Tiger Woods (3 Viewers)

[Apple Jack]

When you look at the numbers, it's sort of baffling that people even put these other schlubs in the conversation with Tiger. He's one of the all time greats already, and he's freakin' 36.

He was one of the all-time greats at 24.

100+ golfers have 10 career wins. Tiger had his 15th win by age 24 (only if you count the 4 majors he won in that span)

DOB: 12/30/1975

This might be pizza math, but by my count he had 24 wins and 5 majors when he was 24.

I guess AJ said at 24, you said by age 24, so you're both right.

Don't forget six USGA titles, including being the only person to ever win three Junior Amateurs and the only person to win three straight Amateurs. His amateur career alone got him close to the conversation.

I went to the Western Amateur every year from 1989-1999, when it was always held at Pointe O' Woods. Mickelson beat Justin Leonard in 1990, and I thought I had just seen the most impressive amateur since Nicklaus. Leonard won the next two years. Then I got my first glimpse of Woods. He beat Chris Riley in the final, and I was thunderstruck. I had never seen a golfer with that much talent, and he was so exuberant, the crowd went bananas (and it was the biggest gallery I had ever seen at any amateur event). He joined Bobby Clampett as the only 18 y.o. winner of the Western Am.A few weeks later at TPC Sawgrass he was six down after 13 holes of the 36-hole match-play final, five down with 12 holes remaining, three down going to the final nine. Absolutely smoked Trip Kuehne. Won it by firing right at the 17th hole pin, landed 2 feet from the bulkhead, and drained the putt from the fringe.

Love watching this guy.

Newport was kind of ho-hum, but watching the Sawgrass and Pumpkin Ridge Amateurs was to this day probably as much fun as I've had watching golf on television. Maybe the '97 Masters is there, too. And obviously Jack in '86. But his first and third Ams were nuts. I was working AFD in the shop for both of them.

 

[BobbyLayne]

When you look at the numbers, it's sort of baffling that people even put these other schlubs in the conversation with Tiger. He's one of the all time greats already, and he's freakin' 36.

He was one of the all-time greats at 24.

100+ golfers have 10 career wins. Tiger had his 15th win by age 24 (only if you count the 4 majors he won in that span)

DOB: 12/30/1975

This might be pizza math, but by my count he had 24 wins and 5 majors when he was 24.

I guess AJ said at 24, you said by age 24, so you're both right.

Don't forget six USGA titles, including being the only person to ever win three Junior Amateurs and the only person to win three straight Amateurs. His amateur career alone got him close to the conversation.

I went to the Western Amateur every year from 1989-1999, when it was always held at Pointe O' Woods. Mickelson beat Justin Leonard in 1990, and I thought I had just seen the most impressive amateur since Nicklaus. Leonard won the next two years. Then I got my first glimpse of Woods. He beat Chris Riley in the final, and I was thunderstruck. I had never seen a golfer with that much talent, and he was so exuberant, the crowd went bananas (and it was the biggest gallery I had ever seen at any amateur event). He joined Bobby Clampett as the only 18 y.o. winner of the Western Am.A few weeks later at TPC Sawgrass he was six down after 13 holes of the 36-hole match-play final, five down with 12 holes remaining, three down going to the final nine. Absolutely smoked Trip Kuehne. Won it by firing right at the 17th hole pin, landed 2 feet from the bulkhead, and drained the putt from the fringe.

Love watching this guy.

Newport was kind of ho-hum, but watching the Sawgrass and Pumpkin Ridge Amateurs was to this day probably as much fun as I've had watching golf on television. Maybe the '97 Masters is there, too. And obviously Jack in '86. But his first and third Ams were nuts. I was working AFD in the shop for both of them.

The Steve Scott match might have been the best match play I've ever seen.1986 was pretty special, though - Seve was at the peak of his powers, he and Kite both chipped in for eagle at #8, and when he hit the green in 2 on #13 he shook hands with his brother (caddy). It was like, yep, that'll sew it up. Then he hit that awful hooked 4 iron into the water on 15. Norman made four straight birdies (14-17) and look like he would steal it - then he hit his 4 iron into the gallery on 18. Earlier, Jack hit that monster 4 iron into 15 that led to the eagle. Just magical.

 

[belljr]

I like how his caddy forgot to do his job and take his club...

 

[Apple Jack]

When you look at the numbers, it's sort of baffling that people even put these other schlubs in the conversation with Tiger. He's one of the all time greats already, and he's freakin' 36.

He was one of the all-time greats at 24.

100+ golfers have 10 career wins. Tiger had his 15th win by age 24 (only if you count the 4 majors he won in that span)

DOB: 12/30/1975

This might be pizza math, but by my count he had 24 wins and 5 majors when he was 24.

I guess AJ said at 24, you said by age 24, so you're both right.

