So you think that Tiger Woods is good at golf. You might even think that he is great. Legendary. You might even think that he is the greatest player to ever play the game of golf. If you happened to watch the U.S. Open this past weekend, you would think otherwise.
It took Tiger a pain-staking 91 holes to put away the 157th ranked player in the world. That's the stuff that legends are made of?
It took Tiger about 100 commercials to tell the world that his knee hurt, but apparently he was "mentally tough" for playing golf on America's biggest stage.
Tiger's daddy had to tell everybody that he was mentally tough because he could hit around 70 golf shots per day and make millions for it.
Tiger's daddy had to tell everybody that he was mentally tough because he was leading the U.S. Open and yet he still amazingly wanted to keep going on.
Tiger's daddy had to tell everybody that he was mentally tough because there were inordinate amounts of people following him and cheering him on.
That's the stuff tough guys are made of?
Four bogeys in his 18 hole playoff with Mediate...legendary? Four double bogeys for the tournament...awesome? An even par round of 71 in the 18 hole playoff to squeak by the 157th ranked player in the world...cool?
Now some might say that Tiger won, and that's the bottom line. You would be correct, but legends don't just win, they win big.
When Tiger won the 1997 Masters by 12 strokes and the 2000 U.S. Open by 15 strokes, now that's the stuff legends are made out of.
To be honest, Tiger has virtually no opponent that compares to him, so why shouldn't he win every time? Arnold Palmer at least had Jack Nicklaus.
Does anybody remember when Ken Griffey, Jr. was slamming home runs out of the park as a kid but then slowed down when he was older? I do. And now the same exact thing is happening to Tiger Woods.
Tiger may be the man of the hour, but when it comes down to it he does not measure up to the game's greatest.
Jack Nicklaus had a similar career in terms of major victories at certain ages. Yet Nicholas still has 18 majors to Tiger's 14. Since Tiger no longer dominates the game like he used to, I see no way in the world that he will come out with 19.
That's not to mention Tiger's measly 65 wins compared to Sam Snead's 82 PGA Tour victories.
Sometimes you need to look at the facts and notice that the man we revere as the greatest that ever lived is just another golfer.
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3 months ago
The stats that you mention in your article are correct, however, you are forgetting a ton of information surrounding those stats - most notably that Tiger is only 32 years old. Nicklaus has 18 majors and Snead has 82 tour victories - OVER THE COURSE OF THEIR CAREERS. Right now if Tiger plays another 10 years taking him to 42 (Nicklaus won his last major at 46) he will be on pace to win 25 majors. If you think he is slowing down, just look at the stats - he has won 4 majors in the past 3 years which is above his average rate of winning majors for his career so he is clearly not slowing down. Woods plays in fewer tournaments now a day and he might play in even fewer in the future because of his knee, but if he keeps on his current pace, in ten years at the age of 42, Woods would have 119 tour victories.
Yes, it took him 91 holes to beat the 157th ranked player in the world, but lets not forget that he just beat the top 157 golfer sin the world essentially playing on one leg.
Nicklaus had more direct competition in Palmer but Woods has a far greater pool of competitors that can beat him on any given week. Just look at tour scoring averages from Nicklaus' day and averages now. Players are all scoring a lot lower today and there are tons of guys on tour that can win a tournament on any given week, Nicklaus never had that.
Yes, your facts are technically correct but the information surrounding those facts tell a far different story.
And legendary performances have as much, if not more to do with the circumstances surrounding the performnce rather than a cold hard fact of how many strokes a guy won by. Nicklaus' performance at the 1986 Masters was legendary more so because he was 46 years old and hadn't won a tournament in years than the fact that he made a rediculous run on the back nine at Augusta (with a little help from the rest of the field melting down).
The only logical way that Woods will not shatter all of the records you mentioned is if his knee injury becomes chronic and prohibits him from doing so - then that would involve a completely different discussion on whether physical longevity is part of being a great athlete.
3 months ago
nah, he's the greatest.
3 months ago
It's Nicklaus, not Nicholas you TWIT!
