Why Tiger Woods and Apple Are Cursed

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- It's a sad tale due to this insatiable world we live in.

Incomparable performances are held to extreme expectations that ultimately lead to knee-jerk disappointment because said expectations will undoubtedly level off.

I caught a little of GolfChannel's post round coverage after Tiger Woods earned his 75th PGA Tour win Monday at the Farmers Insurance Open. Not surprisingly, the analysts fretted more about how Tiger won by "only" four shots instead of by eight or 18 and that he struggled to 4-over on the last five holes.

Right there it dawned on me that golf's Big Cat suffers from the same malady as his ridiculously successful tech counterpart Apple (AAPL).

Their stratospheric achievements fuel fervent fans' unfair expectations to perpetuate -- the typical curse of stalwart performers. It's the same old "victim of your own success" saga.

They blew away our beliefs of what a golfer and tech company could accomplish as they bludgeoned their competition into mere afterthoughts. Woods and Apple are the Pied Pipers and all follow the dynamic duo's every move to the point of constant overblown reaction -- especially when there's a little performance hiccup.

If you read TheStreet.com consistently, you'll notice the site is peppered with Apple headlines either screaming it's doom and gloom or predicting an amazing rise from a stock price freefall. Apple moves the needle like no other -- as the Web hits validate.

Golf publications, Web sites and networks firmly attach their viewership numbers on Tiger's cape. CBS even suspended its Monday afternoon programming to broadcast Woods' winning coronation. There isn't another golfer alive that remotely attracts as many eyeballs.

Yet, as much as Woods and Apple have performed at such lofty levels, they are burdened by fans who vehemently demand "what have you done for me lately?" It's the dreaded can't-win curse of meeting and exceeding the impossible while we scream for more!

Woods has won 14 majors in his 18 years as a Tour pro. That's 10 ahead of his nearest current competitor. He's the sole reason for the Tour's swollen purses keeping his peers in mansions and private jets. He has simply exceeded the incredible hype foist upon him. To wit, Woods took only 294 starts to earn his 75 victories. Jack Nicklaus' 73 wins required 594 events. Enough said.

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