Don't forget six USGA titles, including being the only person to ever win three Junior Amateurs and the only person to win three straight Amateurs. His amateur career alone got him close to the conversation.

I went to the Western Amateur every year from 1989-1999, when it was always held at Pointe O' Woods. Mickelson beat Justin Leonard in 1990, and I thought I had just seen the most impressive amateur since Nicklaus. Leonard won the next two years. Then I got my first glimpse of Woods. He beat Chris Riley in the final, and I was thunderstruck. I had never seen a golfer with that much talent, and he was so exuberant, the crowd went bananas (and it was the biggest gallery I had ever seen at any amateur event). He joined Bobby Clampett as the only 18 y.o. winner of the Western Am.A few weeks later at TPC Sawgrass he was six down after 13 holes of the 36-hole match-play final, five down with 12 holes remaining, three down going to the final nine. Absolutely smoked Trip Kuehne. Won it by firing right at the 17th hole pin, landed 2 feet from the bulkhead, and drained the putt from the fringe.

Love watching this guy.

Newport was kind of ho-hum, but watching the Sawgrass and Pumpkin Ridge Amateurs was to this day probably as much fun as I've had watching golf on television. Maybe the '97 Masters is there, too. And obviously Jack in '86. But his first and third Ams were nuts. I was working AFD in the shop for both of them.

The Steve Scott match might have been the best match play I've ever seen.1986 was pretty special, though - Seve was at the peak of his powers, he and Kite both chipped in for eagle at #8, and when he hit the green in 2 on #13 he shook hands with his brother (caddy). It was like, yep, that'll sew it up. Then he hit that awful hooked 4 iron into the water on 15. Norman made four straight birdies (14-17) and look like he would steal it - then he hit his 4 iron into the gallery on 18. Earlier, Jack hit that monster 4 iron into 15 that led to the eagle. Just magical.

I hated Seve back then, so was pretty happy when he booted on himself at 15.The Steve Scott final was definitely the best match play match I've seen. Somewhere in the final nine as Tiger's coming back and starting to pour in putts from the parking lot Scott chips in and the look on his face tells it all. He's so overwhelmed by adrenaline and the shot that he doesn't really know what to do. I think Tiger put a birdie putt in on top of him there, too. NBC should rerun that final prior to the Am sometime. Last year was 15 years, so that would have made sense.

I forgot about the Bob May playoff at Valhalla. That's there.

 

[BobbyLayne]

When you look at the numbers, it's sort of baffling that people even put these other schlubs in the conversation with Tiger. He's one of the all time greats already, and he's freakin' 36.

He was one of the all-time greats at 24.

100+ golfers have 10 career wins. Tiger had his 15th win by age 24 (only if you count the 4 majors he won in that span)

DOB: 12/30/1975

This might be pizza math, but by my count he had 24 wins and 5 majors when he was 24.

I guess AJ said at 24, you said by age 24, so you're both right.

Don't forget six USGA titles, including being the only person to ever win three Junior Amateurs and the only person to win three straight Amateurs. His amateur career alone got him close to the conversation.

I went to the Western Amateur every year from 1989-1999, when it was always held at Pointe O' Woods. Mickelson beat Justin Leonard in 1990, and I thought I had just seen the most impressive amateur since Nicklaus. Leonard won the next two years. Then I got my first glimpse of Woods. He beat Chris Riley in the final, and I was thunderstruck. I had never seen a golfer with that much talent, and he was so exuberant, the crowd went bananas (and it was the biggest gallery I had ever seen at any amateur event). He joined Bobby Clampett as the only 18 y.o. winner of the Western Am.A few weeks later at TPC Sawgrass he was six down after 13 holes of the 36-hole match-play final, five down with 12 holes remaining, three down going to the final nine. Absolutely smoked Trip Kuehne. Won it by firing right at the 17th hole pin, landed 2 feet from the bulkhead, and drained the putt from the fringe.

Love watching this guy.

Newport was kind of ho-hum, but watching the Sawgrass and Pumpkin Ridge Amateurs was to this day probably as much fun as I've had watching golf on television. Maybe the '97 Masters is there, too. And obviously Jack in '86. But his first and third Ams were nuts. I was working AFD in the shop for both of them.

The Steve Scott match might have been the best match play I've ever seen.1986 was pretty special, though - Seve was at the peak of his powers, he and Kite both chipped in for eagle at #8, and when he hit the green in 2 on #13 he shook hands with his brother (caddy). It was like, yep, that'll sew it up. Then he hit that awful hooked 4 iron into the water on 15. Norman made four straight birdies (14-17) and look like he would steal it - then he hit his 4 iron into the gallery on 18. Earlier, Jack hit that monster 4 iron into 15 that led to the eagle. Just magical.

