Tiger Woods is said to be the most dominating athlete in today’s sports world.

Is this a reasonable proclamation to make, or is it just another attempt to hype an already incredible athlete in this ego-infested society?

There is no doubt Eldrick “Tiger” Woods has made a profound impact on the game of golf. His amazing championship rounds and his gutsy shots have made him an icon for everyone to look up to.

After Woods stomped the competition by 12 strokes to win the 1997 Masters Tournament, the world got to watch this young phenomenon become a worldwide superstar before its eyes. Without a doubt, this man has led a revolution for the advancement of the game of golf.

But is it enough to say he is the most dominating athlete in sports? This is a hard question to answer, because it can be looked at in so many different ways.

Before the start of the 101st U.S. Open Championship at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla., on Thursday, Woods was heavily favored to win - it was only a matter of who would finish second. This gives him my support as being the most dominating athlete today.

Woods didn’t win the U.S. Open this year, but what were the headlines in the paper and the daily sports shows predominately talking about during the weekend? The possibility of Woods coming back, from nine shots behind, to win.

Although the biggest come-from-behind victory in the last round is seven strokes, by Arnold Palmer in the 1960 U.S. Open, people still thought Woods had a chance. Even as I watched the final round Sunday, I was hoping to see history be made.

Although he didn’t play a solid four rounds of golf, he was still the center of attention. That’s domination.

The leaders of the tournament - Retief Goosen, Mark Brooks and Stewart Cink - still got their coverage, but the name “Tiger” lurked in the shadows. These guys deserved to be the talk of the tournament, but they weren’t because Woods was still on the golf course.

This carries over week after week. Woods started off a little slow this year, but then he caught on fire - ravaging course after course and furthering his legend as quite possibly the greatest golfer of all time.

His dominance on the course is well-documented, but Woods also dominates when he isn’t on the course. He’s a celebrity. Ever since he was a youngster, he has been appearing on TV talk shows and news programs.

Today, it remains the same. He is still in the papers and the leading sports story on most sports shows. Not only does Woods dominate the greens, he dominates the media and captivates the world. Some may think this doesn’t qualify him as being a dominant sports figure, but to me, his efforts off the course are just as important as on.

Someone who can carry his supremacy wherever he goes justifies him as a superior athlete who can change the attitudes and beliefs of his fellow competitors and fans.

Woods’ competitive nature and determination put him a step above his competition. This isn’t to say other golfers and athletes aren’t competitive or determined, it’s just that Woods seems to shine brighter.

Going into the last round of the Open, he strongly believed he had a chance to win it. The funny thing is that it wasn’t out of the question in the minds of fellow golfers and sportscasters either. Reasonably, Woods probably had no chance, but he made people believe he did.

He said he was starting to find some rhythm and some of his putts were “on the edge” of going in. His confidence and determination to never believe it was over were admirable.

Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Wilt Chamberlain and Jim Brown could be considered dominating sports figures of their times. Woods shares many of the same characteristics they possessed.

Shaquille O’Neal and Pete Sampras should also be in consideration with Woods. O’Neal has dominated the NBA since his arrival, and Sampras owns London for two weeks every summer. But what puts Woods ahead of these two is the popularity he has brought to the game and his Herculian-like wins in the major championships.

Woods finished 3-over-par for the tournament, but in his defeat, he is still triumphant. Although his streak of four straight major championships and five consecutive top-five major finishes ended, these records are clearly the mark of a supreme athlete at the top of his game.

Ryan Wallace, a State News intern, can be reached at wallac89@msu.edu.