I watched Tiger Woods on Saturday's round at the Masters wondering if he would ever get out of his slump. Hitting an array of very bad shots, Tiger found himself consistently frustrated, in contrast to his outstanding performance thus far.

Then, there was the moment that every one of his critics is going to remember: This was when Woods was caught cussing up a storm on live national television. Perhaps we can refer to this as the "Tiger Woods Verbal Malfunction," since CBS sports may see FCC fines for the kind of language Tiger used during this short clip.Although the language Tiger used surely didn't earn him any new corporate sponsors, it was clear that the Milk and Cookies version of Tiger Woods died with his sex scandal. Tiger came out in sunglasses, something that I don't recall seeing him wear regularly during PGA tour events, and he didn't seem embarrassed that he was caught cussing on camera. He seemed to be focused on one thing: Finding a way to win. Also, the training he received from his father was especially focused on how to push through the difficult challenges, and he did a very good job at that.

While Tiger certainly had an off day as a golfer, all was not lost. He is still well in the hunt, in third place. But the greatest hurdle for Tiger is that he is four shots behind Phil Mickelson, the only other golfer who can give Tiger a run for his money. While Tiger dwarfs Mickelson in historical legacy, Mickelson has elevated himself to become the closest thing to a rival that Tiger Woods can get. To some extent, he has become the "Great White Hope of the PGA Tour" - anyone who hates Tiger Woods probably loves Phil Mickelson. With the birth of a newly imagined rivalry, the PGA is going to make a killing.


Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and the author of the new book, "Black American Money." To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.