I hated Seve back then, so was pretty happy when he booted on himself at 15.The Steve Scott final was definitely the best match play match I've seen. Somewhere in the final nine as Tiger's coming back and starting to pour in putts from the parking lot Scott chips in and the look on his face tells it all. He's so overwhelmed by adrenaline and the shot that he doesn't really know what to do. I think Tiger put a birdie putt in on top of him there, too.

I forgot about the Bob May playoff at Valhalla. That's there.

Remember the 16th hole? If Scott doesn't remind Tiger to move his coin back, he wins 3 & 2.No regrets

And he married the girl. They were both a big reason why that was such a compelling storyline.

 

[belljr]

When you look at the numbers, it's sort of baffling that people even put these other schlubs in the conversation with Tiger. He's one of the all time greats already, and he's freakin' 36.

He was one of the all-time greats at 24.

100+ golfers have 10 career wins. Tiger had his 15th win by age 24 (only if you count the 4 majors he won in that span)

DOB: 12/30/1975

This might be pizza math, but by my count he had 24 wins and 5 majors when he was 24.

I guess AJ said at 24, you said by age 24, so you're both right.

Don't forget six USGA titles, including being the only person to ever win three Junior Amateurs and the only person to win three straight Amateurs. His amateur career alone got him close to the conversation.

I went to the Western Amateur every year from 1989-1999, when it was always held at Pointe O' Woods. Mickelson beat Justin Leonard in 1990, and I thought I had just seen the most impressive amateur since Nicklaus. Leonard won the next two years. Then I got my first glimpse of Woods. He beat Chris Riley in the final, and I was thunderstruck. I had never seen a golfer with that much talent, and he was so exuberant, the crowd went bananas (and it was the biggest gallery I had ever seen at any amateur event). He joined Bobby Clampett as the only 18 y.o. winner of the Western Am.A few weeks later at TPC Sawgrass he was six down after 13 holes of the 36-hole match-play final, five down with 12 holes remaining, three down going to the final nine. Absolutely smoked Trip Kuehne. Won it by firing right at the 17th hole pin, landed 2 feet from the bulkhead, and drained the putt from the fringe.

Love watching this guy.

Newport was kind of ho-hum, but watching the Sawgrass and Pumpkin Ridge Amateurs was to this day probably as much fun as I've had watching golf on television. Maybe the '97 Masters is there, too. And obviously Jack in '86. But his first and third Ams were nuts. I was working AFD in the shop for both of them.

The Steve Scott match might have been the best match play I've ever seen.1986 was pretty special, though - Seve was at the peak of his powers, he and Kite both chipped in for eagle at #8, and when he hit the green in 2 on #13 he shook hands with his brother (caddy). It was like, yep, that'll sew it up. Then he hit that awful hooked 4 iron into the water on 15. Norman made four straight birdies (14-17) and look like he would steal it - then he hit his 4 iron into the gallery on 18. Earlier, Jack hit that monster 4 iron into 15 that led to the eagle. Just magical.

I hated Seve back then, so was pretty happy when he booted on himself at 15.The Steve Scott final was definitely the best match play match I've seen. Somewhere in the final nine as Tiger's coming back and starting to pour in putts from the parking lot Scott chips in and the look on his face tells it all. He's so overwhelmed by adrenaline and the shot that he doesn't really know what to do. I think Tiger put a birdie putt in on top of him there, too.

I forgot about the Bob May playoff at Valhalla. That's there.

Remember the 16th hole? If Scott doesn't remind Tiger to move his coin back, he wins 3 & 2.No regrets

And he married the girl. They were both a big reason why that was such a compelling storyline.

 

[Apple Jack]

Remember the 16th hole? If Scott doesn't remind Tiger to move his coin back, he wins 3 & 2.

No regrets

And he married the girl. They were both a big reason why that was such a compelling storyline.

I do remember that.

I remember the sound of his ball off the clubface.

Funny...that was a common quote from people back then when they played with him for the first time. I remember Pebble in 2000 thinking the same thing. I had never heard contact that sounded like that.

 

[Spartans Rule]

I went to the Western Amateur every year from 1989-1999, when it was always held at Pointe O' Woods. Mickelson beat Justin Leonard in 1990, and I thought I had just seen the most impressive amateur since Nicklaus. Leonard won the next two years. Then I got my first glimpse of Woods. He beat Chris Riley in the final, and I was thunderstruck. I had never seen a golfer with that much talent, and he was so exuberant, the crowd went bananas (and it was the biggest gallery I had ever seen at any amateur event). He joined Bobby Clampett as the only 18 y.o. winner of the Western Am.

I remember that tournament. First time I ever watched golf live. I was probably about 14 or so. The Point is right in my backyard and my grandpa, a big golf fan, wanted me and my brother to come with him to "see this colored boy golf." I had no interest in golf and no idea who Tiger was, but it was a cool atmosphere out there, much better than I expected. Kept going to the Western Am the next few years although it was never quite the same.

