The secret to Tiger's success

Tiger Woods. What a fun athlete to watch.

I've caught him on TV in each of his last five starts, and he's won every time. Some people dislike golf on television, saying it's dry, it's boring. Some may find it even more boring when you know exactly who is going to win each week. But if you truly appreciate the game of golf, watching Tiger Woods is the furthest thing from a yawn.

With a big lead, with a small lead, when he's tied, when he's down ... he's still going to win, and if you bet against him, you're, well, an idiot.

Some people think Tiger wins all the time because he's so much more talented than anyone else on the PGA Tour, but in actuality, Tiger wins because he's so much smarter than anyone else on tour.

Don't get me wrong: Tiger is a mega-talent. Not too many players can shape the ball like he does. Few possess his creativity. But Tiger makes his money because of where he chooses to aim and where he chooses to miss. Yes, he chooses to miss.

When he has a four-shot lead on Sunday, there is absolutely zero chance of him blowing it. He aims for the center of the green, and he always hits it. Then, on his putts, he misses on the pro side of the cup more often than not. (For you non-golfers, the pro side is the high side of the break, which means if the ball is close to the cup, it still has a chance to fall down into the hole. If it misses on the other side, there is no chance for it to fall.) Tiger also has impeccable pace on his putts, so he rarely leaves himself a tough come-backer. On top of that, he tends to leave himself an uphill putt coming back instead of a downhill one, more difficult.

These simple actions add up. Tiger does them every time, which is why he wins more than everyone else.

Now let's look at a guy like Phil Mickelson. He doesn't win as often as Tiger. But it's not for a lack of talent. Players, caddies and golf experts will all tell you that Big Philly Style has mad game. He might even be a better shot maker than Tiger (at times). But he doesn't have half the head game, and that explains why Tiger has 12 major wins and Mick only three. Phil misses close putts. (One of the golf analysts this weekend said Tiger hadn't missed a four-foot putt all year.) Phil hits driver when he should hit 3 iron. And because he's great around the greens, he often tries for the spectacular chip to within a foot of the hole, when the right shot is actually the safe one, the chip to within 20 feet of the hole, smack dab in the middle of the green.

Tiger makes the bewildering flop-shot chips just like Phil. But only when there are more chances for reward than for potential danger.

Tiger is a machine. There's no getting inside his head. As Dan Patrick used to say, "You can't stop him, you can only hope to contain him." At just 30 years old, everyone else on tour will be doing their best to contain him for another 20 years. That's what's so scary. His best rounds are still ahead of him.