Running Tiger Woods thread

His podding is what got him into trouble.

 

Of course he is still chasing it.
Furyk and Phil don't care about chasing Jack's record.
I honestly think that if Tiger could have gotten away with playing the 4 majors per year and that was it, that he would have started that in 1997.
He doesn't care about 79 tour wins.
He doesn't care about 109 million and change in career earnings.
He cares about 1 number.
18.

 

Yup. And hanging around the SEALS and running miles on end in combat boots was an EPIC FAIL.

He is cheap with restaurant tips, and he was cheap with getting anyone to help him understand how to take care of his body as he aged. I suppose he never really realized his back and knees are made of kryptonite, until it was too late.

 

He's gonna be paired up with one of the twentysomething bombers in his first tourney, swing from beyond his heels to keep up, send the ball to parts unknown and destroy his back again. Safest bet in sports. He could still compete and maybe win if he morphed himself into a Steve Stricker clone, but he's too vain and stubborn for that.

 

I suspect he'll get exemptions from the USGA for at least three years (I believe Arnie and Jack got between six and eight each). But yeah, just the idea that he'd need an exemption is insane.

Was talking about this on a podcast recently, but everyone who says "Of course Tiger can compete into his late 40s and 50s, look what Nicklaus and Watson and Couples did. He's better than both of them" is kidding themselves.

Look at Tiger's body and tell me his body looks anything like theirs. All of them maintained flexibility and didn't have any interest in getting yoked in the gym. If this back surgery holds up (and I have no reason to believe it will, but let's say it does) what Tiger needs most is to accept that all that matters is staying healthy. Not hitting it out there with JT and DJ and Rory (which I'm not convinced he'll accept just yet) and not looking hot so he can hook up with waitresses at his restaurant. He needs flexibility and tempo. I do believe he could win, in theory, three years from now if he focused on those things. I'm also convinced he'll slap it around at the Hero, then start deadlifting again, and show up and Torrey when it's 51 degrees and try to hit it past Jason Day and Rory (which he'll inexplicably be paired with as a favor to TaylorMade) and he'll feel a twinge in his back when he tries to rip it out of five inch rough, and we'll be right back where we started.

If you look at Couples and Langer, the reason they're still great players who can legitimately contend at the Masters, is they own their swing. It's never out of rhythm, and they're never trying to hammer it past everyone in a dick measuring contest. I just don't think Tiger is ready to be that person yet.

 

Agree. Not a chance in hell he's winning four more majors. He's nine years removed from his last one.

 

This version of the USGA is definitely different than the old guard. I had a convo at the US Open two years ago with one of them, and he said he thinks they'll make Tiger qualify starting in '19. I think that's insane, and the pressure will be enormous if he wants to play and isn't in. The thought of him walking 36 at Jupiter Hills and trying to get one of the three spots available to get into Pebble (where he won by 12) seems like a recipe for much sadness.

 

His first concern is playing well enough to finish 4 rounds of golf in 4 consecutive days

 

I'd bet he'd get the 2019 exemption, but I also bet he'll be back on the DL long before the Open rolls around.

 

In '09 Kenny Perry almost won the Masters then we had Watson with the lead on the 72nd hole at age 59; there's at least a decent chance Tiger contends for a major but he's got to forget about playing as a bomber and go back to iron play and short game, the thinking game. Tiger got hype as a bomber but if you really search his history, some of his greatest moments were when he was laying back farther than others and staying out of trouble.