Strege On Tiger's Rival Kindness: "It does not compute."

John Strege, who has covered Tiger since his early days and witnessed the great one's evolution, has never seen anything like Tiger's relationship with the lad, which really blossomed last week.

The public display of affection has never been part of Tiger's repertoire, and when it came to any who were viable threats to his supremacy, the notion that he was capable of warmth towards them was a foreign one.

It is possible that Woods, at 36, has matured and we'll even concede that he has. But if he has mellowed as a result, it can't be in his competitive interest to have done so. Woods always internalized the competition, taking personally whatever threat it posed and responding in the best way he knew how, by burying it on the golf course.

Recall that when Stephen Ames suggested Woods, as a result of his errant driving, was vulnerable at the Accenture Match Play Championship in 2006, this was Tiger's response in the wake of their match: "Nine and eight," he said, citing the score.