If I had to name my two favorite athletes of all time, Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan would be pretty high on the list. They’re more than great athletes, they’re absolute icons. Both dominated with not just physical skill, but mental toughness. Both have made millions by wearing a Swoosh. And both were paired together in the Pro-Am at this week’s Wachovia Championship.

Usually, rounds in the Pro-Am consist of groups like Mark O’Meara with two drunk businessmen. This threesome had a little bit more life to it. If you were wondering who the average schmuck playing with Woods and Jordan were, it was Skipper Beck, who also happens to be loaded. Beck owns an import car dealership and is even a minor investor in the Charlotte Bobcats, the organization that Michael Jordan owns a share of. Even the 3rd wheel is a multi-millionaire. That’s not fair.

While this group would have been far more entertaining with Charles Barkley involved in it somehow, Jordan and Woods still put on a show for the huge gallery that followed them. Woods had to deal with Jordan rigging scoreboard games, coughing during his backswing, and kicking his ball off to the tee for a lucky fan to keep. But Tiger was not MJ’s bitch all day. During the round, he scooped up Jordan’s ball with his putter and instead of handing it to him, he threw it in the lake.

With 12 major championships and six NBA Championships in one group, it’d be tough to surpass the star-power that yesterday’s Pro-Am had. It sure beats the threesome that the PGA promoted heavily last year: Phil Mickelson, Brett Favre, and Toby Keith. But to hell with those two. I’d much rather follow the threesome of Hootie Johnson, Billy Packer, and Hilary Clinton. Now that would be some dialogue worth listening to.

Tiger Woods is undoubtedly one of the most dominant players, if not the most dominant, of our generation. Woods owns golf, and the fact that his presence alone ruins other golfer’s rounds speaks to his impact on the game. It’s not a coincidence that the increased coverage and excitement regarding the Masters over the past 10 years correlates with the arrival of Woods and his dominance of the tournament. Face it, you tune into the Masters on the weekend in anticipation of watching Tiger hit a couple unreal shots and eventually win. But what would happen if Tiger wasn’t in contention coming into the weekend?

At the beginning of the day, Tiger was just 5 strokes back of the lead, a difference that he could easily make up. If he would have had a bad start to the day today, however, how much would the Masters suffer? There are a lot of people who watch golf because they understand the game, and it’s more than just Tiger Woods winning jackets and Phil Mickelson hooking drives on 18 into the grandstand.? There are even more people who just watch golf for Tiger, which is fair. If Tiger was out of contention, the Masters would immediately lose all those viewers for the weekend, and it would be interesting to see just how much the tournament suffered because of that. Who would all the people in the gallery mob to if Tiger wasn’t there? Stewart Appleby? Doubtful. Brett Wetterich? No way in hell.

I guess the point I’m trying to get at is that we should recognize why we are so infatuated with the Masters in 2007. Sure, it’s one of the four majors in golf, and it’s become one of the most exciting. In my opinion, there’s no dispute that the reason we love to watch Jim Nantz stroke it in Butler Cabin is because of Tiger Woods. Woods owns Augusta unlike any other player in the history of golf (except for Bobby Jones, the racist who built the place). Tiger is the Masters, and without him the Masters wouldn’t be what it is today.

In the words of Happy Gilmore, one of the best movies ever created, I’d say Tiger Woods is playing like he wants that jacket. After a pathetic losing streak of two tournaments, Woods controlled the CA Championship from start to finish, winning by two strokes. It’s Tiger’s 3rd consecutive win at Doral’s Blue Monster course. The Masters starts next week and I’d say Woods is right where he needs to be.

“You can’t have any better way, getting a ‘W’ right before you go,” Woods said.

Talking about Woods’ dominance might get a bit repetitive but it’s worth nothing. In these World Golf Championship events, Woods has won 13 titles in 24 tournaments. But when the tournament is a stroke format (and not an Accenture Match Play Tournament), Woods is 11-16. If you’re winning 68% of anything in sports, you’re doing pretty damn well. When you’re winning 68% of WGC tournaments, you’re simply God.

With his 56th career win, Woods surpassed the $68 million mark in career earnings. That’s close to 15x as much as the guy who finished second place, Brett Weterrich, has made in his career. Wetterich is a solid player, a member of last year’s Ryder Cup and a winner of last year’s Byron Nelson Classic. But when he’s pumped about finishing 2nd, you know he has no chance.

With the Masters looming next week, most everyone will skip this week’s Houston Open. Even Vijay Singh is skipping the festivities and he has a knack for beating up on soft fields. After Jim Nantz’s wrists heal from cutting himself in the presence of Billy Packer, expect him to deliver some sappy speeches inside Augusta’s famed Butler Cabin. And if this week is any indication, expect Woods to be celebrating his 5th Masters Championship.

In case you didn’t know already, Tiger Woods is not only the best golfer of our generation, but he may be the best golfer ever. So of course, the best golfer has to hit the best golf shots. I take you to the 2005 Masters when Tiger found his ball on the 16th hole in one of the toughest positions on the course. Time to make some magic.

One of the best debates going in sports is the question of most dominant athlete. Is it Tiger Woods’ stranglehold on the PGA Tour? Or is Roger Federer’s incredible play more impressive? Tiger responded to Federer’s Australian Open victory by winning the Buick Invitational for the 5th time. It’s Woods’ 7th straight tournament victory, a streak that stretches back to last summer’s British Open.

When Tiger is in the field, golf is so predictable. Every week, it’s Tiger vs. Everybody. Every week, contenders fall by the way-side while Tiger plays his best golf. Sunday was no exception. It didn’t matter that Tiger was two back when the day started. He’s still Tiger Woods. And the guys in front of him are still rookies and relatively unaccomplished on the PGA Tour. Andrew Buckle, Brandt Snedeker, and Jeff Quinney all played well this weekend. But when Tiger is shooting a 66 on Sunday, you’re basically screwed.

The only bad part of Sunday’s triumph was the pathetic performance by CBS. The sound cut out, the picture froze, and camera shots were ruined by idiotic caddies. Tiger’s eagle on the 9th hole was done in complete silence. Let’s hope this crap is resolved by next Sunday. For a station with so much experience with golf tournaments, they sucked today.

It’s fitting that Woods and Federer are friends. Woods was in the crowd for last summer’s US Open Final, which saw Federer win another major. It’s also been stated that Federer hopes to visit Augusta to watch Tiger at the Masters. The way things are going, Federer is likely going to witness Woods slipping on his 5th Green Jacket.

Is there really any doubt that Tiger Woods is going to win this weekend at Torrey Pines? Let’s be honest, the guy who was leading the tournament coming into round three, Brandt Snedeker, is a no name. And we all know how well no names have fared when it comes down to crunch time against tiger.

Right behind Snedeker is Charles Howell III who has never lived up to his potential since being crowned the next great golfer. Meanwhile Tiger is coming into the season fresh. He has that same determination that he always does. He isn’t going to settle for anything other than winning, and what better states that than a win in your season opening event?

And we have to remember Tigers success at the Buick. I can’t remember a year when he hasn’t been in the hunt to win this tournament. He simply dominates Torrey Pines, and performs much better on the difficult south course than anyone else does. Since that’s the course they’ll be playing the final two rounds on, my money is on Tiger.

It’s fun to watch the most dominant golfer of his time continue his dominance. This weekend should be no exception, as I can’t see any possible outcome besides a Tiger Woods victory.