Rafael Nadal.

That’s the way it is in tennis, a sport where you virtually aren’t allowed to get your moments without somebody else intruding, if unintentionally.

There’s always another game, another match, especially at the BNP Paribas Open, where the action is compressed to a point you wonder not so much who’s on the court but who isn’t.

On Saturday, in the usual 80-degree-plus temperature of the California desert in March, Fritz, the underdog if only barely, knocked off Andrey Rublev, 7-5, 6-4.

Then in the other half of a doubleheader that filled the 23,000-seat Stadium One, Rafa (phew) made it by fellow Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.

That puts Fritz and Nadal into the Sunday final of an event that’s a notch or two down from the Grand Slams. They’ll play following the women’s final between Iga Swiatek and Maria Sakkari.

The action really is compressed, and yes, the ladies deserve a separate day for their own final. But unless the Gregorian calendar can be revised, things aren’t going to change.

What’s changed for Fritz, the native southern Californian (lower case, he didn’t attend any university, much less USC), is that he’s become as effective with the forehand as the backhand.

That’s according to Andrey Rublev, whom Fritz defeated.

Rublev, higher ranked (eighth) than Fritz (16th), is the Russian who with a felt-tip pen a few weeks ago scribbled an anti-war message on a television camera lens.

Fritz, 24 (born Oct. 28, 1997), is exactly a week younger than Rublev, one of those bits of trivia that contribute to sporting interest.

His mother, Kathy May, was a tennis champion; His father, Guy, played professionally and coached. Taylor’s destiny was decided early. His success came later as a pro, Fritz battling all those eastern Europeans.

He played Nadal a couple of years back, but Rafa was more experienced, polished, and effective, toying with Fritz.

“I remember I felt like he kind of just played high spinny balls to me,” said Fritz about that match. “He like actually just gave me a lot of forehands in my favorite spot, like the shoulder-high one to like kind of slap flat, and I think he literally just kept doing it until like I missed eventually. I felt like almost baiting me to go for it.

“But yeah, I mean, I kind of beat myself trying to fire off winners against him. So I think my level's so much higher than then, so I won't, maybe won't be feeling like I need to pull the trigger so much, need to do so much. Like, I can kind of just play more within myself.”

Fritz is the first American male player to reach the Indian Wells finals since John Isner in 2012. The fact that it will be against Nadal, who is unbeaten in 20 matches this season (including that record-setting 21st major at the Australian Open), is another issue.

Still, he has taken a step beyond, and he’s satisfied as well he should be.

“When I hit (the final shot),” he said, “as soon as I hit the ball I was like, I think that's going to be good enough to win the point, and then, yeah, as soon as I saw that he hit it and it wasn't going to go on the court, I was just like, you know, so much relief and like, I mean, I just couldn't, you know, couldn't believe it.

“Those moments are like the reason why I wanted to be an athlete, wanted to play professional tennis. It's the best part of it all.”

Even when Rafa Nadal enters the picture.

Fritz likes the video — and his place in Indian Wells semis

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — This is how it is in tennis these days. Taylor Fritz has reached the Indian Wells semifinals and ranks first among American male players, but he’s still a distant second in popularity to the controversial video posted by his girlfriend.

Don’t you just love it? Fritz does, but others involved in his sport (the old boys) do not.

The hot news (in 87-degree weather, seemingly everything’s hot): Fritz, the 24-year-old from over the hill in San Diego, defeated his own nightmares (three double faults back-to-back-to-back in the second set) and Mimi Kecmanovic of Serbia, 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-1.

So, for a second straight BNP Paribas tournament (the last one, a mere five months ago, was a drop-in due to COVID-19), Fritz is in the final four.

In one semi on Saturday, he’ll face Andrey Rublev, who defeated Grigor Dimitrov, 7-5. 6-2. In the other, a couple of Spaniards, young Carlos Alcaraz and not-so-young Rafael Nadal, face each other.

So you say tennis is nothing but hitting balls across a net (as compared to golf, hitting balls in a pasture)? That’s where Fritz’s gal, Morgan Riddle, enters the scene — or more accurately, her TikTok video enters the screen. 

It shows life on the tour, and it’s registered something like 3.7 million views. It’s aimed at non-tennis people, with explanations of the game’s scoring system (of course some quips about “love”) and a bit of self-indulgence. It mentions the importance of the Grand Slams; Fritz did make the fourth round of the Australian.

“I know tennis is relatively uncool and unknown in America,” Riddle said of the reason for the project. That in the video Riddle says she gets to have “champagne and strawberries and cream” at Wimbledon, as well as “getting to wear really cute outfits,” irritated some critics.  

At Indian Wells earlier in the week, Fritz said he believes the video is good for the sport. “I think what she did was awesome for our sport," he said. “It got a ton of people looking at it.

"I’m the one that’s a professional tennis player, I’m the one that does this for a living. I 100 percent agree with everything in that video.”

The win over Kecmanovic was no less agreeable, even with all those uncharacteristic double faults.

“I have no idea what that was,” said Fritz. “I've never done that in my life. Like, I actually have no idea. I literally forgot how to play.

“I really could have easily let that bother me a lot, let it affect me in the third set. I kind of just tried to laugh it off and forget about it. Kind of embarrassing. I think a lot of people saw that.”

Like everyone spread about 16,000-seat Stadium One, and those watching live on Tennis Channel.

“Yeah, I just regrouped in the third. I just told myself it was a fluke, that's not going to happen again. Told myself I had lots of chances to break serve in the second set. He only had the one where I literally forgot how to play tennis. I told myself to regroup, do the same thing.

“I did in the second set, take care of my serve, win those break points. That's what I did.”   

It worked, obviously, and quickly enough there was Fritz, like an actor at curtain call, his arms out, thanking the cheering fans.

“I have a lot of family here,” said Fritz. “I played Easter Bowl here when I was a kid. A lot of history. My dad is the coach at College of the Desert here. I'd come here when I was a kid for the tournament.

“Just a place I'm really familiar with it. It feels like a second home, really.”

No controversial videos, just acceptance.

This is what makes Rafa great, says Kyrgios

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Nick Kyrgios threw his racquet at the court, a symbolic gesture of frustration. Why not? In his mind, he already had thrown away his biggest match of the season.

