Running Tiger Woods thread

True, but for me, it's the only thing left to reveal that would make a Tiger story interesting again.

 

I haven't heard Wright talk about it, but have they delved into whether Jordan and (especially) Notah Begay were authorized to talk even though Tiger didn't participate?

I mean, Jordan doesn't need to care, other than appearing to be the guy's actual friend. But Begay owes a whole lot to their association, and you wouldn't think he would talk out of school.

 

Tiger has a lifetime exemption for the Tour by virtue of having 20 career wins and 15 years of service time. Considering there's only four active guys in that category (Mickelson, Vijay, Tiger and Davis Love III) and two others even close (Ernie Els has 19 wins and Jim Furyk has 17), he's ascended the meritocracy and earned that exemption.

 

I'm about half through it and completely enthralled. Great work. Wouldn't we all love to be able to do work like that?

 

Both the Shipnuck and Thompson pieces were very enlightening in terms of Woods' mindset and how he completely lost the juice to give a fuck about playing golf. Thompson's piece was much better, just because of the ancillary reporting. The yarn about hanging out with Jordan and Jeter and not knowing how to talk to women gave a tremendous insight into how Tiger operates socially. The quotes from the SEALs were excellent. It's honestly one of the most stirring stories I've ever read, the perfect example of how you can write and report without getting input from the subject himself.

 

I swear I've read Tiger's "How to Talk to Women" anecdote somewhere before.

The stuff on TW's lack of desire to win; to break Nicklaus' record was the thing that struck me most. Can't say I'm surprised by the SEAL fanaticism.
It's hardly news he's weird and socially awkward, but the reporting, the detail Thompson got is fantastic.

 

I think that Haney and Steinberg played this all wrong actually.

The right call would have been, "Sure, Tiger. Go be a SEAL. Enlist. We'll be here if you change your mind." And then, in about four months after he quits, because now he has to do the hard shit, along with the funny fun bang bang shoot em up stuff, we would have Nantz talking about Tiger's return to golf.

 

I sense a fun new thread : Harder on the back ... golf or being a navy SEAL?

 

And I think that's bad policy. Why should he (or anybody) get a lifetime free pass today for things he did a decade ago? We'll agree to disagree.

 

Banging escorts, porn stars and Perkins hostesses???

 

And can we please stop talking like playing golf has resulted in the ultimate ruination of Tiger's back? Fred Couples has had back problems for 30 years and managed to win on the PGA at age 44 and finished third in the British two years later. He won't dominate ever again but he can still be competitive.