Just to rehash: He is the youngest to ever win the Grand Slam. He won the events in a combined 36 under par, 12 better than when the omnipotent Jack Nicklaus did it. He now holds the record for lowest score at St. Andrews, 19 under par, one stroke better than Nick Faldo’s 1990 run. The only time he hit out of a bunker last week was during a practice round. At 24, he is on top of the world.

OK, Tiger’s great. He hits it far, he putts it true. A CBS executive said to Larry Biel of ESPN: “Tiger, on Sunday, has the ability to increase ratings 40-50 percent just if he contends.”

But what if he continues to not just contend, but dominate in the next couple of years the way he has this year? What if the novelty of Tiger Woods wears thin with fans? What if watching Tiger annihilate the competition becomes “hoo hum?” Is Tiger Woods good for golf?

Golf is in a different situation with Woods than other sports are with their powerhouses. A love-hate relationship occurs in all sports when a team or individual dominates. The more the team wins, the more the fans tend to hate.

You may hate the Yankees because they win all the time, but it is unlikely you also despise all of the players who made those teams great. How can you hold a grudge against Ruth, DiMaggio, Jackson and Jeter? Surely, there is someone you if not admire, at least respect.

Tiger, on the other hand, has no team to hide behind. There he is, take him or leave him. If he continues to dominate much like the Yankees, fans may take to rooting for golf’s Brooklyn Dodgers — or just become disinterested.

Team sports also don’t pit everyone against each other week in and week out. Golf does. If you were growing up in the ’60s and hated the Celtics, you could still watch a game between the ’76ers and the Lakers because that game would be of interest to you. You would still be a basketball fan. Golf may potentially be in jeopardy because there aren’t other tour stops for that week outside of the one that Tiger is at. There is nothing else for a fan of golf to watch, but not a fan of Tiger. So what happens? Click, turn it off. Go see a movie. Start to forget that you like golf.

The Celtics and the Yankees also had contenders vying for the trophy. Tiger is amid a sea of very good, but not great, golfers. In the past, there have been players who dominated as much as Tiger, but the difference is the past legends had to first earn their dominance from their predecessor. Ben Hogan gave way to Arnold Palmer, who passed the torch to Nicklaus, who dueled for a good 10 years with Tom Watson. Tiger didn’t receive the torch of greatness as much as he claimed it. In the ’90s, before Tiger, a different person seemingly won every major.

Unless a real contender steps to the forefront, get used to more of this year’s U.S. and British Opens. A contender would revive golf, and give it back the drama that Tiger has the potential of stomping into the ground.

A real contender or no, in the next few years, Tiger may become just as bored as the fans. Magic Johnson predicted that Woods might, in the future, look back at what he has accomplished and wonder: ‘Why keep this up?’and lose some of his fire. This may be the best way for other golfers to compete with Tiger. Let him get complacent, and then try to sneak by him on the back nine on Sunday.

You may still be thinking: “Tiger won’t be able to dominate as much as you’re predicting. Golf’s difficult. No one’s that good.”

Well, that’s a possibility. But I also didn’t think Tiger would be able to win the Masters by 12 strokes in his first full year on tour. I also didn’t think he would win the U.S. Open by 15 strokes at Pebble Beach. I thought he might win the British Open, but not set the new course record in the process. He’s 24. He’s the best in the game. And he will only get better.

That I would even consider Woods to be potentially hazardous to golf shows how talented he really is.

I guess I should consider myself lucky. My grandpa had Ruth, my dad, Ali. I’ve seen Jordan in his prime, and I will also get to see Woods develop.

But Ruth, Ali and Jordan all had about 10 years at the top. Golf is built for longevity.

Tiger will easily have two times, if not three times that to shine. Whether or not golf will prosper from this remains to be seen.

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Paul Kix is a junior in journalism and mass communication from Hubbard.