Mark Calcavecchia called him the chosen one.
Tom Watson didn't go that far, because he is older and wiser and owns four more claret jugs than Tiger Woods. He only referred to him as "something supernatural."
And then there was Rocco Mediate, who said Woods was some sort of bionic man.
"Cut him open and I'll tell you what you'll find," Mediate said last year during Woods' run into history. "A bunch of wires and levers, and a big heart."
Cut him open now and you'll find that Tiger Woods actually bleeds.
That Tiger Woods actually is human.
It only seemed otherwise last year, when he played golf like he was from another solar system. No one shoots 12 under at a U.S. Open and wins by 15 shots. No one wins three straight majors with a combined score of 49-under par.
No one hits a wedge from 168 yards to 2 feet on the final hole in the dark. No one hits 6-iron from 218 yards out of a fairway bunker, over the water, right at the pin with the tournament on the line.
Every week, there was something new.
Just like now.
It seems like a phenomenon when Woods doesn't make a 15-foot eagle putt on the 72nd hole with a chance to tie for the lead, which is what happened at Torrey Pines.
It seems odd when Woods doesn't win after his first six tournaments of a new season, maybe because it has never happened. The longest he ever had to wait to win was his rookie year, when he was a 20-year-old fresh off his third U.S. Amateur who said, "Hello, world," then won in his fifth start as a pro and has been waving goodbye ever since.
And no one ever had seen what took place Sunday in Dubai.
At least not from Tiger.
He was tied for the lead going to the final hole, a par 5, the kind that almost always gives Woods the advantage. Thomas Bjorn ripped his drive down the middle. Woods ripped his drive into the trees, punched out across the fairway, then hit into the water, taking double bogey.
It was the first time Woods had botched the 72nd hole to lose.
Woods only lost a European event, although he might also have lost some of his mystique. Perhaps the most unusual thing from Dubai were the words that followed Bjorn's victory.
Appreciation, not awe.
Inspiration, not fear.
"The intimidation is disappearing," Bjorn said. "People are now starting to realize you can't get intimidated by him."
After all, he's human.
What Woods accomplished the past two years, winning four out of five majors and 16 of 30 tournaments during one stretch, may have done as much to strip some of the intimidation as any tournament he has failed to win recently.
For some, there is no longer anything to lose. For others, the surprise has worn off.
So, what's wrong with Woods?
Nothing.
At least nothing that a few putts or a few feet won't cure.
Woods' game is not that far off. The intimidation factor will not be far behind.
All he's doing now is suffering the consequences of this quirky game called golf. It can be a humbling game that holds no allegiance to any human being.
Yes, even Tiger Woods bleeds a little now and then.
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