Tiger Woods (official thread)

[HoldenesqueAlex]

Originally Posted by fourteenandoh

I agree that Tiger had self inflicted issues this week. I noticed early that Tiger was on edge all week. He was letting himself get bothered by mediocre shots rather than playing on. He was complaining a lot (even by his standards) after many of his shots.

He couldn't make a putt, couldn't hit a fairway, and was consistently disappointed with his play.

And he finished second! At the Masters, against the best competition in the world! Does anyone else find this unreal? People (including Tiger himself) have ridiculous expectations of Tiger, where anything less than winning every tournament is a failure. I think this all-or-nothing mentality in sports ruins it sometimes. It's kind of like Ohio State losing in the NCG two years in a row... it hurts, but by any rational standards we ought to be pretty pleased. Except it is even more ridiculous for Tiger because he is, as an individual, competing against 80+ other golfers, and must beat every one of them.

[MaxBuck]

Greatest golfer of all time. The proof is in the fact that people criticize him and find faults in his game when he finishes second in a major.

I love Jack Nicklaus, who was my childhood idol. Tiger is in another level of atmosphere altogether. Even Jack agrees.

[fourteenandoh]

Originally Posted by billmac91

When doesn't Tiger get [censored]ed at poor shots? He's got one of the hottest tempers on tour. Tiger just hasn't played very well over his last 2 tournaments. Simple as that...it's just bad timing it happened to be Masters week.

that's why i said in parenthesis "even by his standards" to me, it was blatantly obvious that he was pressing all week rather than letting it come to him like he usually does. he had the game to win it but he got in his own way which is very unusual. that's not a criticism its an observation.

[billmac91]

Originally Posted by fourteenandoh

that's why i said in parenthesis "even by his standards" to me, it was blatantly obvious that he was pressing all week rather than letting it come to him like he usually does. he had the game to win it but he got in his own way which is very unusual. that's not a criticism its an observation.

I hear ya, I just think it might be a bit of over-analysis. He generally looked upset becuase he wasn't playing to his capablilities. Neither of us can prove our points/observations, but Tiger doesn't seem like the type of guy to let his emotions get the best of him.

[fourteenandoh]

Originally Posted by billmac91

I hear ya, I just think it might be a bit of over-analysis. He generally looked upset becuase he wasn't playing to his capablilities. Neither of us can prove our points/observations, but Tiger doesn't seem like the type of guy to let his emotions get the best of him.

as we all know, he can still win he isn't playing up to his capabilities as long as he keeps his head. this weekend he didn't.

[Oh8ch]

Greatest golfer of all time. The proof is in the fact that people criticize him and find faults in his game when he finishes second in a major.

I love Jack Nicklaus, who was my childhood idol. Tiger is in another level of atmosphere altogether. Even Jack agrees.

Agree with every word. And if you listened closely to Jack when he was still playing he was every bit as brash as Tiger. As great as he was he expected himself to be even better.

Sure, Tiger might be better off keeping some of his thoughts to himself - particularly in this age of media attention. But one could make the case that it is those unrealistic expectations that drive achievements that are beyond any reasonable expectations.

IMO one of the reasons Tiger is so dominant when he is ahead and does not achieve the comebacks one might expect, is that when he is in that final group he is focused on beating the guy next to him - which good, bad or indifferent gives him focus. When he is not in the last group he looks to me like he is second guessing himself. Not knowing what he has to do he second guesses what he wants to do.

[billmac91]

Originally Posted by fourteenandoh

as we all know, he can still win he isn't playing up to his capabilities as long as he keeps his head. this weekend he didn't.

Not when another player is playing lights out. Tiger is good enough to win with his "C" game, but the field has to let it happen. As good as Tiger is, he is capable of losing tournaments. This weekend Trever Immelman played out of his mind and built a big enoigh lead by Sunday to take it down.

Tiger was as frustrated Sunday as he was several weeks ago at Doral. That weekend Geoff Ogilvy was good enough to beat Tiger with his "B" game.

