On Sunday, I was supposed to be reading the homework for my Shakespeare class but, as is usually the case, I was procrastinating. So instead of reading The Tragedy of King Richard II, I was watching a Trojan tragedy.

How in the world, I thought, was Southern Cal losing this badly?

It was tough to fathom. Then it became clear.

"Hey," I called to my roommate, "what's the name of the fullback who is abusing the Trojans?"

"Enis."

"Well, that's not very nice," I said.

"No, no, his name is Enis."

Thus was my introduction to sophomore Curtis Enis. Nobody is supposed to do the kind of things this guy did to USC. He gained 241 yards, scored three touchdowns and immediately put his name at the top of the Heisman race.

OK, I promise to never say anything like that again.

I know it's only August and talking about the Heisman now is like talking about the World Series in April, but the Big Ten teams better take a long look at Enis or they'll end up getting a long look at his backside as he racks up yardage.

I flipped the channel to find out Tiger Woods was getting his butt kicked too. He was five holes down in his quest for a third straight U.S. Amateur Championship. I have a little more faith in Tiger Woods than in the Trojans, so I thought maybe he could come back in the afternoon round. I figured I could try back later.

Two hours and four episodes of "The Twilight Zone" later, King Richard was still in my bag and Tiger Woods was three holes down.

I like Tiger Woods, always have. We are the same age so I watched him play in high school. Every time I go out and hack a little white ball around a course for four hours I gain an even greater appreciation for just how good this guy really is.

One hour later King Richard was still in my bag, but that didn't matter. Tiger had pulled all square with Florida's Steve Scott after 36 holes of golf.

"Are you kidding me?" I said to my roommate. "If this guy pulls this off, I'm building a shrine to Tiger Woods in my room and worshiping him as my God."

Later, I left to buy candles and an offering plate.

Last night after offering up my putter and a box of golf balls, I found out Tiger was turning professional.

Let's just step back and examine this whole Tiger Woods phenomenon. He's 20 and he's the best amateur golfer ever. But I think it is a big risk for Tiger to go pro now. He does have a sponsor's exemption for this week's Greater Milwaukee Open, but he doesn't have his tour card and would have just a few months to finish in the top 125 on the money list or he would have to go back to qualifying school.

He may be a great amateur, but, unlike Phil Mickelson, who actually won the PGA's Tucson Open as an amateur, Tiger has not done consistently well in professional tournaments. He has made appearances in something like 13 or 14 PGA tournaments. He has made the cut in two of those tournaments. If you don't make the cut, you don't win any money.

Of course, there's always endorsement dollars. And believe me, Tiger is highly marketable. Phil Knight, the CEO of Nike, said of Tiger, "If he likes Nike, I hope he turns pro right away. If not, I hope he goes to medical school."

This brings up an interesting point beyond the obvious fact that Phil Knight is pretty much a sleazeball. Tiger is a goldmine because he's a a winner. But he is a winner as an amateur. A big part of winning the U.S. Amateur is match play. Tiger is an incredible match-play golfer. However, the PGA tour is based on stroke play. If Tiger gets a 9 on a par-5, he loses only one hole in match play. In stroke play a 9 on a par-5 could mean the difference between making or missing the cut.

He is still unproven on the pro circuit. Someday he'll make a great pro. But does Nike really want to wait two or three years?

If Tiger wins the Greater Milwaukee it will only add to his mystique. If he misses the cut then he may need to get used to the rough life of a fringe professional for a while.

But let's face it. Whether he's No. 1 or No. 126, he'll still be amazing to watch.

Wildcat sports editor Craig Degel shares his thoughts on sports and life every Wednesday .

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