Sport is awash in possibilities — the what-ifs, could-haves and should-haves. We learned that long ago, so it does no good to think Kyrgios looked very much as if he would defeat Rafael Nadal.

Because he didn’t.

Just the way over two months no one has defeated Nadal, from the Australian Open to Thursday’s quarterfinal in the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.

Rafa’s 7-6 (0), 5-7, 6-4 triumph in the sweltering 85-degree weather of the Coachella Valley — yes, it’s dry heat, but in a three-hour match, who cares? — gave him a mark of 19-0 for 2022.

And it gave Kyrgios, the 25-year-old Aussie with such athletic ability, and we’re told such potential, the agonizing second thoughts that inhabit the disappointed.

“That one hit pretty hard,” conceded Kyrgios, who got into the tournament as a wild card.

“I felt like, honestly, I was the one to end the streak. I felt like I was playing well. I felt like I did everything right in the first set that I planned to do. I sat down with my coach, myself, and I had a game plan, and everything was working. Two points away from the first set, I don't know how he got out of that game. 5-4, 30-15, just kept replaying that point over and over and … over again.”

Rafa got out of it because, at 35, he has the experience and most significantly the wherewithal. In short, been there, done that.

Nadal has won more than 400 matches, on clay — all those French Opens — on grass and as the surface is at Indian Wells, hard court.

“And competing, competing,” reminded Kyrgios about Nadal’s persistence.

“Somehow snagged the second and a couple points in the third that just, a couple break points. One of them I couldn't do anything on and two, I just missed a backhand by who knows, three inches. That's all it is against Rafa all the time.”

You don’t give Nadal an opportunity. The way you don’t give Tom Brady or didn’t give a younger LeBron James an opportunity. They’ll find a way to beat you, or to let you beat yourself.

“I did it emotionally and mentally,” explained Nadal about winning when others might not have won. “I was ready to keep fighting. So happy with the victory and of course happy with the level of the set.”

Analysts sought reasons, breaking down the little things, the response to some of Kyrgios’ errors, forced or unforced, or to Rafa’s own errors. No one, however, took issue with Kyrgios getting blanked, shut out in the first-set tiebreak. When’s the last time anybody, much less a quality player like Kyrgios, failed to score a tiebreak point?

Nadal, as is his right, wanted to reflect on the result, the victory. The rest is trivia, except for the guys and girls in the press box.

“For me, it was one more match,” said Nadal .“Honestly, no, it's another match of quarterfinals of a Masters 1000 in a big stadium, one of the best stadiums in the world, in front of a great crowd, great opponent in front.

“So for me it was like this, another (hard-fought) match that I needed to play, to play well to go through. I enjoy these kinds of matches. I enjoy the challenges. And today, I was able to keep going, and that makes me happy and makes me proud.”

Rafa said he wasn’t aware Kyrgios hurled his racquet after the final point. What Kyrgios was aware of was his opponent.

“He's too good, I guess.,” Kyrgios said. “He played a few points well and he got out of it and that's what he does. That's what makes him great.”

Exactly.

Just win, baby — and Nadal, Fritz do just that

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Rafael Nadal keeps beating everyone he plays, and as sporting philosophers from Al Davis (“Just win, baby”) to Herman Edwards (“You play to win the game”) have told us, not much else matters. 

Sure, his victory over the 6-foot-11 Reilly Opelka in the BNP Paribas Open tournament was narrow. But it was a victory, the only sort of result Rafa has provided this year.

He won 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5) on (what else?) an 80-degree-plus Wednesday afternoon in the desert, extending his streak since the start of year (and including the Australian Open) to 18-0.

Not only does that represent perfection, it sets up a Thursday match against the guy who is part athlete (a very large part) and part entertainer, the Australian Nick Kyrgios, who says he’d rather be in the NBA on a basketball court than in an open on a tennis court.

The way basketball people used to get excited about a matchup between LeBron James and Steph Curry in the golden days of the Lakers way back in 2019, tennis folk are anticipating Rafa vs. Nick.

And not because it’s the only thing they have. The almost local kid, Taylor Fritz of San Diego, was a winner, defeating Alex de Minauer 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5).

So, no Roger (sob) or Novak (No-vax) but some intriguing competitors. At least to some mavens. The writer in the Desert Sun even called Nadal-Kyrgios “must see” tennis.” Wow.

Records in tennis may not be as accurate as those in, say, baseball, but apparently Guillermo Vilas of Argentina won 34 straight matches in the 1970s and Djokovic 53 straight in 2010-11.

Rafa, then, has a long way to go, and even though he’s a mere 35, it’s doubtful he’ll get to the big numbers. Still, 17 without a blemish is not unimpressive.

Similar to any top-line athlete, he says he’s unconcerned with all the numbers except the ones on his scorecard at the conclusion of a match. Is that the Spanish version of “just win, baby”?

Asked if he was happy that he won in straight sets, Nadal had a response often repeated in a career that has produced 401 victories (a record 21 in Grand Slams): “Happy to win. Doesn’t matter how many sets.“

Unless maybe it’s the fifth set of a four-hour Wimbledon semifinal, and recovery tie for the final would be limited. Not that things like that ever affected Rafa.

“But I am happy of course to be in the quarterfinals of this great tournament, playing better without a doubt,” he added. “That's my best match of the tournament. Happy the way that I was able to play during the whole match. I only played one bad game with myself. For the rest, I think I played solid. I did what I had to do against a very difficult player to play, like Reilly.”

Nadal, a four-time winner at Indian Wells, has a winning record against Kyrgios as he has against virtually everyone else.

“(Thursday) is going to be a tough match, but we are in quarterfinals of Indian Wells,” he said. “I have to expect a very tough opponent.”

It’s difficult to say what Fritz expected against de Minauer, but he was behind quickly. Strange thoughts then creep through one’s mind.

”We were talking about this after the match,” said Fritz, who then used a term that makes some athletes cringe. “I'll choke some matches here and there, for sure. A lot of people do. But then I'll also clutch out a lot of matches like I have the last two days, and this one felt really — honestly, the last two third-set breakers I played have been really solid for me, not a lot I did wrong either one.”

Not when you’re the winner.

