1. He's 36. Athletes don't perform at 36 they way they did at 26, period. Sure, an occasional aberration occurs, ala Nicklaus' 86 Masters, but by and large no.
2. Long injury history. Multiple knee procedures don't go away. Even if you're not in immediate pain, the effects of multiple surgeries affect how you perform. See NFL.
3. He's playing swing, not golf. I have no idea if Sean Foley is a great golf instructor other than to observe his work. His most famous pupil ain't getting it done. Dead left pulls, Balloon right misses and especially approach shots with short clubs are woefully inadequate. Throw in some rather pedestrian putting and there you are.
4. No more legendary short game. It wasn't that long ago when Woods was in a green side bunker or chipping you were surprised when he didn't make it. Lifestyle changes can affect the amount of time you spend on these parts of the game. Anyone married? I don't know that's the case, but his short game looks like it.
5. Mental aspect. Woods was always so single minded that his opponents always knew he was more talented and had out-prepared them. Deadly combo. That's not the case any longer. Public train wrecks like his take their toll. Just a fact.
So, there you go. Expect Woods to win tournaments, he's won three this year. Don't expect the domination seen before 2009.
Swing hard, they'll make more.
Very true, great post, thanks!
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure. Where do I send the $20?
ReplyDeleteYou might want to take a look at what he's doing today. I'm not saying he can keep this pace up all weekend, but we've all been waiting for Tiger to put together a round like he did today in Boston, so he's still slightly better than the "average' pro golfer.
ReplyDeleteAs I said... "Very good pro". Thanks for the visit!
ReplyDeleteVery good post. The thing I think Tiger lost and will never get back is the fear other players had. He may be more skilled than most but they no longer fear him. That alone was once worth a handful of strokes.
ReplyDeleteTiger is finally getting his act together. Nice to see him hitting his short irons well AND driving it in the fairway.
ReplyDeleteTiger will never have that intimidation factor that he used to have when he was at the peak of his game. But I do believe he is getting his game back into shape and will start winning majors beginning in 2013. He was still working on his latest swing changes but still managed to contend in several of the majors this year.
ReplyDeleteAs for his age he is still doing great, for sure he had ups and downs like all of us, but he will be remembered as a great golfer
ReplyDeleteDear Average Golfer, Interesting post, but how do you sleep at night? Do you not think this post will come back to bight you? That legendary short game will be back. Mentally, I fell like he's getting it back to where it was. Playing golf is not playing NFL, I don't see an NFL League for the over 50's. But Hey! Other than that....Keep up the good work. Love the blog!
ReplyDeletekeep sharing dude.
ReplyDeleteHe is only a human such as me ;)
ReplyDeleteTiger has been a great at gulf forever. Being famous must put a lot of stress on people.
ReplyDeleteTiger's reign of domination may slow down, but he will be a force to be recon'd with for quite a while.
ReplyDeleteno left knee...at impact he is off it..pulls all day long...majors are going to be to difficult for him to win, not impossible, but i doubt it.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAuGI55dZ68
Nice post! I really appreciate your work to share it.As for his age he is still doing great, for sure he had ups and downs like all of us, but he will be remembered as a great golfer
ReplyDeleteTiger Woods is still and will always be a golf icon. Everyone faces ups and downs in life. What's important is how you stand up from your fall.
ReplyDeleteYou got it right, Chase54. As a matter of fact, he's back in the game. I heard he suffered from a back spasm and he already had a treatment so I guess he's in pretty good shape again.
ReplyDeleteTiger is finally getting his act together.
ReplyDeleteTiger, Wow what to say about Tiger! He is in-fact and with-out a fact, the FACE of Golf from the time He came onto the Tour, and still remains what countless pros regard as the measuring stick! No one can deny that He alone moves the Needle still to this day!
ReplyDeleteWow I would have to say that Tiger is still the one that moves the needle - you need not go very far, even when interviewing the pros, it is His name that pops up as the go to guy!
ReplyDelete