Unfortunately, I was home last Monday recovering from a stomach virus. Fortunately, the 18-hole playoff between Rocco Mediate and Tiger Woods for the 2008 U.S. Open Championship was televised during the afternoon hours. I dozed in and out of it, but I was awake to see the final three holes and then the move to sudden death on the seventh hole.

I watched a good bit of the tournament over the weekend, and at some point during the commentary, a broadcaster related the story of how Tiger’s father taught him a very valuable lesson about golf … and about life.

The first day Tiger asked to hit a golf ball, his father Earle agreed and watched as his young son attempted a stroke. Whether or not he hit the ball I can’t remember, but Tiger asked his father if he could do it again. Earle replied, “Tomorrow.”

True to his word, Earle responded the next day when Tiger asked to “play golf” again. This time, Earle allowed Tiger to hit twice. When Tiger asked for more, Earle replied, “Tomorrow.”

And so it went. “More” was always just out of Tiger’s reach. The television commentators remarked that rather than pushing Tiger into golf, his father held the sport at arm’s length to ascertain whether this was something Tiger truly wanted to pursue. We know the answer now.

With golfing “just out of his reach,” Tiger yearned for more and now has become one of the most celebrated athletes in sports history. His ability is unquestionable, but what intrigues me about this young man is his hunger. People often comment during tournaments, especially when Tiger is slightly behind, that those ahead must be wary, for there is a “Tiger on the prowl.”

A tiger on the prowl is after one thing – something that will satisfy its hunger. Perhaps that’s what Earle Woods did when he taught his young son the lesson of “just out of reach.” He taught him to be hungry for what interested him. He taught him to be focused, determined and intentional about his pursuits.

We have been privileged to see the results – a young man with exceptional ability who understands that ability alone is not enough. There must also be a will to hone that ability and to be open to the teachable moments that make it stronger. There must be a drive to practice regularly and with intensity. There must be a resolve to embrace the talent and to make the most of it.

I see all of this in Tiger Woods, not only as he is striding down a fairway, blasting out of a sand trap or directing putts that curve just like he wants them to but also in the focused passion and intensity that permeates his eyes. The hunger is still there. The next championship is “just out of reach.” Because he plays the game this way, it is fascinating to watch him.

To know now that Woods won the 2008 U.S. Open with a torn ligament and stress fractures only adds to the legend that he established at such a young age. The hunger to win the national championship right in his own back yard was so strong that he went against doctor’s orders and probably against his own better judgment to accomplish such a remarkable feat. He pushed through pain and its mental frustration to achieve a win that will go down in the annals of sports history.

The U.S. Open championship, according to Woods’ doctors, was out of his reach. They obviously weren’t there the day Tiger asked his dad if he could hit a golf ball.

Harris Murray is director of library services at Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College. She can be reached by e-mail at writeharris55@yahoo.com.

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