Isner's win brings back memories — and brings up hopes

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — There was John Isner, the bill of his cap turned the wrong way, as if he were a baseball catcher and not a tennis player. He had overcome an 87-degree temperature and Diego Schwartzman, 7-5, 6-3, in a third-round match of the BNP Paribas Open.

Meaning he’ll move on.

But for so many of us, John Isner provides an excuse to look back, remembering both his own historic match at Wimbledon and, for no particular reason, a time when Americans could win major tournaments.

Maybe they still are capable.

Not Isner, admittedly. True, he reached the Wimbledon semifinals in 2018, but now he’s 36.

If a U.S. player is to break through, it will be somebody like Taylor Fritz or Francis Tiafoe, both 24.

Isner is still a player, as verified by his victory Tuesday over Schwartzman, who once was as high as eighth in the ATP rankings. He was one of four U.S. players to advance, including Fritz, who beat Alex de Minaur of Australia, 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (2).

Fortunately or unfortunately, nationality plays an important role in tennis, alongside personality. With no team (other than the Davis Cup), the sport relies on fans supporting their men or women.

The greats, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, built an international reputation and following, but for the majority of tennis players where you’re from often counts as much as how you perform.

For a long time, the game seemingly belonged to American men. Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier and Michael Chang won majors in the 1980s and 90s. But no U.S. player has taken a major since Andy Roddick won the U.S Open in 2003 — 19 years ago.

Isner made his run, with that big serve, but it wasn’t to be. His plaque on the wall at Wimbledon is for that 6-4, 3-6, 6-7, 7-6, 70-68 victory over Nicolas Mahut that took more than 11 hours in 2010.

Wimbledon then changed the tie-break rules, so that record will remain forever.

So, at times, does it appear will the record for America going winless in majors.

The potential is out there, numerous fine young American tennis players, one of whom, Jenson Brooksby, upset a major finalist, Stefanos Tsitsipas, here on Monday night. Potential, but so what? When will it be realized, if ever? And why won’t it be realized?

The United States has more people (other than a couple of Asian nations), better facilities and supposedly a love of sports. Yes, “love” is the tennis term for “nothing,” yet it shouldn’t be applied here.

The explanations for America’s ineffectiveness at Wimbledon, Australia or the U.S. Open — we’ll concede, no chance on the clay at Roland-Garros — are based on the thought that tennis is a minor sport.

Russians play tennis, Serbs play tennis, Spaniards play tennis. Americans play football, baseball, basketball, hockey and golf. Maybe it was Tiger Woods, or maybe it was stars from other sports in pro-ams, but golf has the popularity that tennis seeks.

The U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York City draws more than 500,000 spectators. It’s an event as much as a championship. Does it help any kid in the country become the U.S. Open winner? See the blanks.

Fritz has been touted since he dominated others at Torrey Pines High School in San Diego. His father is involved in the U.S. national tennis teaching program. His mother, Kathy May, was a tremendous player. He turned down a scholarship at USC to turn pro.

Five years later, with an improved forehand, Fritz said, “I expect a lot more of myself.

“I think just my level as a player has gone up. I feel I have gone up several levels, so yeah, I expect a lot more of myself. Six months ago, I think I was ranked almost 40, and now I’m between 15 and 20.”

No one wants him to play a marathon match like Isner — just do something Isner hasn’t, win a Grand Slam.

Medvedev’s loss was Djokovic’s gain

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — So the unvaccinated Serb who isn’t even here because he’s unvaccinated will slip back atop the men’s rankings because the Russian who is here came apart in his match against the Frenchman.

Yes, tennis is very international. And at times quite nonsensical.

At the start of the second week of the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, it was more a case of what didn’t happen than what did.

You like warmth? It was 86 degrees around 3 p.m. Monday.

You like upsets? Gael Monfils came from a set down and beat Daniil Medvedev, 4-6. 6-3, 6-2.

You like familiarity? Our old (relatively speaking) pal Rafael Nadal defeated Dan Evans, 7-5, 6-3, and now has won 17 straight matches and a total of 400 his career.

The ranking system in both men’s and women’s tennis seems part hopscotch, part quantum physics. Sure, victories are the most important element, but it’s also a matter of when and against whom. And don’t take time off for illness or injury, or you’re likely to plummet to where they’ll never find you on the chart.

This was a prelude to deal with Novak Djokovic, who won’t follow procedures in preventing Covid-19, and his opponent, Medvedev.

Novak loves Indian Wells and won it a few times. But he cannot play in the great state of California, as he could not in the great land of Australia because he is adamant about not receiving a vaccination.

That didn’t temporarily displace him from No. 1 in the rankings, Medvedev did. But Medvedev’s loss Monday means Djokovic gets the last laugh by regaining first place.

“He steps up the level a little bit,” Medvedev said, alluding to Monfils. “I couldn’t find it. I’m actually playing a little bit bad, which for me is not a bad thing.

“Yeah. I just couldn't find my rhythm and completely lost it in the third set because, I think actually first match and first set maybe played even a little bit bad, not a bad thing with me. So I think I got a little bit too confident in that, OK? I'm starting to feel my rhythm.

“Maybe should have paid more attention to small details, which, yeah, in the third set is really tough to get it back, and, yeah, it was going easy for him.”

Asked if there was added pressure because of the No. 1 ranking. Medvedev said, “Definitely not pressure. I thought it could give me more motivation, well, I have been motivated. It's just that, yeah, as I say, I didn't find my best tennis. Well, now I know l’m going to lose the No. 1. When I play my best tennis, it’s tough to beat me.”

Monfils, 35, has always been among the game’s most recognized players, agile and quick if not always consistent. A year ago he married Elina Svitolna, one of the top female competitors, and because she is Ukrainian as much in the headlines for her nationality as for her tennis.

He has been around, heard all the questions, given all the answers.

Monfils tried to downplay the win, realizing that at this stage — he beat Nadal 13 years ago — it’s as much a grind as a game.

“It's tough because you guys make it,” Monfils said, meaning the media.

“I make it like a good win, you know? But tough. I played a great player, of course, one of the best players. I just felt good today. Tactically, I was good. I'm full of confidence, of course, so you know, I'm just happy to win this match.”

 As happy as Medvedev was unhappy to lose his — and fall from No. 1.

