Birdman of the U.S. Open

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JUNE 17: Webb Simpson of the United States (R) poses with the trophy as Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland looks on after Simpson's one-stroke victory at the 112th U.S. Open at The Olympic Club on June 16, 2012 in San Francisco, California. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

The outcome of the U.S. Open golf championship in San Francisco was as foggy as the weather itself.  Nobody broke par over the four days on the Olympic Hills course.  Leaders were many, but no one player seemed to take command without using questionable judgment on their shots.

The winner was Webb Simpson, who finished at one over par.  More to the point, he was the only one on the course who didn't lose the tournament.  Graeme McDowell and Ernie Els (among others) had their chances, but Jim Furyk--who had been tied for the lead going into the final round--was just painful to watch as he finished at three over.

We need to talk about Tiger Woods.  Ever since his life (and his game) fell apart on that fateful Thanksgiving a couple of years ago, the world has been waiting for him to reclaim his spot as the dominant golfer of the 21st century.  So far, that's not happening.  Oh sure, every time he wins (or comes close to winning) a PGA Tour event, people get excited talking about whether Tiger's back or not.  But majors are what Woods lives for, because in his mind, that separates a great golfer from being merely a good one.  The last major Woods won was the 2008 U.S. Open.  In the state of California.  Playing on what turned out to be a broken leg.

Woods was tied for the lead going into the third round Saturday before his play  caused a slow fade down the leader board.  On Sunday it cratered when he finished seven over par.  At this point, all the talk about how Tiger was going to obliterate Jack Nicklaus' record of winning the most majors is simply that.  Tiger Woods is no longer the greatest golfer on the planet.  He can still be a very good one when he puts his mind to it.

Which leads us back to Simpson.  Nothing personal, but he's become the umpteenth no-name golfer who happened to be in the right place at the right time to win a major in the past few years.

How insignificant Simpson's victory turned out to be was underscored during his post-match interview with NBC's Bob Costas.  While they were talking, some idiot in a bird costume stepped in front of the camera and started cawing before security removed him.  At least he wasn't naked.

Now imagine what would have happened if Woods instead of Simpson were talking to Costas, and Birdman tried to do the same thing.  NBC could not have used the delay button fast enough.

This is the state of golf in 2012, folks.