3 months ago
u r a moron, u gonna tell me next that jordan was no good? IDIOT
3 months ago
It all comes down to who wants it more. It wouldn't have mattered if Tiger won this tournament by 15 strokes or if he won it after ninety-one holes. He wanted it more and received the results he wanted as well.
3 months ago
What in the hell did you just say?
Measly 65 wins?
Can't see him coming out with 19 majors?
Maybe you didn't watch the same U.S. Open we all did. I hope this is some cruel joke.
This past semester, I caught the same stomach virus Michael Jordan did in '97 versus the Jazz. I was basically in bed for three straight days, and not back to full speed for six.
Jordan was sick that morning. That night, he went out and scored 38 points.
I injured my knee playing basketball and I was on crutches for two and a half months.
Tiger Woods had three surgeries on the same knee, then played 91 holes and walked 38, 000 yards. I can't even think of much you just tried to shit on Rocco Mediate, who matched the best player in the sport blow for blow. Not to mention that Rocco is 13 years Tiger's senior.
Man, I can't stand when people like you say stuff like this. A blowout is not legendary. The one-run wins and the last-second touchdowns and buzzer-beaters and shootout victories are legendary. 91 holes and a sudden-death win? The best in the world versus the most amiable tour pro? Tiger's destiny versus Rocco's destiny?
This was legendary. They're going to be talking about this for years.
You, you just go ahead and forget about it.
3 months ago
when he cant even spell well, he expect others to understand what his rationale is ... which place on earth has a Jack Nicholas who wins on the records ? You must be dreaming Dude! Just get ur facts right before putting off about someone especially when they have made a feat that you cant even stand near to ...
3 months ago
Tiger is now going to have season-ending knee surgury. You want to retract your article now?
from 3 months ago
It actually reinforces my article. One of the biggest babies in the game.
from 3 months ago
Wow. Wait while I make sure it isn't July 1st already.
(Checks)
Dang it. Now I have to take this seriously. You are serious, right? You think that Tiger is not a legend? You think that playing 91 holes of golf with a stress fracture isn't legendary? You can honestly think that Tiger will only win five more majors in his career?
Are you nuts?
You believe that an even par round at Torrey Pines is not "cool"? It's even more cool that he did it with ONE LEG that probably looks like this:
http://arthritis-symptom.com/images/Leg-fracture.jpg
Wow. Absolutely incredible. He must be the one from Neptune, but I'm not too sure you're not from there as well...
I will give you the compliment of a nice article. You laid out your case well, but I simply and utterly disagree with it.
from 3 months ago
Lol, meant April 1st. Not July 1st.
3 months ago
I never write comments but this column could not go unanswered. Unless this column is esoterically satirical, Thomas Brown is an idiot in oh so many ways.
3 months ago
Show me something evidence of someone ever winning the US open by 10 strokes... show me evidence where someone has ever even had a -5 in the US Open... it has probably happend but if it has it hasn't been in a LONG LONG TIME.... do you even know anything about golf?.. this is the hardest course on the whole PGA Tour you idiot.. people don't just go out and dominate the US Open ever. As I stated in one of your other articles... the man has had numerous amounts of surgery on the same leg over the years... and beat a field of 150+ men with a torn ACL.. and you say he is not mentally tough. These are two of the worst researched and worst articles I have ever read in my entire life Thomas. If you don't like the guy that is one thing.. but to bash him because he tore his ACL and walked like 30 total miles of golf course and 91 rounds in 4 days.... you are an absolute idiot... and you know you are too.
3 months ago
Wow, as Einstein said, "The difference between genius and stupidity, is that genius has it's limits."
Tiger's winning percentage is over 25%, and higher than that in majors. No one in golf comes close to that number.
He didn't just beat the 157th ranked player in the world, he beat the field of 160 of the best players in the world, on one leg. And, just for the sake of accuracy, the next day Mediate was ranked as the 47th best player in the world.
The rating of the Torrey Pines golf course, was 79.5, which means a scratch player would need 8 stokes to make par 71.
The difference in rankings between Tiger and Phil is a bigger differential than Phil and the 1000th player in the world. That is how "good" he is.
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