 

[wadegarrett]

Never been a Tiger fan but that shot on 16 was S W E E T.

 

[BobbyLayne]

I went to the Western Amateur every year from 1989-1999, when it was always held at Pointe O' Woods. Mickelson beat Justin Leonard in 1990, and I thought I had just seen the most impressive amateur since Nicklaus. Leonard won the next two years. Then I got my first glimpse of Woods. He beat Chris Riley in the final, and I was thunderstruck. I had never seen a golfer with that much talent, and he was so exuberant, the crowd went bananas (and it was the biggest gallery I had ever seen at any amateur event). He joined Bobby Clampett as the only 18 y.o. winner of the Western Am.

I remember that tournament. First time I ever watched golf live. I was probably about 14 or so. The Point is right in my backyard and my grandpa, a big golf fan, wanted me and my brother to come with him to "see this colored boy golf." I had no interest in golf and no idea who Tiger was, but it was a cool atmosphere out there, much better than I expected. Kept going to the Western Am the next few years although it was never quite the same.

Yep, and you know, that's just the way that generation thought. My mom (R.I.P.) used to tell racist jokes. I'm not going to say Tiger changed her life, but he did alter her perception of African-Americans. She was his biggest fan from 1994 until she passed last year (and she was a card carrying member of Arnie's Army).

I'll never forget walking into Coopers & Lybrand in the Renaissance Center in 1997 and hearing everyone from the mail room talking to the receptionist (all blacks) about Tiger winning the Masters. It was surreal.

 

[Norman Einstein]

After the shot on 16.

Peter Kostis: Does that remind you of anybody?

Gary McCord: One guy...that guy (with the camera on Tiger)

sums it up

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

He might not be all the way back, but anyone who doesn't think he's back isn't paying attention.

The putt to win his last U.S. Open

Shot at 16 @ Augusta

The eagle putt bombs in the U.S. Amateurs

Shot at 16 today

The shot out of the sand over water in the dark at the Canadian Open

The tee shot to 18 inches in the playoff to win his first tournament

Today's shot is up there.

 

[slayer666]

Tiger is having a three-way tonight, bank that ####.

 

[BobbyLayne]

Tiger/Jack presser:

