Just before their epic, 18-hole-plus playoff finale to the US Open at Torrey Pines, Rocco Mediate called Tiger Woods a “monster.”

Whatever Woods is, he’s clearly not human.

His 14th major championship was already the stuff of legend – a come-from-behind, sudden-death victory.

But then came news that Woods had basically been playing on one leg – the other having sustained double stress fractures three weeks earlier.

Surgery will force Woods off the links for the rest of the year.

This is a loss for golf fans, but not only for them. Tiger Woods elevates his sport into dramatic entertainment that draws in even the most casual observer.

We wish him a swift, full recovery.