Off the ball: Characters add the wild card

By TERRY MADDAFORD

In sport, as life, there are the "haves" and "have-nots".

Two golfing books provide ample evidence of this.

The difference quickly becomes obvious to anyone who reads Tiger Woods: The Championship Years and Bud, Sweat and Tees: A Walk on the Wild Side of the PGA Tour.

Tim Rosaforte's story of Woods' golden run in 1999-2000 contrasts the no-holds-barred tale of Rich Beem's life on the tour in the same period, as told by Alan Shipnuck.

On one hand the clinical, determined, leave-nothing-to-chance approach which marked Woods' game from day one; on the other the carefree, devil-take-the-hindmost attitude that Beem and his caddie of the time, Steve Duplantis, took to the hallowed greens and fairways.

While Woods' life seldom strays from the straight (although not always off the tee) and narrow in his never-ending pursuit for excellence, Beem was portrayed as a golfer who was more likely to be seen lurching from bar to bar than tee to green.

Beem was the son of a teaching professional, and his career was a stop-start affair. After a less-than-promising start, including a stint when his clubs stayed at home while he sold mobile phones, he eventually came back to golf.

Again, though, it was a case of fitting his game around his socialising. But in 1999, his world turned upside down with a stunning victory in the Kemper Open.

Encouraged by Duplantis, 28-year-old Beem defied the odds to hold on for his maiden Tour victory.

Fast-forward three years. That victory remained his sole Tour triumph.

All the old doubts and bad habits continued to resurface until The International at Castle Pines, Colorado, at the start of last month. With the wayward Duplantis now gone, Beem won for the second time. A fortnight later came his crowning glory - the one-stroke win over Woods in the US PGA at Hazeltine, Minnesota.

Beem had given little hint that he was ready to charge. He started this year with a tie for 54th in Hawaii, followed that with two missed cuts which were to become an all-too-regular part of his season.

In the four tournaments before The International, Beem managed ties for 54th, 78th and 24th before missing the cut again.

The US$810,000 ($1.7 million) he won at The International was more than he had pocketed in his previous three seasons.

While Beem at times has stumbled through the year, with nine missed cuts and two withdrawals, Woods has been around for the weekend every time he has teed up.

He has stretched his record for the most consecutive cuts made to 93 and taken his on-course earnings to US$31.6 million ($66.6 million).

Woods leads the scoring average at 68.64 and greens in regulation. His birdie average of 4.21 ranks second. His average driving distance of 270m is fifth best. Only in accuracy (70th) and putting (133rd) with 1.788 putts per hole, does he flag.

Beem is even more wayward, ranking 143rd in accuracy and 54th in greens in regulation (66.2 per cent). His putting, 86th at 1.773, is ahead of the Tiger but he comes in at just 17th in driving distance.

While these stats are not fairways apart, Woods wins by miles in that all-important mental approach.

Beem's ambition was simply to keep his tour card. He never dared contemplate victory.

Woods, on the other hand, was intent on only one thing from day one - winning. He was schooled from an early age to handle the mental and physical pressures.

Beem, from the opposite end of the spectrum, teed up ... and hoped.

Many might say Beem has enjoyed doing it his way. Woods, too, has done it his way.

The PGA Tour is all about the players and the differences they bring to the course.

It would be a bore if all players were Woods-like in their approach. If the Beem way was the norm it would be a lot of fun, but would the golf be any good?

In telling it his way, Shipnuck has given golf fans an insight into the other side. It is a great read and shows that for many players, money is not the be-all and end-all of life on the tour.

Some sports books border on the tedious.

Bud, Sweat and Tees is not one of them. Neither, for different reasons, is the Woods book. Both have their place and show there are the haves and have-nots on the Tour.

Long may the characters like Beem play their part.