Running Tiger Woods thread

DD, are you, or will you soon be, assigned to write about this? I think it's one of the most fascinating stories in a while. Just incredible what's happening. Unreal.

 

Someone with a bit more gravitas has already claimed it at my place, and he'll do a great job.

Meanwhile, Pos wrote this a year ago and it's still true. Golf is not a old man's game. We just want to believe it is.

Golfers Don't Win Majors As They Continue to Age | Golf Channel

 

Mickelson did win the Open Championship at 43. If Woods had any sort of health, he might win a major or even two in the next five years. But he doesn't. Failure to accept a loss of distance because he can't afford to have the same torque in his swing has wound up ruining all aspects of his game while failing to heal.

 

Of course it's nice to drive it a mile off the tee, but you can still have mediocre length and be quite successful. Jordan Spieth is 116th in driving distance, Matt Kuchar 142nd and Zach Johnson something like 190th. All finished in the top 20 in earnings last year. This is where we are with TW — trying to find a way to scrape it around without being an embarrassment; forget about trying to get back to top three or five in the world.

 

Jordan Spieth is such an interesting anomaly because the only thing he seems to do really well is score. As you said, he's not that long, he's not statistically elite with short game or putting, he's just poised. I'll be really interested to see if it can translate to majors over the long haul, not just that one Masters run. You can make a good living driving it 280. Can you win majors? You can win one. (David Toms; Jim Fuyrk; Justin Leonard; Zach Johnson, etc.) Not sure you can win much more than that.

 

If you can't hit it long, it helps to have a deft short game and solid putting.
TW, right now, has none of the above. And chronic injuries to boot.

I can't recall a big name golfer that suffered chipping/short game yips before like this. When Duval went down his entire game went to hell.


Chances TW plays in 4 majors this year? Slim
Chances TW plays more than 10 events this year? Again, slim.
Chances TW shuts it down this year? Again, slim
Chances TW turns off the lights and exits stage right? I'd be shocked.

 

Chances are TW visits LV's thigh gap: way more than slim.

 

A good graphic from Torey Pines today indicating the correlation between scoring success and distance off the tee in the modern game. This is why Tiger feels like he can't lay back.

 

I think the thing that really sticks out for me, though, is that his chipping and putting are shit now, too, and that is not a result of having his body broken down. Chipping and putting take no toll at all on the body, yet he can't do those, either.

 

Play a round with four three-putts and two chili-dips and see how strongly you feel that way. [/stillbitteraboutWednesday]

 

Gone indefinitely.

"I enter a tournament to compete at the highest level, and when I think I'm ready, I'll be back."

I don't see him getting ready by not playing, but I don't see him getting ready by playing.

In any case, I think it was Xan who said he'd buy me a round of golf in my neck of the woods if Tiger doesn't pass Jack. Lemme know when you're in California, Xan.

Tiger Woods takes leave from golf, says his game needs 'a lot of work' - ESPN