I’ve heard it said that there are two kinds of people in the world: Phil Mickelson fans and Tiger Woods fans. I am an ubercasual golf fan, but I firmly believe this to be true. For the record, I am the latter. But today’s exciting playoff conclusion is just the latest in a string of tournaments in which Tiger finds himself against the ropes against an improbable opponent. And in these situations, even a Tiger fan must decide: is it better to root for the prohibitive favorite, or for the upset?

Point: Follow the general Life Rule: All things being equal root for the underdog.

Counterpoint: Are all things equal in this case? When dealing with the giant presence that is Tiger Wood, I submit that it may be practically impossible for anything to be equal.

Point: For many of these gentlemen, this is their one chance at taking the big prize. Tiger will have many, many chances.

Counterpoint: Golf is one of those sports where, at any given tournament, a superior player can have a travesty of a round or of a tournament, and an unknown can have a miraculous round or tournament. Chances are good that in most of his tournaments, Tiger will have a relative unknown nipping at his heels. If we keep saying that he’ll have his chances in the future, those chances may never arrive.

Point: Tiger is a gloryhog.

Counterpoint: For these gentlemen, simply playing Tiger competitively is a victory in and of itself. Whether they lose or win, they win. For Tiger, anything less than a first-place finish is roundly considered a let-down. Tiger, in a certain sense, needs the win more than they do.

Point: Tiger is a moneyhog.

Counterpoint: I was shocked to read that even perennial also-ran Mediate has made $13 million over the course of his career, just in tour winnings alone. Even those relegated to tour leftovers are doing just fine for themselves.

Point: It’s a better drama factor if the unknown wins. It makes for a more memorable weekend.

Counterpoint: In the end, Tiger’s historic run at golf immortality will be what we remember. It will be what we write books about, make movies about, and tell our grandkids about. The glow of an unknown’s victory fades in the time it takes to say “Zach who?”

Point: Competitiveness is what keeps the sports juice flowing, regardless of the activity. More competitive contests are to everyone’s benefit. That’s why all professional sports leagues and organizations regularly meet to create ways to improve the competitive balance.

Counterpoint: What makes Tiger great is the one thing that all those rule changes can never adequately account for: individual talent. Even if Tiger wins in the end (as he does more often than not), the changing cast of characters around him makes for enough drama. And the fact is that a Tiger win generates more buzz and more ratings for the sport, thereby drawing more young players into the sport, thereby increasing the likelihood that the game will remain competitive in the long run.

Counclusion: It is best if Tiger finds himself in a tight race, rather than stringing together victories in which he laps the field. But in the final analysis: Go Tiger.