posted Aug 15, 2007

I believe in Tiger as his mental power is very strong. I envy him. I knew he would win at last for sure.

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posted Aug 15, 2007

Tiger Woods attitude is nauseating. When he's winning it's all because of his hard work and ability to "hit the ball solid", but when he's losing he is like a spoiled child pouting up and down the fairway. The best sportsmen in the world should be able to win and lose with grace and decorum. He has some way to go.

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posted Aug 15, 2007

Andy you make some interesting step but rather side step my point of eras. The whole point is don’t give your opinion cloud your instincts
Do you think that Woods would not have won as many majors in that ‘era’


It all boils down to what is between the ears. Tiger is as mentally tough as they come, and that's not a knock on the other guys. The man simply has no peer over the long haul. And Nicklaus said it himself in an interview with Golf magazine about a year ago. He said "Tiger is a throwback." By that he meant that Woods studies every facet of the game just like the great players did 40-50 years ago. Jack said it didn't matter what era you put Tiger in, he could play with that equipment and he would win more than his fair share because of his incredibile talent. So you will excuse me if I put more stock in his opinion than in yours.

Jack was a great player period! But even He said "Tiger plays a game that I am not familiar with, when he was asked to explian what he though was Woods’s flaws.

I think he's the best of all-time already. Greatest and best are not the same thing. Jack's competitors would have still gotten their butts stomped into the ground by Tiger, almost as bad as the current crop of top players. His 15 shot win at the U.S. Open is something that no one else in history can brag about, and it's something that will never be topped. One of Nicklaus' peers, Johnny Miller, said that the most Tiger could win was 12. This was in 1996 when the media asked him if Tiger was being overhyped. He thought that the competition was too stiff in today's world for anyone to really challenge Jack's record. He said at the time that IF Tiger got to 12 it might be the best career ever due to the depth of fields. There is simply less room for dominance when the fields are so deep. I will consider Jack the greatest of all time until Tiger passes him in major wins, but I do think his career is strong enough to call him the best to ever play. Like I said before, there is a difference.
Tiger Woods will go down not only as the greatest golfer of all time but as perhaps the greatest champion of any sport, for few professional athletes of his status respect the history and precedent of their sport quite like Tiger, nor does any current athlete seem to take such delight and inspiration from that knowledge. It is a joy and pleasure to watch him respect and rewrite the game, as he strides towards his ultimate destiny of the greatest golfer of all time. Thank you, Tiger!

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posted Aug 15, 2007

Tiger versus Nicklaus is a common topic in golf circles for sure. This is natural. They both had this mental focus that separated them from their peers. Tiger has added a few dimensions, and has spawned a new generation of "must dos and must haves" to be successful in modern golf.

Why, however, do we not talk about Bobby Jones as well? In the end, Hagan could not beat Bobby - virtually no one could.

Only Bobby and Tiger have won four consecutive majors. Jack never approached that level of force and consistency.

Bobby also carried out his feats with a physical disability. He is also the only champion golfer to create a major tournament in his own name.

For different reasons, I say the three are tied for greatest ever golfers.

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posted Aug 15, 2007

Merv. Jack's opinion does not matter. Those who cannot accept the fact Tiger is the greatest and will surpass 18 majors cementing his greatness will dismiss any comment that backs up this fact regardless who says it.

Come on Tiger

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posted Aug 16, 2007

Tiger Woods is one of the longest hitting and best fair weather players the world has ever seen. He is reliable and mechanical, as is evidenced in his putting. As for flair and panache, he is sadly lacking. He is rather boring to watch because he takes an inordinate time on his putting in particular.When the US television coverage show Tiger and hardly any one else, it turns people away from golf.

He is certainly one of the fittest golfers around. Because golfing is so rewarding at the top level, the top 100 players only have to perform adequately to be millionnaires, so their hunger for fittest and winning is not so great.

I would like to see Tiger play more outside of the US to show what he is potentially capable of.

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posted Aug 16, 2007

Merv wrote:

"Do you think that Woods would not have won as many majors in that ‘era’"

Yes that's exactly my point, and i think the stats and arguments i've made perfectly back that up.

'Dashed', you make a good point about Bobby Jones, but i really think you should add Ben Hogan to that triumverate of yours - try reading Curt Sampson's book 'Hogan', it tells his life story - and what a story; now i've heard some people attributing mental toughness to Mr Woods, well let me tell you after having read Sampson's book about 'the wee iceman' (Hogan) there's no doubt in my mind that Mr Hogan was the mentally toughest of the lot. He also would probably have completed the modern day slam if it wasn't for him being unable to get back to the US in time after playing in the Open. Dan Jenkins, acclaimed to be the greatest living golf journo', claims for these reasons amongst others that he believes Hogan is the greatest of them all - and he watched all of them play (apart from Jones that is, born too late i think, although he might have watched him after Jones retired),

'The objectiv one', i agree with you regarding the level of hunger and desire in Tiger's competitors not being that great because of the money floating around the sport (i mean if Ernie and Phil really wanted to challenge Tiger wouldn't they be in a lot better physical shape - it's puzzling to me why they're not in better shape - i guess there just satisfied to be where they are right now. i remember when Woods first started dominating that Phil and Ernie amongst others started to get serious about fitness and strength - it didn't seem to last long though)

With regard to Tiger not being exciting to watch i'd have to disagree though, i think he's probably just behind Seve in the flair and panache department - some of the shots he hits are mind blowing. If it was a toss up between WATCHING Tiger and Nicklaus i'd definitely watch Woods (seve would definitely be first on the list to watch though). But like i've already made clear in a number of posts - In terms of who is the greater of the two? well Nicklaus wins hands-down

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posted Aug 18, 2007

Comparing sportsmen and women of different generations will always create controversy. Three Comments on Tiger Woods.
1) Tiger Woods is your supreme professional. When he plays,brilliantly or otherwise,he makes compelling viewing.(period)
2) TW is pretty wayward with the driver,ranks lowly on most of the stats provided by PGA website, but still manages to top the scoring averages. His ability to concentrate (mental strength) and recover is amazing.
3) Since TW became pro,attendance at PGA tournaments soared. Anyone who thinks that Woods did not have a profound effect on the game globally simply does not understand what it takes to be a professional sportsperson.
Spooky Ramkissoon

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posted Aug 21, 2007

TheObjectiveOne, Tiger Woods is the world number one so you should expect him to get the most television coverage. As for being boring, few people would agree with that. His technical brilliance is allied to mental strength, a winning combination for any individual sport IMO.
Finally, Tiger Woods plays more tournaments outside the US than any other American golfer. And unlike some of his compatriots he doesn't expect British golf courses to be the same as those back home.

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posted Sep 5, 2007

Tiger Woods is a sporting genius. These type of people don't come around often. Glad it's my time that he has. It's funny, as much as it's good to watch others winning such as Phil, Vijah etc and good for golf. I'm still wanting Tiger to win. Yes he's not the most accurate off the tee but doesn't that make his low scores all the more remarkable. I don't think he's boring to watch at all. With some of his comebacks and Par scrambles. The guy clearly has a passion and drive for being the best. The problem is in todays society we always want to see people in the limelight fail. He has made people interested in golf, playing and watching. Surely this has to be a good thing for the future of the sport. I've been playing for 3 seasons now and love the game, but I still know the names of the Legends past in the game. Every Era has Legends but not every Era has a Genius.

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