CHRIS REIMER: We want to congratulate and welcome our five-time Memorial Tournament champion, 73 PGA TOUR wins, obviously tying Mr.Nicklaus for second all-time on the PGA TOUR. Just some opening comments about the victory and what it means to do it here at Mr.Nicklaus' event.TIGER WOODS: Well, it's awfully special to just have won this event, and to do it here with Jack obviously there at 18, it's awfully special for us as players to have him there and to greet us after we finish. It's just so special.To kind of pull it off today at the end, you know, I was a few back with a few to go, and to birdie three of the last four was a nice finish. And to pull off that shot at 16, that was kind of sweet, too.But to do -- to be able to tie Jack at 73 wins and to do it at such a young age, it feels really special.Q: Mr. Nicklaus mentioned out on the green during closing ceremonies he's never seen a better shot than your chip-in on 16. Take us through that.TIGER WOODS: The shot was really difficult, but it wouldn't have been so bad if I had a good lie. If the lie was decent, it would not have brought water into play. That was the thing. The lie was just a little bit marginal where it brought water into play. That's one of the reasons why I took such a big cut at it is to try to under cut it enough so if I missed it I missed it short and if it had enough speed it wouldn't snag it and tug it long left, so obviously the hosel wouldn't have been snagged by the grass.I went for it. I pulled it off, and for it to land as soft as it did was kind of a surprise because it was baked out and it was also downhill running away from me. It just fell in. I didn't think it was going to get there at one point. Kind of like 16 at Augusta, I thought I was going to leave it short somehow, and then it fell in.Q: Where does that rank amongst some of your best shots, whether it be the 16th at Augusta or maybe when you holed out at Hoylake, or I don't know where you would put that one.TIGER WOODS: It was one of the hardest ones I've pulled off. I think probably the hardest pitch not too many people saw was the one in Japan in the World Cup to get into the playoff. But obviously you guys never saw it. (Laughter.) That was a pretty sweet shot.But this one was a good one. As I said, it wouldn't have been so bad if the lie was better. But as I said, the lie was sketchy enough where it brought water into play.CHRIS REIMER: Mr.Nicklaus, I know you congratulated Tiger out at closing ceremonies and you mentioned 16. Some opening comments from you?JACK NICKLAUS: I think that -- I just said out here a couple times, that under the circumstances, the circumstances being Tiger has been struggling, he found himself in a position in a tournament, and it was either fish or cut bait, he had one place to land the ball, he's playing a shot that if he leaves it short, he's going to leave himself again a very difficult shot, if he hits it long, he's going to probably lose the tournament. He lands the ball exactly where it has to land. It doesn't make a difference whether it went in the hole or not. Going in the hole was a bonus. But what a shot. I don't think under the circumstances I've ever seen a better shot.Q: The other day you said it's not about magic and memories, and I actually wonder if it was about magic and memories.TIGER WOODS: Well, more magic than memory, I think. One shot was, at least. But today was fun because I striped it today. I just -- from the word go, it was -- Jack and I were talking about it out there on the green, the only shot I tugged, double-crossed, was the second shot on 10. Other than that, it was just every shot was exactly the shape, the trajectory, the distance control. I had it all today, shape off tees, whatever club I wanted to hit, I could hit. That was fun to have it when I needed it.Q: You grew up idolizing Jack and having his poster on your bedroom wall. What is it like to get your 73rd win and tie him for the second all-time PGA TOUR record? And Jack, what's it like to have Tiger tie you?JACK NICKLAUS: I'll let him answer first.TIGER WOODS: Well, it's special for me to do it here, to do it with Jack here, with his involvement in the tournament and the game. It just makes it that much more special. If I would have won it somewhere else, it would have just been I tied Jack. But it do it here and have him here right next to me right now, that means something to us as players, and it's awfully special for me to be here with him right now.JACK NICKLAUS: Well, he had to rub it in my face right here, didn't he? (Laughter.)No, if he's going to do it, which he was obviously going to, I'd like to see it happen here. That was good. That was great. And the way he did it, you know, he just played great. Last time he won here, what, three years ago, he played a great tournament three years ago. Came here a little bit struggling then and just absolutely just blitzed it, and he did it again this week. I hope you like the golf course. If you don't, let me know. But you seem to play it pretty well.Q: Tiger, you won Bay Hill earlier this year in front of another legend, and Masters was two weeks hence. You're sort of in a similar position with the U.S. Open two weeks from now. Can you compare maybe just a little bit about your game this week compared to winning at Bay Hill, how you're coming into this next major?TIGER WOODS: Yeah, at Bay Hill I was -- I played well on that Sunday, but I just didn't quite have the control I did today. That was different. I'm able to hit the ball, I think, compressing it higher than I did at Bay Hill. I was comfortable hitting it down, uncomfortable hitting it up. As I said at Augusta to you guys, I got exposed, wasn't able to get the ball up in the air comfortably, and it showed.Went to work on it for the next few weeks, and I finally got it. It came around here when I needed it. This is a high ball golf course. You've got to get the ball up in the air and you've got to land it soft, and I did it.Q: Can you detail your illness? How sick did you get yesterday and how high did you spike your fever, and how much better do you feel now?TIGER WOODS: It was an Friday. I