Is Tiger the U.S. Team's Hope at The Ryder Cup?

STRAFFAN, Ireland Sept. 20, 2006 — -- "Tiger Woods is the greatest individual athlete of our time."

That's what I wrote Sunday, Aug. 20, the day Woods vaporized the PGA Championship field, went Tom Brady's jersey number on the majors, and then celebrated his third consecutive victory and 51st Tour win by … flying to Houston to pick up his new labradoodle puppy, Yogi! (Memo to Tiger: please tell me the labradoodle and dog name were Elin's idea.)

Tip of the cap: Woods is second to Sam Snead in career wins.Since then, Woods has stretched his PGA Tour win streak to five and put a choke chain around the money list lead. If he doesn't win the Tour's Player of the Year award it will only be because Pac-10 replay officials oversaw the balloting.

Now Woods is here at The K Club, site of the 2006 Ryder Cup. Not much is expected of him. Just carry the USA team against the favored Euros. You know, the usual.

Win or lose this week, Woods' golf legacy is as secure as a safety deposit box. Jack Nicklaus loyalists will argue the Golden Bear is the greatest golfer of all time until someone breaks his record of 18 major victories. Fair enough, except deep down I'm not sure even Nicklaus himself believes that.

Woods is the best the game has ever seen. He's the best any game has seen. Nothing has happened since that August day at Medinah Country Club to change my mind. If anything, I feel even better about the first line of this column, especially after he won two more tournaments after the PGA Championship (no post-major letdown for Eldrick).

Of course, back in August it took about Reggie Bush's 40-yard dash time before the e-mails began pouring into my Outlook mailbox. There were hundreds and hundreds of them. Most of the e-mailers wondered if my brain cells had been removed at birth. The angrier ones wanted to know if I'd like to chug some antifreeze, then chase it down with a shot of battery acid.

Sports fans, sports talk show hosts and sports columnists simply can't wrap their arms around the idea that a golfer --