He’s just that good.
Tiger Woods was acknowledged yesterday for his athletic prowess – this time, outside the bedroom.
The philandering dog and world – class golfer was voted “Athlete of the Decade” by members of the Associated Press yesterday, giving Woods a pass on recent revelations — and his own admission — that he cheated on his wife.
Woods picked up 56 of the 142 votes of AP member editors. More than half the ballots came in after Woods’ career meltdown began Nov. 27 with a freakish crash with a fire hydrant and tree — and wife Elin’s golf-club rampage on the wrecked SUV in a supposed effort to rescue him.
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The crash triggered a parade of large-breasted women who bragged they had bedded the insatiable Tiger before and after he was married.
“Despite the tsunami of negative publicity that will likely tarnish his image, there’s no denying that Woods’ on-the-course accomplishments set a new standard of dominance within his sport while making golf more accessible to the masses,” wrote adoring Sioux Falls (SD) Argus Leader sports editor Stu Whitney.
Here are some of the other superstars who didn’t come close to Tiger in the AP tally:
* Cancer survivor Lance Armstrong, who won 33 AP votes after pedaling his way to a remarkable six Tour de France titles this decade.
* Swiss tennis ace Roger Federer, who won more Grand Slam singles titles than any other man in 2000s, was third with 25 votes.
* US swimmer Michael Phelps, who finished a distant fourth with 13 votes after his mind-boggling, eight-gold-medal effort at the Beijing Olympics.
* Quarterback Tom Brady, who turned the New England Patriots into an NFL powerhouse and finished fifth with six votes.
* Record-breaking sprinter Usain Bolt, the only other athlete to garner more than one vote. He won four ballots.
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On the bright side, the AP award is the first good news in weeks for Woods, who has become the butt of late-night TV jokes and water-cooler wisecracks.
The sex scandal has trashed Woods’ well-crafted image as a family-first, All-American kid from Stanford.
But in the poll, it was all about Woods on the links — not in the bedroom.
He captured 56 PGA titles this decade, an unthinkable 30 percent win rate in events that typically draw fields of 150.
Woods won 12 of his 14 major titles this decade and, as of three weeks ago, was considered a shoo-in to someday break Jack Nicklaus’ career mark of 18 major titles.
His last major victory was at the US Open on June 16, 2008, in a dramatic playoff days before season-ending knee surgery.