stayed consistent for Friday and Saturday, and it was 102.Q: When did it break?TIGER WOODS: Last night.Q: Do you recall the last time that you emoted the way you did at 16 with kind of the signature roundhouse right and signature fist pump?TIGER WOODS: I don't know what I did. Honestly I couldn't tell you. I know I got excited. Probably not since the World Challenge last year in December when I made that putt to win.Q: I guess it probably started after you won in March, the he's back, is he back, no, he's not back, yes, he's back. What do you say? Do you think you're back?TIGER WOODS: I won. (Laughter.)I'm sure by Tuesday I'll be retired and done, and then by the time I tee it up at the U.S. Open it might be something different. But I'll let you guys figure that out.Q: You talked a little bit about your swing struggles. Was there a moment here in the last few weeks when you knew in practice you had it? Was there a point when you said, yeah, I've finally got this?TIGER WOODS: Yeah, last week I did some good things, good work at home, and really got comfortable with the things that Sean and I have been working on the last few tournaments and month. They finally felt comfortable, basically. As soon as they felt comfortable, I was good to go. And when I went out and played Olympic, I hit the ball well there. I said, hey, that's as good a prep as any for this event, if I can hit the ball well there. I just basically carried that into this event and hit it great all week.Q: Rickie talked about how he really didn't play that badly, but the conditions were so difficult, the golf course is so exacting, can you talk a little bit about the conditions and with this kind of wind, this kind of golf course, how that adds to the feeling about this victory?TIGER WOODS: It doesn't take much around this golf course to go either way. If you look at the scores, you're going to see a few guys that are probably 3-, 4-under par, and you're going to see a boatload of guys 75 and up. This golf course is demanding. When you get the wind swirling like this, the wind blowing like this and the greens this fast, it's going to put a test on you. And you've got to have control of the game.Rickie wasn't playing that bad starting out. He made a few mistakes, but that's all it takes around this place. And if you miss the ball in the wrong spot, you're going to pay the ultimate penalty, and for some reason he just kept hitting it just in that one spot, and unfortunately it kind of spiraled the wrong way.Q: Your final round average here is a 68, which is the best final round average of any tournament that you played 10 or more times. What is it about Sundays here that bring out your best?TIGER WOODS: Well, I just feel comfortable on this golf course. As I was saying to the guys out there, over the course of my career, I've played Jack's designed golf courses well, and I think that we kind of see the game similarly, how we hit the golf ball, the traj we hit it on, the way we think around the golf course. And for some reason over the course of my career, I've done really well on his golf courses, even going back to my amateur days. I've won at a couple of his venues.When I come here, it's just one of those feelings where I just feel comfortable. Even though I may be struggling or not, I just have a good feeling of how to play the golf course.Q: Going into 16 did you change your mindset at all to say I've got to step on the gas now or anything?TIGER WOODS: No, not at all, not at all. I thought if I played the last three holes in 1-under par that I would probably get into a playoff. I just felt that I just needed one coming in, just to force those guys to at least think about it back there. I don't know where they made a mistake because after I birdied there, the lead was at 8, and all of a sudden I saw the guy were at 7 and 6 quickly, but I don't know where they made mistakes.Q: 16.TIGER WOODS: 16? Yeah, so I just felt that if I could just get one, it would force those guys to have to play the last two holes and at least win the golf tournament outright. But I just felt that I needed first to get through 16, which I ended up doing with a bonus, but then even after birdieing 16, I still felt I needed one more somewhere.I thought I made that putt at 17 and looked a little bit like a fool, missed it by a few inches, but 18 ended up being pretty good.Q: What were you hoping for on the chip at 16, how close?TIGER WOODS: I was trying to get inside probably eight or 10 feet, yeah. As I've said, if the lie wasn't that bad, then I wouldn't have been worried about the water and I would have tried to get it really close.Q: Are you thinking number when you get to a shot like that or just shot; in other words, I've just got to get a par and get out of here?TIGER WOODS: Absolutely, just give myself a putt at it with that lie I had. If I just put it anywhere in that section of the green where I have a putt at it, I felt like I was putting well, and I should be able to bury that putt and go the last two holes and try and get one.Q: Was that your sand wedge?TIGER WOODS: 60.Q: Jack, you redesigned 16 to put a little more excitement into the tournament. How do you think that's worked out?JACK NICKLAUS: Well, today -- we had wind all week. The first day wasn't bad. The pin was tucked in the first pin placement the first day. But today, I don't think the field staff -- I think the field staff got caught a little bit. They were forecasting for a southwest wind, we had a northwest wind, and with the northwest wind that back pin placement from the back tee was really tough. That wasn't what I had in mind to be very honest with you. That green with a southwest wind funnels right down the green, meaning that if you're standing back there on the tee and you hit it, you're going to be buffeted slightly from the right and it should turn the ball. The old green went this way, this green goes this way, so it should feed it to the green.But when you've got a strong left to right, don't put the pin in the back left, please. It just made it so the guys couldn't play it. Not many guys did, they really just needed to put the ball in the middle