Indian Wells is not "Tennis Paradise" for Osaka

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — It was 83 degrees by late afternoon on Sunday in the desert, warm enough to dry Naomi Osaka’s tears. Assuming she hadn’t blown town.

After coming unglued once again.

“Tennis Paradise” is the slogan for the magnificent sporting complex not far from Palm Springs where the BNP Paribas Open is held annually.

That depends on your definition of paradise.

Years ago, it was the place where Serena Williams was booed viciously by spectators when Williams withdrew from a semifinal match against older sister Venus.

Then Saturday night, a heckler got to traumatized Naomi Osaka a few moments after Veronika Kudermetova got to her, 6-0, 6-3 in a second-round match of the 2022 BNP.

The guy shouted, “Naomi, you suck.” Not very kind, and hardly expected from the tennis clientele, but not quite the sort of remark that would have you sobbing.

Unlike baseball, however, there is crying in tennis, usually joyful after a championship at the U.S. Open, which Osaka has won, or Wimbledon.

But these were tears of anger. Or disappointment. Or misery. Or frustration.

Tears during a post-match interview over the stadium public address system. Tears that even had the individual conducting the interview, Andrew Krasny of the Tennis Channel, consoling Osaka with the words “We love you here.”

At least everybody but one person.

We’ll get to Osaka shortly after we get to fans, whose displeasure and intent on acting obnoxious, inherent in baseball, football and basketball, has expanded to golf and tennis.

Which can be considered both unfortunate — quiet on the tee, please — and in a way advantageous.

If you want to fill the arenas, ballparks and galleries, you’re going to have to accept someone mocking Bryson DeChambeau.

Or belittling Osaka. As improper and unsympathetic as that may be.

Most times, the comments are swallowed up by the noise of the crowd. And if they’re not, well, among the first things a young athlete is taught is to ignore the disparagement, the so-called bench-jockeying from opposing players who spare no possible insult.

Osaka is 24, a four-time Grand Slam winner whose fame, or infamy of late, is less from the shots off her racquets than from her general well-being.

At the French Open in May, Osaka first refused to attend a media conference and then withdrew from the tournament, citing mental health problems, a story that became larger than any triumph.

Returning to tennis, Osaka was beaten in the third round of U.S. Open last fall, then left the sport again, explaining she no longer found satisfaction in playing.

She returned to the tour in Australia in January, apparently more upbeat, but lost to Amanda Anisiimova, the American, in the third round.

Indian Wells was only Osaka’s third tournament in six months. She insisted she needed matches to get into shape, but she played only two here.

Kudermetova broke Osaka’s serve in the opening game, and the spectator’s shout came as Osaka prepared to return serve. She approached the chair umpire, Paula Vieira Souza, and appeared to ask about having the spectator ejected, but Souza did nothing,.

Kudermetova held serve, and Osaka began to tear up as she prepared to serve the next game.

“To be honest, I’ve gotten heckled before, and it didn’t really bother me,” Osaka said. “But, like, heckled here? I watched a video of Venus and Serena getting heckled here, and if you’ve never watched it, you should watch it.

“And I don’t know why, but it went into my head, and it got replayed a lot.”

Of course, in Tennis Paradise, a little bit of hell always gets attention.

LeBron stops the boos — and the Warriors

One game, two conclusions: There’s nothing wrong with LeBron James. There’s plenty wrong with the Golden State Warriors.

On Saturday night in Los Angeles, the fans stopped booing the home team just long enough to watch James score a season-high 56 points and the Lakers defeat the Warriors, 124-116.

For the Lakers, who Monday night play at San Antonio, the victory ended a four-game losing streak.

For the Warriors, who Monday night play at Denver, the defeat extended a losing streak to four games.

“Right now I don’t give a damn about the 56,” was James’ post-game statement. “I’m just glad we got a win.”

That’s something Warriors coach Steve Kerr understood, because he didn’t get one in a game the Dubs led in the fourth quarter, as if that matters.

Suddenly the Warriors are in third place overall in the NBA. They already were behind Phoenix. Now they’re also in back of Memphis.

“There’s more games coming, so we’ve got to do this ourselves,” said Kerr, emphasizing the obvious. “We’ve got to dig out of the mud, and nobody’s going to help us.”

A tale of two Californians: in southern Cal, the patrons are more demanding — thinking back to the days of Magic and Shaq and Kobe, of showtime and multiple titles.

In Northern Cal, we’re grateful for the seasons of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and, oh-so-briefly, Kevin Durant.

The name missing from the time of Warriors success is that of Draymond Green, who for years — well, it’s just a few weeks, but it seems like years — has been rehabbing, not playing.

His last game was in January. You wonder if his next game won’t be until June.

Just as LeBron showed us he still is LeBron, on Saturday night Steph showed us he’s still Steph, 30 points and some poignant analysis on the post-game show.

“We’re finding different ways to lose,” said Curry. “Self-inflicted wounds.”

You understand what he means, but truth tell, the Dubs are losing only one way. They’re not getting enough points, and the opponent is getting too many.

One reasons is that Klay Thompson, back once more after two seasons recovering from two different serious injuries, has struggled.

Just because you’re finally back on the floor doesn’t mean you’re immediately going to be back in the groove. “I think Klay is pressing,” said Chris Mullin, the former all-star who now does commentary on Warriors telecasts.

Well, of course. He is impatient to be the player he was previously, and Warriors fans are no less impatient. Still, these things can’t be rushed. 

Thompson was out recently with what the injury report listed as  a “general illness.” Whatever, it knocked him off his stride.

“I feel like the sickness affected his conditioning and his timing,” said Kerr.

Timing is such a critical element, not only within the game, the passing, the rebounding, the switching on defense, but also on the scheduling.

If the Warriors played the Lakers on another night, well, LeBron is great but who would imagine he would get all those points?

And, in a way, make a point to anyone who figured he had declined.

“When he has it going like that,” Lakers guard Russell Westbrook, said of James, “there’s nothing nobody on the other team can do about it. He forced his will and was able to direct the game on all levels.

“It was really big, especially in a game where we needed a win.”

The Lakers got their needed win. The Warriors did not. “Obviously we’re going to have to get healthy,” said Kerr. “We desperately need Draymond.”

