Watching Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh over the final holes last Monday it was hard not to think about all the predictions made about Woods breaking all the records.

When he was winning everything including all four majors in succession, it was easy to project that streak into a life time where he would eclipse Jack Nicklaus record of 18. Now he has given up the number one world ranking and Singh could even beat his single season record in money won. With six wins including a major (PGA) Singh has to be golfer of the year.

All the golf writers have been calling Singh the No. 1 player in the game for most of the year pointing to the rankings going back over a two-year period that fail to take into consideration a high level of current play.

At the Deutsche Bank he proved them right and immediately speculation began that Woods might not command the endorsement dollars without the ranking.

This is worth a chuckle. Woods star power is far greater than the quiet Singh. While Woods is known for making spectacular recovery shots, Singh is known for working hard and hitting fairways and greens. It’s a lot like the outfielder known for great catches while the guy who is so fast he winds up camped under the ball is hardly noticed. With his length and shot making ability Tiger Woods will be number one in the minds of many as long as he plays the game.

Remember, the guy who regularly draws galleries as big as Tiger is John Daly. They watch Big John for the same reason people head for the ball park when the league’s top home run hitter comes to town. But some are surely the folks who go the car races for the wrecks. Daly has disappointed those folks this season with one win, 17th place on the money list and 9th in the President’s Cup standings.

Now that Singh is number one we can return to the question of Woods’ chances of breaking Nicklaus record of 18 majors. The past two years tell us this is unlikely. It’s not that Woods is not a great player. It’s a recognition of the incredible depth of the PGA tour. It isn’t just the majors that have seen a variety of winners; it’s the weekly tournaments. Over the past two or three years we have seen different winners almost every week, many for the first time. Of course, this makes Singh’s six wins this season all the more impressive.

At the same time it points out the difficulty of anyone winning the total number of tournaments that Nicklaus won and even tougher to win all those majors. Woods may get his game back to the level it was in 2000, but unlike that year, there will be 20-30 other guys playing at the same level. That’s how far the game has come.

And all those other guys who followed Woods lead and improved their game can thank Tiger. They can also thank him for their millionaire status as soon as they win one event. Without the audiences he attracted to TV, those million dollar purses wouldn’t be possible. Even if he never wins another major, Tiger Woods has changed the game. And is anyone going to bet against him? No matter who is No. 1.

Dave Irons is a freelance writer who lives in Westbrook.