of the green there if they could and then try to make a two-putt. But guys kept trying to force it back there and they kept going to the back of the green or going in the back bunker and it was tough.TIGER WOODS: Oh, really?JACK NICKLAUS: It was tough. It was tough. I'm glad I didn't have to play my own hole.That's probably right, isn't it, Jon?JON BRENDLE: You guys were forecasting southwest. I don't know. We wanted to play it tough for you.JACK NICKLAUS: No, I don't want you to play it right for me. I want you to play it right.JON BRENDLE: We knew it was going to be tough all day.JACK NICKLAUS: That's your call, not my call. Jon and I talked during the week, we had five pin placements, you didn't use the back right. You could've used back right today probably with the way the wind was.JON BRENDLE: I thought it was more fair back right.JACK NICKLAUS: Boy, you're mean.TIGER WOODS: I made 2. (Laughter.)JACK NICKLAUS: Yeah, he made 2. The little pin placement on the right he made 2, also. You played that hole a couple under?TIGER WOODS: I did play it a couple under.JACK NICKLAUS: So what's so tough about it? Isn't the hole supposed to separate you?TIGER WOODS: Here we go.CHRIS REIMER: Mr.Nicklaus, just some closing comments on the week as a whole.JACK NICKLAUS: I thought the tournament was great. As I said at the presentation, we had four different days, four different conditions. You guys -- they were tested probably more so than I've seen the golf course and players tested with different conditions. Paul Latshaw and his crew did a great job of putting the golf course in shape, and the golf course played fast, which is what I like to see the golf course play. I think fast golf courses always produce the best golf. And I thought that the fans were fantastic this week. People loved the tournament. Everybody worked hard, and we've got to figure out how to get rid of cell phones. That's the last thing.Q: You talked earlier this week, Tiger, about playing in spurts. From a ball-striking standpoint, what kind of spurt was that this week?TIGER WOODS: Well, I had it all week, from the word go, yeah.Q: And then eventually where do you go to, putting tournaments together?TIGER WOODS: Yeah, I'll just keep going, keep working on it. This is a process, and just trying to get better. I have a big event in two weeks, and we go back to work next week to get ready.Q: From what you saw at Olympic, does it set up nicely for you? Do you like the way that the holes go and the kind of shots you're going to have to hit?TIGER WOODS: Yeah, it's way different than in '98. They've added some serious length there. We were hitting different clubs off the tees and different sight lines, and they've shifted a couple of the fairways over, and all new green complexes. You know, my book is useless from '98.JACK NICKLAUS: They've changed the greens?TIGER WOODS: Everything. All resurfaced. My book is useless from '98. Had to go out and chart a whole new book.You know, some of the -- as we were discussing earlier this week, that's the hardest six holes ever to start off a tournament, No.1 being a par-4 now, and No.3 at 250, it's going to be a hell of a test.Q: Last night your agent Mark Steinberg was arrested on dunk driving charges. Did you know that before the round, and what are your thoughts?TIGER WOODS: Yeah, I did, and no comment.Q: Before the chip how unhappy were you with where the ball wound up, and how concerned were you that --TIGER WOODS: Well, I was between 7 and 8 on the tee, and Joey was, in his way, trying to talk me into a 7, and I just didn't -- I didn't feel comfortable that if I hit 7 I could hit it high enough and soft enough. I wanted as much spin as I could possibly put on it. But I felt that if I hit 8, then it could bring the edge on the left into play, so I aimed it a little further right. I figured if I banked it up against the wind a little bit, I could kill it a little bit, which I hit 8 landing it softly, and I pulled it off perfectly. I hit it right on the edge of the crease where the water comes in and turns, and I hit it right on that crease, and it was just perfect, and it just flew too far.I didn't think it would be up on the downslope like that. I thought if anything it would just roll over the back, but I flew it to the back edge.Q: When you talk about the evolution of the swing and how it's coming along, is it fair to say that the driver you'd like to fade, the 3-wood you seem to like to turn over, and where are the irons in terms of getting all the trajectories? Do you feel like you can hit a 3-iron as high and soft as you used to? Do you feel like you can flight it? And then all the way down to wedges?TIGER WOODS: Yeah, I can hit the long irons just as high, but further because I'm --Q: As you used to?TIGER WOODS: I'm hitting it further because I'm compressing it now instead of scooping it. The driver, I do like hitting a hard fade out there, and the 3-wood I can hit either way. It doesn't really matter. But the driver I do like hitting a hard cut. It carries about 280 or so. But I feel comfortable if I have to turn it, I can, like I did on 13 yesterday. I turned it down there. I just felt comfortable, and I saw the shot, and I just felt comfortable with it. Today I didn't. Didn't really feel it, didn't really see it, so I hit a 5-wood down there and played on from there.Q: Would you say you have enough in your bag right now that you feel you can pretty much compete as well as you ever have?TIGER WOODS: Uh-huh.Q: I want to test your memory because mine is fading. When you chipped in at 16, there was a joke in here that maybe now you've chipped in on every hole here. But certainly I remember two different times at 14, wasn't there one at 11 a couple years ago and one at 6.TIGER WOODS: Yeah, when I won in '09 that was for birdie.Q: At 11?TIGER WOODS: Yeah, that was for birdie. No, actually it was for eagle.Big chip-ins? 6 was on the green against Vijay. I chipped in twice on him that day.Q: I'm sure he liked that.TIGER WOODS: Yeah, he doesn't like that, does he?CHRIS REIMER: Well, congratulations, Mr. Woods and Mr. Nicklaus, on a great event and a good victory.