They need something, no question.

Baseball people forget it’s a game, not just a business

There used to a game called baseball, and it was as much a part of summer as corn on the cob and watermelon. Kids could play it in the streets, and it grew to the point it was known as America’s Pastime.

All you needed was a bat, a ball, and a dream.

It gave us heroes like the Babe and the Iron Horse and Jackie Robinson. It was full of cliches that became part of the language and culture, like “I can’t get to first base with that girl.” The president of the U.S. even showed up to throw out a ball to start the season.

But baseball became extinct, like the Tyrannosaurus rex. The people who played it and the people who controlled it forgot it was a game and not a business. While the fans were interested in things like RBIs and ERA, the team owners — and the players — seemed more concerned with luxury tax and bonus pools.

Labor problems were the death of baseball. Lockouts by the owners, as we are stuck with now, or strikes by the players killed interest in the game. Fans may enjoy arguments on the diamond, but they were weary of debates in executive offices.

It was believed baseball had become so ingrained in the nation that it even could survive the people who run it, that like cockroaches it was impossible to eradicate. But that was before the country changed — and perhaps because the game didn’t.

Some question whether in these manic times the game is too slow for the new generation, and the sport has been inflicted with some ridiculous revisions, like putting a man on second in extra innings — what next, four outs an inning? — but the real trouble is what’s happening now, cancellation of the season’s opening series.

The more baseball fails to deliver every scheduled game of its schedule, the more fans will tend to ignore games when they are played. If they don’t think every pitch, every fly ball is important, then why should they pay attention?

Once the only three sports that mattered in this country were boxing, horse racing and baseball. Nobody cares about the first two — yes, the Kentucky Derby is important, but more as historical tradition than a competition — and baseball is slipping.

Tim Kurkjian, who was a writer before joining ESPN, loves the sport and recently was inducted into the Hall of Fame. “The game is in trouble,” he said the other day, and that was when we still had hope the 2022 season would begin on time.

The person who would have been at the ballpark or in front of the TV screen is losing patience, which means baseball is destined to lose even more fans. The NFL never ends, or so it seems. The NBA is everywhere, and March Madness is about to march into our lives.

Meanwhile, baseball is sinking out of view and into oblivion.

This doesn’t consider the ancillary folk whose livelihoods, as concession workers and other jobs, depend on games being held. Already the exhibition season is gone, a financial blow to Arizona and Florida.

A few days ago, somebody suggested that representatives from the owners and the players be locked in a room and kept there until reaching an agreement. That virtually happened, at least the part of being locked in a room, talks on Monday lasting until the wee small hours of Tuesday morning. But there was no agreement.

All we had was commissioner Rob Manfred trying to explain why the two sides remain apart. And alas, the sport he oversees is not going to be seen on the diamonds.

Phil always had to be different

He’s always been the one who had to be different. Sometimes for the better. Often for the bizarre. Have his caddy pull the flag on a shot 70 yards from the cup? Blame the captain of a losing Ryder Cup team of which he was a member? Intentionally hit a moving ball while the world watched during the 2018 U.S. Open? That was Phil Mickelson.

He pushed the envelope and pulled our chains. Indeed, the way he belittled Tom Watson for what Phil contended was mishandling the preparations for the American team in the 2014 Ryder Cup was awkward and embarrassing.

The other incidents, the flagstick at Torrey Pines, knowingly violating the rules of golf by smacking a ball that was in motion during the 2018 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, were goofy. As people said, “Phil being Phil.”

What’s happening inside the heads of these great sporting stars? Novak Djokovic, No. 1 in the world tennis rankings, refuses to accept the mandatory Covid-19 vaccination, is thrown out of the country before the start of the Australian Open and also may be banned from the French Open and Wimbledon.

Mickelson had this hare-brained idea he could revise golf by persuading the big boys to abandon the Tour and play in Saudi Arabia for huge sums of money. The players and, not surprisingly, Tour executives were not thrilled. Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson were outspoken in favor of the status quo.

That Mickelson felt compelled to apologize perhaps was as much a result of capitalism as contrition. If you thought the general public was, say, disturbed by Phil’s plans, how do you think his sponsors, the firms that sell their services and products to that general public, feel?

The golf stars earn several million a year alone for what is on the front of their hat, the most visible article of attire any pro wears and a reason that even after a round, and particularly during interviews, it never is removed. For years, Mickelson’s hat — or visor — displayed “KPMG,” the international consulting and accounting group..

KPMG announced Tuesday that it ended its relationship with Mickelson, a deal that that began in 2008. Although the release said the two sides had “mutually agreed” to end the partnership, it was clearly a reaction to eroding support for Mickelson

“The Tour likes to pretend it’s a democracy, but it’s really a dictatorship,” Mickelson told author Alan Shipnuck. “They divide and conquer. The concerns of the top players are very different from the guys who are lower down on the money list, but there’s a lot more of them. They use the top guys to make their own situation better, but the top guys don’t have a say.”

Mickelson said the conversations with Shipnuck, a former Sports Illustrated staffer, were off the record, but Shipnuck said that was not true.

Where Phil goes from here is a question, not that having earned some $800 million in a career that included six majors he needs to go anywhere. If and when he returns to golf — a PGA Tour suspension is unlikely — Mickelson could be an outcast, but that’s improbable.

He always was the guy talking to the gallery, signing autographs. Besides, sports fans are notably forgiving. As Jaime Diaz pointed out on the Golf Channel, it didn’t take long for Tiger Woods to regain his status after his escapades. Phil didn’t try to overthrow the government, just change golf the wrong way.

"Although it doesn't look this way now given my recent comments,” wrote Mickelson, either on his own or after persuasion, “my actions throughout this process have always been with the best interests of golf, my peers, sponsors and fans. There is the problem of off-the-record comments being shared out of context and without my consent, but the bigger issue is that I used words that do not reflect my true feelings or intentions.

"It was reckless, I offended people, and I am deeply sorry for my choice of words. I'm beyond disappointed and will make every effort to self-reflect and learn from this."

Niemann wins, but talk in golf is still about Phil

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — Golf, the Tour, is going to be like this for a while, at least until The Issue, the Phil Mickelson-Saudi plan, is resolved. If ever it is resolved.

