So, who's up for an Immelman grand slam?
The Masters champ wouldn't turn it down, but he sounds more impressed that he was able to defeat Tiger Woods 'at his peak' that he does confident about his chances of winning all four majors.
AUGUSTA, Ga. -- So Tiger Woods is still stuck on 13 major championship titles and looking forward to the chance to get another one in June at the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, where he will once again be reminded he's chasing Jack Nicklaus' record 18 majors.
Here's another reminder, one that he doesn't like to hear: Woods is edging closer to Nicklaus in another category -- finishing second in majors.
While Trevor Immelman hung on by his fingernails to win his first major in Sunday's final round of the Masters, Woods was fairly sure Immelman wasn't going to cough up a three-shot lead in the last two holes, so he retreated into the clubhouse at Augusta National Golf Club to grab a bite to eat.
Golf: A chart with an article on Tiger Woods' showing in the Masters in Tuesday's Sports section said the site of the PGA Championship, Oakland Hills Country Club, is in Greensboro, N.C. Oakland Hills is in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. Also, in some editions of Wednesday's Sports section, the secondary headline over a story on Woods' knee surgery said he had finished third in the Masters. He finished second.
Woods had some time today to chew on this one, his second straight runner-up finish at the Masters. He's been second five times in majors, which has happened three times in the last five and four of the last 12.
That's not close to Nicklaus' record of 19 second-place finishes in majors, but Woods is creeping closer, and he's not that pleased about it, either.
Second place means you're the first loser, as Woods often ruefully admits.
With his grand slam thoughts slammed now, Woods joked Sunday after his round that he wasn't going to say anything more about that kind of goal and blamed the media, while fully aware he was the one who raised the possibility in the first place.
Woods said that visions of a grand slam never visit him while he's busy playing.
"It's just one of those things when you're out there playing, you couldn't care less," he said. "You're just trying to win a golf tournament. You're trying to put yourself in position, which I did. I just didn't make the putts I needed to make this entire week."
Chief beneficiary of all those missed putts -- Woods had only 11 birdies in 72 holes -- was Immelman, who is wearing his first green jacket because of it.
He is also the Masters champion because he had just five bogeys all week, led the field in fairways hit and tied for second in greens in regulation. Plus, Immelman had only two three-putts.
Immelman said he felt fortunate to win a major playing in the midst of the Woods era.
"You know, the guy boggles my mind," Immelman said. "I'm an avid sports watcher, I'm an avid sports fan and I study top sportsmen, and this guy is frightening in what he gets done and how he gets it done and the ease in which he gets it done.
