he withdrew after posting a 6-over 42 on the front 9 at TPC, he has a bad knee, is working on a ‘new’ swing, and his last win was in 09. sure looks like it
I agree he’s pretty far off from where he wants to be and if it were anyone else I’d say yes. He seems to want to get good again in the worst way - the talent is there and imo he’ll get it together eventually, at least I hope that’s the case.
The entire trio who did the Gillette commercial a few years back are finished: Woods, Federer and Henry. Gillette = the new Madden curse?
Tiger is still only 35, which is far from over the hill in golf. Even if he takes the rest of the year off to heal, he’ll still have plenty of time to add to his career numbers. Nicklaus won 14 times after he turned 36, including 4 majors. Of active players, only Tiger, Phil, VJ, DL3, Els and Furyk even have 14 wins in thier CAREER. Unless his knee is injured beyond repair, it’s far too premature to say his career is done.
the bum is done, Nicklaus is keeping the title.
^agreed. This knee issue seems particularly bad. He’s had multiple surgeries already. Just three years ago he played a full round with a torn ACL to win the US Open, and today he can barely finish the front nine.
Tiger Woods the cheating viagra popping, coctail waitresses banging golfer >>>>>>>>>>>>> the centered nice guy Tiger Woods
I think Tiger can still get to 18. Golfers have a pretty long life span and Tiger has the game to win majors. Interesting to note that this was a lock only a couple of years ago. Amazing how quickly things change. I also think Federer has a major or two left before he hangs it up. I think Federer gets to 18 majors before he retires (one more Wimbledon, and one more US Open). I don’t follow soccer that closely so I am not sure about Thierry Henri.
tiger does have some massive advanteges; money, skill, and drive. i’m pretty sure he can get over 18 - he just needs to stay within himself.
thommo77 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I think Tiger can still get to 18. Golfers have a > pretty long life span and Tiger has the game to > win majors. Interesting to note that this was a > lock only a couple of years ago. Amazing how > quickly things change. > > I also think Federer has a major or two left > before he hangs it up. I think Federer gets to 18 > majors before he retires (one more Wimbledon, and > one more US Open). > > I don’t follow soccer that closely so I am not > sure about Thierry Henri. Thierry Henry left Barcelona to go play for the NY red Bulls…he aint got no chance to win anything real now. He’s out of the French football team too
mar350 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > he withdrew after posting a 6-over 42 on the front > 9 at TPC, he has a bad knee, is working on a ‘new’ > swing, and his last win was in 09. > > > sure looks like it The torques/forces of his old swing are simply too much for his older body. He simply HAS to work on a new swing,and give up some distance, whether he wants to or not. He’s not 22 anymore.
I mentioned my thoughts in another thread, but I really think it’s going to be a long shot for Tiger to reattain the dominance of his former self. He has some joint problems and swing issues, but I think the root of it lies in his head. He was healthy for most of last season yet he never really put on a show stopping performance. Typically golfers play their best in their 30s and then fade away once they hit the 4 0. Tiger needs to get moving, but I’ll be happy if Jack’s record stands for a few more centuries.
Caught some taped version of Azinger’s comments and 1 thing stuck out - He’s still got 11 years to catch Nicklaus - In another year or 2, he’s definately going to make the push to get back there - but no way will he be as dominant as he once was.
everyone’s writing him off like he’s some washed up bum. Golf is different than any other sport- middle aged men can win big. He may have some injuries but strong athletes like him recover quickly. So what if he has to change his swing? He’ll be fine in the long run. If Tiger was a stock he would be dirt cheap right now and end up being a 10-bagger. Climb that wall of worry Tiger.
The one thing he still has on every other golfer is that he knows how to win. Golf is a mental game and knowing how to win is huge. I think he should take a full year off, let his body heal and tee it up again. I also think that once he’s healed, he needs to play a few more smaller-name tournaments to get back in the groove. The only tournaments he plays now are the most difficult ones to win which was fine when he was on his game. Once he’s healed and get the first win out of they way, watch out.
The other thing that makes me think he will be fine is that the problem is with his knee. It’s a simple joint that is relatively easy to fix. If the injury was in his back or hip, it would be more complicated. Golfers with back problems are never the same. I even think he could have his knee completely replaced and be fine.
Great golfers win majors in their late 30’s and I don’t see the equivalent of a Tom Watson, Gary Player, Seve Ballesteros, or Lee Trevino out there stopping Tiger from grabbing a few more once he gets healthy. If he’s still sitting on 14 majors 3 years from now, it’s unlikely he’ll break Nicklaus’ record. Until then though, I wouldn’t count him out.
The thing with Tiger is that it’s not just his knee that has given way (which in itself is a big concern for a professional athlete), but the fact that he has had his public persona completely devastated. Other players will no longer fear him as much such is their knowledge of a somewhat vulnerable side to the man. You’d also have to question just how much drive he has for achieving his golfing goals as much as he once did. In what’s left of his career he would have to effectively replicate the entire major record of some recognised greats from the past to surpass Nicklaus. Having said that even if he could manage just one more major title it would be vindication that he isn’t a spent force, they aren’t easy to win. Funnily enough in the history of golf there have been several similar traits in other greats in that they suffered serious leg injuries, struggled to play but yet managed to produce the best golf of their career (Ben Hogan and Bobby Jones). In that regard it would be fitting that Tiger would do something similar. I think the main threat to Tiger is the newer generation of players who weren’t caught up in the whirlwind of Tiger coming on tour, they grew up watching up and learned to play like him (mentally included). In many ways they have out Tigered Tiger. Whatever happens from now on though he’s already proved beyond doubt just how good he is, he changed the face of golf on his own, a truly great golfer.
^ I don’t buy the “somewhat vulnerable side”…On the field nothing else matters. I also don’t buy the younger generation argument. Of course they are still scared of him, they grew up idolizing the guy. You think the high school players like Kevin Garnett coming into the NBA just went up against Michael Jordan and said “oh what’s the big deal he’s not that good anymore.” No one can out-tiger Tiger. Golf is a mental game yada-yada but that only goes so far. We’ll see what happens. Good arguments above about knee not being a career-ender (other than in other sports like hockey- Cam Neely, Bobby Orr, terrible injuries).
murders&executions Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > The other thing that makes me think he will be > fine is that the problem is with his knee. It’s a > simple joint that is relatively easy to fix. If > the injury was in his back or hip, it would be > more complicated. Golfers with back problems are > never the same. I even think he could have his > knee completely replaced and be fine. No athlete, no matter what the sport, is the same after having your knee screwed up. Factor into that the amount of torque applied to the knee in a golf swing, it’s no wonder things are a bit different. Combined that with his psychological woes, you get a completely different game. Not saying he can’t overcome it, but the knee is a pretty complex thing. It’s not a “simple joint”. Have you ever looked at how it is constructed to keep a 6’ 2" 185lb bi-pedal human going? Let me know when you have your MD with a specialization in orthopedic surgery. I’ve had two knee surgeries myself, a more minor one and another where I had my patellar tendon moved down/out since it was too loose (still have 3 titanium screws). I have worked hard to get it back to “normal”, but there is no “normal” after that, no matter how hard you work. I ski differently, I swim differently, I walk differently. My right leg has been weaker since and aches like hell sometimes due to the cart damage from the orginal injury.