A pro wins a tournament, plays brilliantly as did the young man from Chile, Joaquin Niemann, who was ahead start-to-finish, took the Genesis Invitational, which ended Sunday at Riviera, and all anyone seemed to care about was the game’s future.

Which depending on your viewpoint may not be as interesting as the present.

This should have been Niemann’s moment, and surely, shooting an even-par 71, and hanging on to a lead that after an eagle 3 on the 11th was up to five strokes but finished at two over Collin Morikawa, it was.

In winning for the second time on Tour, the 23-year-old from Chile shot a 19-under total of 268.

Great golf in a, well, not so much troubled time but distracting time, not that Niemann appeared at all distracted on yet another beautiful, blue-sky Southern California afternoon.

The top 10 in the World Golf rankings all were entered in the Genesis, which both made Niemann’s victory impressive but also brought many of the top journalists, most of whom had questions about Phil trying to get his fill.

Mickelson was not at Riviera. In body. Talk of his project to force a remodeling of the PGA Tour by leveraging money from Saudi Arabia — yes, they’re killers and such, but the plan only deals with golf, not humanity — was everywhere.

Niemann surely is perceptive enough to realize this whole mess is like Covid-19 and other misfortunes in life to deal with as maturely as possible. Another season and Niemann would be receiving accolades — after all, he won on the course where Tiger Woods never has — rather than questions.

Hey, the wise and capable know not to get riled about situations beyond their control. They step forward and leave the grumbling to others. Of all the sports, golf especially teaches how to deal with adversity.

Niemann didn’t have much in his three days until holing the final putt. Then a reporter told him,  “…while you were doing some pretty good golf out there today, there was a lot of news going on with the Tour when DJ (Dustin Johnson) and Bryson (DeChambeau) said that they were going to be staying on the PGA Tour . ...I know you didn't want to talk about it earlier, but in a broader view when the top 12 players in the world have indicated that they're staying here, do you think that it would make it tougher for someone to not want to compete against the best?”

Niemann was as sharp with his words as he had been with his clubs. “I want to compete with the best players in the world,” he said. “I want to be No. 1 one day ... I think there's nothing better like what I'm feeling right now, winning a PGA Tour event, getting a trophy.”

In 2019 Niemann took first in the Military Tribute tourney at the Greenbrier, joining the late Seve Ballesteros and Rory McIlroy as the only foreign-born players in the last 98 years to win on Tour before turning 21.

Some 10 years later, McIlroy has four majors — and at Riviera on a Sunday an opinion on where golf is going and why he’s staying.

“I don't want to kick someone while he's down obviously,” McIlroy said, meaning Mickelson, “but I thought they were naive, selfish, egotistical, ignorant. It was just very surprising and disappointing, sad. I'm sure he's sitting at home sort of rethinking his position.”

Joaquin Niemann’s position in the Genesis doesn’t need rethinking, only cheers.

An eagle on “best short hole in golf” sparks Niemann

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — The platform is small and subtle, the opposite of what we too often misconceive as Southern California chic. But the 10th hole at Riviera — merely called by Rory McIlroy the best short hole in golf — can be as difficult as it is beckoning.

It plays to around 310 yards, which is nothing in these days of hulked-up golfers and high-powered golf clubs, designed back in the 1920s by George Thomas, an ageless gem that creates a question in the player’s mind: Do I lay up or take a chance?

The stories are legendary. Some guys have ruined their chances by taking a chance. A few years ago in a playoff, Phil Mickelson (this was before he became an object of scorn) went with his driver and went for a birdie.

On Saturday, Joaquin Niemann, well aware of his own position — first place — in the Genesis Invitational as well as the risk-reward quality of the 10th hole, played it smartly and safely just short of the green and made a 22-footer for an eagle two.

“I felt the crowd there,” said Niemann. “There was a lot of crowd. It was a big putt there. It was good because I was coming out of a few birdies, so it was great to make that eagle.”

Niemann, the 23-year-old from Chile, shot a 3-under-par 68, his worst score by far of the three rounds — he had back-to-back 63s, but with a 54-hole total of 19-under 194 still expanded his lead. Second-place Cameron Young had a 69 for 197, while Viktor Hodland, with the day’s low, a 65, is at 200. Justin Thomas (70) is at 201 and Collin Morikawa (68) 202.

The way he is scoring and enthusiastically reacting to the support of the gallery, fans still wound up by the Rams in the Super Bowl, Niemann would seem destined to be the wire-to-wire winner, But as we’ve learned so many times, golf can be an ornery game. You can’t protect a lead. And you can’t keep someone else from building one.

As Niemann, despite his youth, knows quite well. He has gone about the task at hand, with a smile or two but showing little other excitement, which brought about an inane question of whether he was enjoying himself.

“Yeah, I'm having the best time of my life right now,” he said. “I just try to keep it calm, but yeah, I'm enjoying it a lot and I just can't wait to have a good day (Sunday).”

There haven’t been a lot of good days in the media for Mickelson, since the story broke that he is working with the abusive (some would say treacherous) Saudi group to finance golf competition that would compete with the PGA Tour. Phil, who won at Riviera, isn’t entered in the Genesis this time, but his presence can’t be denied.

Niemann, naturally, was hit with a reference to Phil, a journalist wondering if Joaquin “had been involved in talks at all with the Saudi league.” His answer was direct if not specific

“Yeah. I mean, obviously a lot going on,” he said. “I don't know much about it and I don't want to say anything about it. I just wait.” 

Golf is a game of waiting — and then performing.

Niemann plays his way into Riviera history

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — The place is known as Hogan’s Alley. There’s even a statue of Ben alongside the practice green. Howard Hughes was a member. So was Humphrey Bogart.

Riviera Country Club had its moments and its stars. Now a kid from Chile has played his way into Riviera history.

There never may be a carving of Joaquin Niemann on the course called the “The Riva,” but his name is in the record book, which isn’t bad considering who played here and when.

People like Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Sam Snead.

Joaquin Niemann, 23, is another of those prodigies from a land not enough Americans associate with golf, which in a way is both insular and unintelligent.

The game may not be as far-reaching as soccer, but it’s played in areas we sometimes ignore.