[buckiprof]

Originally Posted by Oh8ch

Agree with every word. And if you listened closely to Jack when he was still playing he was every bit as brash as Tiger. As great as he was he expected himself to be even better.

What separates Jack and Tiger from the rest is that uncommon desire, passion if you will, to be the absolute best. Both never, never come into the final stretch of a tournament, where they might not have the lead, and consider playing for 2nd or 3rd place. Both want to win, will give it their all on each shot, on each hole believing that they can win the tournament. They always play for the win.

Not many have that mindset and that is what separates Jack and Tiger from the rest.

I bet Jack is pretty happy to have 18 majors, but I bet he is even more [censored]ed off about the fact that he finished 2nd place in the majors a total of 19 times. That is really remarkable, 19 times a second place finish, but I would bet Pete Rose $50 he feels that he could have, or maybe should have, won the majority of those as well.

[Oh8ch]

I bet Jack is pretty happy to have 18 majors, but I bet he is even more [censored]ed off about the fact that he finished 2nd place in the majors a total of 19 times. That is really remarkable, 19 times a second place finish, but I would bet Pete Rose $50 he feels that he could have, or maybe should have, won the majority of those as well.

If I were Jack I know what would [censored] me off. Have you ever looked at his career earnings? It was in the neighborhood of 5 million.

[WoodyWorshiper]

Tigers sickness is just ridiculous. Back in the days of Hogan, Snead, Arnie, and Jack, there were realistically a handful of golfers each week that had a shot at winning against these guys. The way that the game has popularized worldwide, there were literally 50 top-notch players every week that had a legit shot to win after Jack's reign, until Tiger came around.

Historically, the top players in the game have been separated by the thinnest of margins in terms of scoring average. In normal times, your top 20 guys were separated by about a 1/2 a shot per 72 holes. And, about 1 shot per 72 would get you to about #30.

Just to use 2007 as an example (the last full year of play), Tiger was #1 in scoring with a 67.73 average. Luke Donald was #2 with a 69.40 average. NOT a typo here, Tiger was 1.67 shots per 72 better than the next closest guy. Now, lets throw Tiger off the tour and make Luke Donald the top scorer. If the next closest guy to him was 1.67 shots higher, you'd find yourself at the #98 player last year, the ever dangerous Alajandro Canizares. To make it a little less painful, only 1 full shot would have separated Donald from #32 Sean O'Hair.

"Crash" Davis had a great description in "Bull Durham" that all that separated a .250 hitter from a .300 hitter during the course of the season was about 1 hit per week, and if you break it down, it's correct. In line with this parameter, excluding Tiger Woods, all that separates the #1 player in the world from the #32 player in the world is one shot per week. Just making that one 8 footer instead of leaving it on the lip is what the difference is between the best, and the 32nd best, yet Tiger reigns .67 better than that, which is simply mind-boggling.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

Golf: Woods has knee surgery, will miss at least a month

Wednesday, April 16, 2008 3:22 AM
By Doug Ferguson


Associated Press

Tiger Woods had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee yesterday to repair cartilage damage, his second operation in five years on the same knee. He is expected to miss at least a month while he recovers.
The surgery, announced on his Web site, came two days after Woods finished three shots behind Trevor Immelman in the Masters. He likely will miss the Players Championship but should return in time to play the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines.

Continued....

[cincibuck]

Before you throw Jack under the bus look at second and third place finishes, look at top ten finishes. Tiger may eventually win more majors, but for consistency Jack is without a peer.

I would also add that there's no one out there along with Tiger. He doesn't have Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Tom Weiskopf, Lee Trevino, et al to challenge him week after week.

[Steve19]

I hope this does not have the effect on him that it had on Ernie Els. Ernie had a LOT more severe injury requiring a transplanted ligament, but this is the third surgery on this knee.

[mooktarr]

The Tiger fans are using this as his excuse for losing the Masters already.

[MolGenBuckeye]

Originally Posted by mooktarr

The Tiger fans are using this as his excuse for losing the Masters already.

He's been hanging out with Roger "I lost? I must have had mono." Federer a little too much, I think.