posted Apr 16, 2008

I haven't been able to read all of the post but I have noticed that a lot of people think Woods will come back and win the U.S. Open, maybe even all of the other majors. I'm not sure if they said this before they knew about his knee op BUT if he is out for between 4-6 weeks does that seem likely? The U.S. open is 7 weeks away, if he comes back in 5 weeks is that enough time to get his game back to were it needs to be to win the hardest of all the majors?

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posted Apr 16, 2008

So, Woods had a (relatively) poor Masters tournament - and finished second.
That doesn't bode well then for those young guns who finished behind him.

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posted Apr 16, 2008

Three ops on same knee is serious even with great surgeons
Not so much of a problem for some but for perfectionists yes it is.
I too do not know why his left knee goes first as the right knee is dominant but the left hip gets it and mine is going thus also transferring to my left knee the pain
If the lower back goes its the worst to correct.
It seems unfair that a golfer like Woods who takes best care of his body should have this problem
He will compensate for this but it will be an advantage for the competitors in my opinion how much we will have to wait and see
I wish him well I just love it when he hits a shot that I can only dream about and the look of disgust and his self reproach is one of the funniest things about his golf and generally speaking there is not much funny about golf !!!

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posted Apr 16, 2008

comment by FUNKYCLIFF (U1669534)

posted 4 Hours Ago

comment by TIMMY™ (U1751296)
posted 37 Minutes Ago

Seems Tiger has come out with this at just the right time.... seems a bit funny to me!

He clearly didn't win at the weekend because he struggled on the first couple of days and just didn't perform. I hope this isn't used as some great excuse for not winning, when he clearly just lost fair and square!

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He praised Immelman as a great young talent and deserving winner i think the plan was to always have surgery after the first major hence the reason he has not played loads of tourneys leading up to it,its funny he hasnt mentioned his knee hampering his play so im not sure where you are going with that one smiley

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Didn't mean to come across quite as cynical as that

Just mean't I hope that's not an excuse for not winning the last tourny..

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posted Apr 16, 2008

In response to people 'going on' about Tiger, I have to say that Woods has done a lot for golf. He is a true household name, one of the few sportsmen who is genuinely recognised around the world and whose name is known by people who don't even follow the sport. Golf should be grateful it has someone like that because- and I have to be honest here- its a mind-numbingly boring sport. It's good for golf that it has a role model and figure like Woods, rather than some personality-free scotsman/white american/englishman/irishman droning on and sending us all to sleep.

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posted Apr 16, 2008

Contrary to many, I believe that Woods plays a very conservative game during the first two rounds, which is usually good enough to see him at the top of the leaderboard or close to it. However, this does assume that his putter is working and that is one secret that eludes even Tiger. The only putts which he holed on the last day were a hit-and-hope on the 11th, and a by then irrelevant 18th. Other than that, his putting was third-rate - yet he still finished 2nd.
It reminded me of Carnoustie in 99, when he couldn't buy a putt of more than 6ft all week, but nearly made the play-off without having used his driver.
His approach to the game has changed a lot since the days when he used to massacre the field - he no longer takes the chances which result in runaway wins, which leaves him vulnerable to someone on form getting lucky - which leaves him playing catch-up. If he is going to win a grand slam, he is going to have to attack slightly more on days 1 and 2 and run the risk of succeeding in the ultimate goal.

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posted Apr 17, 2008

I am not totally surprised that Tiger didn't win last week. In the CA championship he was struggling a bit with his putting, which at the end of the day was all that cost him the title. Yes he missed a few fairways and greens but who doesn't over the course of 4 days. The way the americans set up courses these days for majors can also mean that luck takes more of a part. Why can't they accept that the best in the world are going to make birdies and allow them too. Watching the winner shoot 75 and the rest around him struggle to do much better is not why I watch a tournament. I know it was tough in the wind on the final day but it was still not great entertainment. The pins are put in places where it is practically impossible to make a birdie just to keep the winner near level par. That defeats the object of the game. I am however very pleased for Trevor Immleman and think he richly deserves the title. Beating Tiger any time is a great achievement. At least we can now look forward to the rest of the season without listening to the constant references to the grand slam from the media. As the Masters showed though giving odds of evens for someone to win a Major is crazy. Tiger is one of a kind but there are a lot of players out there of fantastic ability and in time he will find it harder and harder to win.

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posted Apr 17, 2008

I would argue that shooting below par is not the object of the game. Is it not to just get around the course in less shots than the other competitors? If I take 74 shots and you take 75...I win.

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posted Apr 17, 2008

I am a huge fan of Tiger Woods but I'm glad he didn't win. This may seem "nasty" but I think it'll act as a wake up call that he can't win everything, there are plenty of other great golfers out there.

Anyway, Tiger played badly, yet he still came second. For me, that shows how good he really is. Best wishes to him in his rehab!

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posted Apr 18, 2008

One bit of info--I was just taking a cursory look at PGA stats, and in the top 20 only Woods and Harrington made the cut in all their events (5-5 and 6-6). I really like the two of them--both good, consistant performers. I also noted that tiger was also 5-5 in regard to top 10 finishes; Padraig 3-6.

Don't know that this surprises anyone, but does show that Tiger expects to win every tournament he enters, and seldom is far off. Also points out there are others playing well--but not quite to the same level.

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