Niemann, who Friday in the second round of the Genesis Invitational shot another 8-under-par 63 and holds the halfway lead at 16-under 126, a record, is from Chile.

So is Mito Pereia, who is up there, as are Viktor Howland of Norway, Sebastian Munoz of Colombia, C.T. Pan of Taiwan and Sunga Kim of Korea. 

We used to ask, “Who are those guys?” We’ve learned. They’re world-class golfers.

Niemann in fact was the world’s No. 1-ranked amateur for many months. He was going to enroll at the University of South Florida— well, that’s closer to Chile than other U.S. schools — but there was a mix-up with his grades.

So he turned pro, which he would have done inevitably. Won a tournament early on too. Already earned millions.

Last summer, in the final round of the Tour Championship, he won another sort of event. In last place after 54 holes, he did one of those dumb but laughable things top golfers do when they have no chance. He went against the clock rather than the card, playing for time instead of score. 

Niemann looks like a guy who could enter a marathon. His caddy, Gary Mathews, looks like a middle linebacker. All the excess paraphernalia, practice material, rain gear, was extracted from the bag.

They made the 18 holes on hilly East Lake in 1 hour 53 minutes, an-all-time best. Paul Azinger, the announcer and a former PGA champion, didn’t like what Niemann did, saying he disrespected the game and cost himself a ton of money.

Niemann still earned a $405,000 bonus for finishing 29th in what had been a 30-man field (Brooks Koepka had withdrawn because of an injury) and had a good time. Spectators had something to keep them attentive before the leaders went off, Patrick Cantlay eventually winning the tournament.

"I didn't know how fast I could play 18 holes, but on the front nine, I decided to play quick, but not like crazy quick, not like rushing and hurrying up," Niemann said. "But then they told me I did like just over an hour, I was like, 'ah, I'm just going to rush it and try to break the record.' It was pretty good, the back nine."

At Riviera, the final two rounds this beautiful weekend of sunshine, Niemann will be concentrating on par, not pace. On Friday, he had seven birdies and an eagle.

“I think everything is working pretty well,” said Niemann, confirming what was on the card. “Obviously, I'm making a lot of putts right now. I feel I'm starting my ball online with the putter, so that's obviously — when you have greens this good when you start your line, I think you've got a good chance of making putts, so I think that's been big this week.”

Niemann birdied the first and second hole, to get to 10-under with 16 holes remaining.

“Yeah, obviously it was a great start after (Thursday’s) round. Didn't sleep much, it was pretty late when I finished and we started pretty early, but yeah, we got it going pretty good at the beginning.

“Yeah, I really like the way I handled myself out there after been playing good the front nine. Didn't hit a great driver on 11, still made birdie there. That different mentality this week, I think, is helping a lot.” 

Hot and Chile is a good forecast.

Phil wants to take over the Tour — but he’s not at Riviera

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — So Phil Mickelson, who’s not even here, wants to remake the PGA Tour and blocked his Twitter account.

Somebody from Golf Digest hopes the Waste Management Phoenix Open will not continue to play the last round during the Super bowl.

And there’s a story the Saudis are going to destroy pro golf as we know it with their millions.

But looking down the fairway from the elevated first tee at Riviera Country Club, there’s a better view of golf, one of old eucalyptus trees, kikuyu fairways and a tournament as competitive as it is historic.

Round one of the Genesis Invitational on Thursday offered a leaderboard that included the guy who won in Arizona on Sunday, Scottie Scheffler — yes, when you’re hot, you’re hot — Jordan Spieth and, on top, Joaquin Niemann. 

Obviously it did not include Phil, a.k.a. Lefty, who although residing maybe 80 miles south and having won here — remember the time he flew up daily in his jet? — chose not to enter.

But apparently he has chosen to push the limits of how pro golf is controlled. And also chosen not to allow critics to enter his social media platform.

Phil is always one of the friendlier, more cooperative guys in golf, full of opinions, willing to take a stand or a chance on making a tough shot.

Virtually everyone was thrilled when last summer, at almost age 51, he took the PGA Championship and became the oldest man ever to win a major.

Then a couple weeks ago, Mickelson skipped the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, which he had won five times, to play in the filthy rich Saudi event — and while there lambasted the PGA Tour for “obnoxious greed.”

While explaining why he would be open to playing in the filthy rich Saudi Golf League.

That didn’t make him overly popular with those who run the Tour or play the Tour, or with Brandel Chamblee, the astute Golf Channel commentator who briefly played on the Tour. Chamblee referred to Mickelson as a highly paid ventriloquist puppet.

Phil recently claimed that Augusta National, the club where he won the Masters three times, made $3.5 million from licensing his 2010 shot off the pine needles to the 13th green.

It’s amazing how a game supposedly built on sportsmanship and fair play can make so many people so angry, including fans and media. Of course, it’s also built on money.

According to Doug Ferguson of the Associated Press, Mickelson told a journalist writing a biography on him that he recruited three other “top players” to the Saudi-supported golf league. And his intent is to remake the Tour more than to help Saudi golf.    

The comments are from an interview with former Sports Illustrated golf writer Alan Shipnuck, who has a book on Mickelson coming in May.

“They’re scary mother-bleepers to get associated with,” Mickelson said of the Saudis. “We know they killed (Washington Post reporter Jamal) Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights.

“Why should I get involved? Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates.”    

The worry may be how Phil operates. Anger is being expressed against Mickelson in messages on the internet. He responded in kind. Off went Phil’s site.  

That’s the side of golf some prefer to ignore. Controversy sells, but so do birdie putts and success stories. They prefer beautiful locations such as Riviera, which along with Pebble is one of California’s most famous, as well as one of its best.

The pros hesitate to put too much into the opening round of any event — they tell us you can’t win a tournament on the first day, but you can lose it — but those were impressive starts on Thursday.

Niemann had an 8-under 63, while Scheffler, Spieth, Cameron Young and Max Homa shot 66.

But the question remains: With this Mickelson news, will anyone notice?

Tiger talks of a great past and doubtful future

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — He was sitting behind a table instead of standing on a tee, but wherever Tiger Woods finds a place any tournament belongs to him, especially the one where he first had the chance to play against the game’s top players — before he would become the game’s best.

