The Trailer Trash Returns to Earth

He took some wonderful shots, and made a dozen putts that just burned the edges. If a handful of them had fallen or tipped or wrinkled their way into the hole he would have been in the thick of things. That didn't happen this time, and the man in the funny pants was left to face the press in sadness. He made the cut, but he's no longer part of the story. It's not his weekend for glory or redemption. John Daly fell back.

Sports are like that sometimes. The heroic effort fizzles or falls just short. Last year a 59-year-old Tom Watson needed to make just one more putt to win his four British Open and ninth major with everyone in the world rooting for him but missed the hole and then lost a playoff. We can marvel at athletes in pressure situations, and cry occasionally, when fortune fails and proves that they are human. Defeat and failure are an essential part of the story. Sometimes even victory is bittersweet. Ask Stewart Cink. Last year when he won people said it was like he defeated Santa Claus. Winning became a footnote to the story everyone hoped to read.

Tomorrow two Englishmen and a diminutive South African with a name no one can pronounce with certainty have the best chance at hoisting the Claret Jug. They'll duel in the howling wins. Louis Oosthuizen, 27 years old and never before a contender in a major championship, will try to sleep tonight with a four-shot lead. This morning countrymen Gary Player and Ernie Els called to wish him luck. Will he collapse under the pressure? No one knows. So far he has been calm and steady and in perfect rhythm, even when conditions were daunting. Tomorrow at the birthplace of Golf he has his chance to become a champion or a footnote. John Daly will putt out hours before and wave sadly to the crowd.

Tiger Woods is ten back and hasn't a chance to win. I'm delighted to say his misery continues. He deserves it. As long as he stonewalls the questions and maintains his proud indignance, he deserves every embarrassment he gets. He failed as a person and succumbed to his monstrous appetites, and so far hasn't exhibited the courage or the heart to redeem himself or change the storyline. He squandered an empire and a family. It will be curious to see when he'll gather himself for a true comeback story of his own. He lost twice this weekend, once to St. Andrews, and once to the British press. No doubt he'll find his golf swing, but will he find composure, grace, humility and perspective? He'll have to wait for another weekend to show it. For now Jack Nicklaus' legacy is safe, and his is supremely tarnished.

The most interesting stories in sports are not the results and statistics, the money won and the trophies raised. The most interesting stories are the human ones. They are the reason I watch. Tomorrow will be an interesting day, watching how these men handle victory and defeat.