Columnist Dean Juipe: Tiger’s tale: No one will top Nelson

Dean Juipe

Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2000 | 9:42 a.m.

Dean Juipe's column appears Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. His boxing notebook appears Thursday. Reach him at juipe@vegas.com or 259-4084.

Tiger Woods couldn't do it.

No one else will, either.

Of all the memorable and seemingly unbeatable streaks in the history of sports, the one Woods had been pursuing is the one -- above all others -- that will never be equalled or topped. Byron Nelson won 11 straight PGA Tour events in 1945 and not Woods nor anyone who will ever come after him will exceed that total.

Woods, who settled for a tie for second Sunday outside San Diego, made it to six consecutive wins before "faltering." As spectacular as his run was, it only underscored how impossible it would be to reach 11.

Nelson's record can be carved in stone. It will never be threatened.

When Nelson won 11 in a row he did it in conditions that neither Woods nor his successors will ever see again. In 1945 many of the pro golf tour's regulars were in military service, and the fields for tour events lacked the type of depth and quality that today's pro golfers routinely encounter.

Let's say Nelson, who was excused from World War II duty because of hemophilia, had 10 solid contenders to stave off on a weekly basis in 1945. He was able to do it -- and win 19 tournaments in all -- by averaging 68.33 strokes per round. He was head and shoulders above his competition.

But Woods, and everyone who will ever play on future PGA tours, is up against at least 100 and maybe 140 guys who are capable of winning any given week. No matter how great the player -- and Woods is already among the greatest of all time -- 11 straight wins is out of the question.

Nelson's place in history is secure, more so than the holder of any other streak in sports history.

Joe DiMaggio and his 56-game hitting streak in 1941? As implausible as it seems, it could fall and it was mildly challenged by Pete Rose in 1978 when he pieced together a 44-game streak.

Cal Ripken and his streak of 2,632 consecutive baseball games played that came to an end in 1998? Before feeling that remarkable record can't be topped, remember it was only a few years ago that Lou Gehrig's streak of 2,130 straight stood as something of a Holy Grail.

Wayne Gretzky and his streak of at least one point in 51 consecutive NHL games? If the NHL never reverts to the type of wide-open, free-skating game that was in effect in 1983-84 when Gretzky kept lighting the scoring lamp, the record may be safe. But trends come and go and at some point in the future 51 straight might not seem so farfetched.

Coach John Wooden and his UCLA men's basketball teams that won 88 consecutive games before suffering a loss in 1974? It's a reach, yet it could tumble if some powerhouse program went on a fabulous three-season roll. Less likely to fall is UCLA's record of seven straight NCAA championships and 38 straight victories in NCAA Tournament games. (By chance, the women's record for consecutive wins was equalled Sunday when St. Louis-based Washington University won its 60th straight. It will go for the undisputed women's record Friday at Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh.)

Not addressed here are numerous career or single-event records by individuals that seem above reproach, like Cy Young's 511 pitching victories. Among those, here's one that may yet be standing for the Armageddon: Secretariat wins the 1973 Belmont by 31 lengths.