It’s called the Genesis Invitational now. Before, it was the Nissan Open. But we know it as the Los Angeles Open, at historic Riviera Country Club, where the stars hung out, Ben Hogan dominated and in 1992 a teenage Tiger made his pro debut.

Woods now is the host, ironically for an event on a course where he never won but where his presence as both spokesman and hero perhaps carries as much significance as any of his 82 Tour victories.

A year ago, Woods drove off a curving road maybe 20 miles from Riviera. As he reminded Tuesday, “I’m lucky I’m alive.” He had his right foot reattached, underwent months of rehabilitation, eventually was able to play with son Charlie in the PNC Father-Son tournament and at age 46 remains uncertain about his future.

Among his tasks here were to create the attention impossible for anyone else in golf. The room in the old Spanish clubhouse used as the media headquarters suddenly filled to overflowing when Woods walked in on Wednesday, first to introduce pro Adam Beverly — a college star at Sacramento State — as recipient of the Charlie Sifford Memorial exemption.

Woods recalled the difficulty he faced when at age 16 he was in the big time, and no less pertinently mused about his chances in April of playing the Masters Par-3 tournament (possible) and the Masters itself (doubtful).

“I wish I could tell you when I'm playing again,” said Woods. “I want to know, but I don't. My golf activity has been very limited. I can chip and putt really well and hit short irons very well, but I haven't done any long stuff seriously.

“I'm still working. Like at the PNC, I'm still working on the walking part. My foot was a little messed up there about a year ago, so the walking part is something that I'm still working on, working on strength and development in that. It takes time. What's frustrating is it's not at my timetable.”

There has been progress since the father-son. He is stronger, able to hit more balls.

“But as I was alluding to at the PNC, I was in a cart,” he said. “I can play weekend warrior golf, that's easy. But to be able to be out here and play, call it six rounds of golf, a practice round, pro-am, four competitive days, it's the cumulative effect of all that.

“I'm not able to do that yet. I'm still working on getting to that point.”

He is more realistic than pessimistic. He came to grips with the situation lying in a hospital bed. There is just possibility or impossibility.

The opportunity to discuss the Sifford award, presented annually to one of the country’s top minority golfers, brings Tiger back to an earlier time.

The PGA of America (which controlled tournament golf before the PGA Tour was formed in 1968) had a Caucasian-only clause in its by-laws. Charlie Sifford and other African Americans were not allowed to play. A threat by California attorney general Stanley Mosk to ban any tournament from the state forced the PGA to eliminate the clause.

When Sifford won the L.A. Open in 1961, at Rancho Park, he sent Mosk a telegram of appreciation. Tiger Woods, with a Black father and Asian mother, was well-schooled in ethnic discrimination.

“Charlie was the grandfather I never had,” said Tiger. “To me, he was Grandpa Charlie. I would see him at Firestone every year. I was telling Aaron over here that I would get these yellow texts in my locker every time I had a chance to win a tournament and I'll summarize it by saying ‘go out and win.’”

What Tiger told Adam Beverly was that playing in a Tour event for the first time would be both intimidating and thrilling.

“It was like going from playing JV baseball to all of a sudden facing — you're going to be on the bump against Nolan Ryan. That's how big a jump that felt like.”

Big or small, the jump ended beautifully.

Spieth’s 63 shows there’s nothing wrong

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — A year ago, a lot of people in golf were asking what was wrong with Jordan Spieth. The answer, in the briefest of explanations: Nothing.

Spieth shot a 9-under 63 on Saturday, his lowest ever at Pebble Beach, and bounded into contention after three rounds of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

With one round to go and most of the celebrity amateurs, including the irrepressible Bill Murray, having taken their hopes and their double-bogies to other locales, the AT&T has become what many wanted: A battle among some of golf’s more recognizable players.

Maybe Beau Hossler, Andrew Putnam and Tom Hoge, the three guys sharing first with 54-hole totals of 15-under-par 200, don’t have their own line of clubs or clothing, but they’re hardly in that grouping of unheralded.

Hossler held a brief lead in the 2012 U.S. Open at San Francisco’s Olympic Club when he was a 17-year-old amateur. Hoge is the pro from Fargo, the city in North Dakota, not the dark-humor movie. Putnam has been on Tour and off.

But a stroke behind at 201 are Spieth, FedEx Cup champion Patrick Cantlay and Joel Dahmen. Another shot behind at 202 is the chap from Ireland, Seamus Power, who sadly verified what we all know: Golf can be cruel.

After 64s at two of the more difficult courses, Pebble and Spyglass Hill, Power shot 74 Saturday at Monterey Peninsula’s Shore Course.

You might think the tournament would come down to Spieth, a three-time major champion, and Cantlay, the one known as “Patty Ice.” But there’s no defense. You can’t stop the other guy, you just have to outscore him.

Not easy when Spieth has an eagle, eight birdies and only a lone bogey.

“I guess I'm one back,” said Spieth. “I think the leaderboard's pretty bunched. Pebble can yield low scores.“

A 63 would indicate as much.

“So I think I just kind of learned a little from last year,” Spieth said. “Last year I went in with the lead and I was a little tentative early and (Daniel) Berger came out firing, I think, went like birdie, eagle to start. 

“I think not being in the final group (Sunday) I just kind of approach it like (Saturday) where I feel like, you know, sometimes it can be a little easier not in the final group to go ahead and fire away. You almost just set a goal for a number for the day and pretend you’ve got to get there in order to win.”

In the pre-tournament interviews, Cantlay, born in Long Beach, was asked why he didn’t go this week to the tourney in Saudi Arabia, where entrants are being awarded seven-figure bonuses.

He said he wasn’t asked, and besides, he prefers what he called “California golf.” You can see why.

“If the lead stays at 15-under, I'm obviously right there,” he said before the last player came in. “I think I came back from more strokes behind than that. So I'm in great position and I love this golf course, and everyone will be playing on the same golf course (Sunday), so it should be fun.” 

Asked if he and Spieth would have an advantage playing Pebble in consecutive rounds, Cantlay said, “A little bit. The greens definitely were the firmest of the three places here at Pebble. With the wind up a little bit, I think it may dry out a little more.”

After all the times it’s rained during the AT&T and its predecessor, the Crosby, nobody will complain about anything being too dry.