Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas, David Thomas column: FANS' INSIDER.(Column)

Byline: David Thomas

Feb. 21--Tiger Woods puts "The Streak" on the line today against former Horned Frog J.J. Henry in the Accenture Match Play Championship.

Perhaps better stated, it's "a streak." You don't need The Golf Channel to know that Tiger has won seven consecutive PGA Tour events. The record is 11, by the late Byron Nelson. Eleven also happens to be the number of tournaments Nelson played during his streak and the number of tournaments Tiger has played in his streak. Tiger has lost four times during his run if you don't count the Ryder Cup. (And not counting Ryder Cups is becoming more and more beneficial to Americans.) But none of Tiger's losses came in a PGA Tour event. Thus, The Streak. I am not trying to take anything away from Tiger, and I'll be happy to make sure he understands that right after he completes the first round at Colonial. But I also don't want anything taken away from Lord Byron. I read one dispatch likening Tiger's streak to someone chasing Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak. That shot lands OB. Don't blame Tiger. He has not treated this as anything other than a PGA Tour streak, although I guess that's how the PGA Tour record book also treats Nelson's streak. It's just that Tiger's streak has more skips than a scratched CD. This match-play thing is the eighth PGA Tour event of the year. It's Tiger's second. Nelson skipped one tournament during his streak, because of injury. DiMaggio hit and played in 56 consecutive games. ...