It’s seems like just yesterday I was watching in awe as Tiger Woods captured his first Masters title and brought the sport of golf into the mainstream in the spring of 1997.

That was huge for me as a young golfer, who was just starting to take the game seriously and looking forward to joining the high school golf team in a few years.

Tiger Woods introduced the game of golf to so many young people who would have never given the sport a chance before he came along.

Fast forward 18 years and there is another 21-year-old American making headlines around the world after putting together an impressive championship run at Augusta National. That kid ”“ excuse me, man ”“ is Texas native Jordan Spieth, who tied Tiger’s scoring mark at the Masters as well as broke several other records.

Now, I cannot stand when writers and talking heads on ESPN and other networks try and compare one athlete to another. Whether it’s LeBron James and Michael Jordan or Tom Brady and Joe Montana.

Every athlete is different and it’s almost impossible to compare stars from different generations.

Unfortunately, I’m going to have to break my own rule ”“ but only in one instance.

I’m going to compare Spieth to Woods, but only in the area of their importance to the game of golf in America.

Woods, I believe, is the greatest player of all-time and he is also the most important golfer to have ever lived.

That importance is due to the fact that he not only expanded the golf audience by the millions, but he also helped make his fellow golfers very rich men by driving up the prize money on the PGA Tour.

So, how does Spieth come into play? Well, if Tiger is the one who expanded golf’s popularity, Spieth needs to be one of the golfers to keep the audience’s attention in the future.

No one is going to be able to fill Tiger’s shoes alone ”“ that’s just not possible. But, in a few years when Tiger really fades into the background, Spieth and young stars like Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler will have to carry the game.

The reason Spieth is so important to the game here in America is that he gives young golfers someone to look up to and someone to model their game after.

When Tiger stormed onto the scene in 1997, every young golfer wanted to be him and would wear their red Nike golf shirts and pretend they were making the winning putt at Augusta.

Tiger is still the main draw at any tournament, but in the near future he will no longer be able to compete with the best in the world.

When that time comes, hopefully hardcore and casual golf fans alike will want to tune into CBS to watch Spieth battle McIlroy on the back nine at Augusta ”“ or else the sport might have a serious problem.

— Sports Editor Pat McDonald can be reached at pmcdonald@journaltribune.com or at 282-1535 ext. 322.