 

[zoonation]

I will be impressed when he contends in a major again. By his standards, that is all that matters. Who cares about missed cuts? T-24s may help solidify the missed cut stat, but they do sweet #### all for the guy's legacy.

He needs 5 more majors. I give him a 15% chance of doing it.

 

[benztoronto]

Wrong Steve.

 

[mr roboto]

Remember the 16th hole? If Scott doesn't remind Tiger to move his coin back, he wins 3 & 2.

No regrets

And he married the girl. They were both a big reason why that was such a compelling storyline.

That guy has his head screwed on right. Man I would be so pissed to hear those questions every day.Good for him.

 

[BobbyLayne]

Nicklaus vs. Woods in career missed cutsMay 12th, 2012 · No CommentsWhew! Tiger Woods avoided starting the first missed cut streak of his pro career with a superbly executed round of 68 at the TPC Sawgrass that left him three below the cut line.If Woods has failed to make the cut, his two event streak would have come in his 268th start as a pro. That he has played that many tournaments without missing two cuts in a row is another testament to his consistency, his greatness, and his iron will.And, of course, you would think that Woods’ mark is far superior to Jack Nicklaus’ after listening to Jimmy Roberts, who compared their stats for career missed cuts as a pro. To date, Woods has eight to Nicklaus’ 88, yet another measure that argues in Woods’ favor as the Best Ever.Roberts, unfortunately, failed to put Nicklaus’ record in the proper perspective. For the record, in his first 16 seasons he missed only 13 cuts in 330 starts, or 3.94%. Woods, in comparison, has missed the cut in 3.0% of his starts as a pro. And keep in mind that over 40 of those starts came in small field events that did not have a cut.As for a missed cut streak, Nicklaus did not miss two in a row until his 476th start, which came in 1988 when he was 48 years old!To match Nicklaus’ record for avoiding missing consecutive cuts, Woods has got to avoid a double for over 200 more starts. As usual, the more you look at Nicklaus’ career records, the better he gets!

 

[BobbyLayne]

Remember the 16th hole? If Scott doesn't remind Tiger to move his coin back, he wins 3 & 2.

No regrets

And he married the girl. They were both a big reason why that was such a compelling storyline.

That guy has his head screwed on right. Man I would be so pissed to hear those questions every day.Good for him.

He's a class act.

 

[Binky The Doormat]

I will be impressed when he contends in a major again. By his standards, that is all that matters. Who cares about missed cuts? T-24s may help solidify the missed cut stat, but they do sweet #### all for the guy's legacy.He needs 5 more majors. I give him a 15% chance of doing it.

Quite the prognosticator. Can you help us understand how you have gained such pga insight?

 

[Raider Nation]

I was doing a million things today. Finally saw the pitch-in on 16.

 

[mr roboto]

I will be impressed when he contends in a major again. By his standards, that is all that matters. Who cares about missed cuts? T-24s may help solidify the missed cut stat, but they do sweet #### all for the guy's legacy.He needs 5 more majors. I give him a 15% chance of doing it.

Quite the prognosticator. Can you help us understand how you have gained such pga insight?

1. Internet message board. 2. No skin in the game. 3. Group think.

 

[Hooper31]

Cannot wait for US open. Just hope Phil comes back, as well as Rory Mac.

Can't help but think that if Tiger had done what Phil did this weekend he would be getting crucified.

 

[Apple Jack]

When asked where the shot on 16 ranks among his biggest, toughest shots, he cited the World Cup in Japan as maybe the best, and mentioned that most didn't see it. Here it is for anybody who wasn't aware of it.

 

[Captain Quinoa]

When asked where the shot on 16 ranks among his biggest, toughest shots, he cited the World Cup in Japan as maybe the best, and mentioned that most didn't see it. Here it is for anybody who wasn't aware of it.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hH-u0CxCAzs

wow, back when David Duval was actually good

 

[Abraham]

When asked where the shot on 16 ranks among his biggest, toughest shots, he cited the World Cup in Japan as maybe the best, and mentioned that most didn't see it. Here it is for anybody who wasn't aware of it.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hH-u0CxCAzs

The 8 iron uphill over the bend from 200 yards to within a few feet was the best shot I've ever seen anyone hit. Wish I could remember the tourney but it would have been at least 6 or 7 years ago. The club pro said he took 5 students and two buckets to the same spot the next day and not a one of them got a ball to stay on the green.But yesterday's was awesome.

 

[Apple Jack]

When asked where the shot on 16 ranks among his biggest, toughest shots, he cited the World Cup in Japan as maybe the best, and mentioned that most didn't see it. Here it is for anybody who wasn't aware of it.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hH-u0CxCAzs

The 8 iron uphill over the bend from 200 yards to within a few feet was the best shot I've ever seen anyone hit. Wish I could remember the tourney but it would have been at least 6 or 7 years ago. The club pro said he took 5 students and two buckets to the same spot the next day and not a one of them got a ball to stay on the green.But yesterday's was awesome.

Are you referring to the seven-iron at Pebble in 2000?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZTuhV4v0H4The best shot he's hit was probably either the bunker shot at the Canadian Open or the one from the one from Hazeltine in 2002.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyFGyZTS--w&feature=player_detailpage#t=369s

 

[Abraham]

That's the one.

 

[belljr]

When asked where the shot on 16 ranks among his biggest, toughest shots, he cited the World Cup in Japan as maybe the best, and mentioned that most didn't see it. Here it is for anybody who wasn't aware of it.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hH-u0CxCAzs

wow, back when David Duval was actually good

Thanks for posting that AJ. I had never saw that. I love Duval's reaction, and the he gave Woods. Pretty classy.

um, they were teammates

 

[TobiasFunke]

the guy still has it obviously, but can he string together 3 or 4 good performances?seems to play very well, then sucks for several events after that before he shows up again.

Starting in December 2011 he went Win, T15, T-17 in match play (2 wins one loss), T2, Withdrawal, Win. Seems like 3-4 good performances in a row to me.After that run he lost his swing for a brief period but now appears to have it back. Pretty standard stuff. Granted it's not vintage 2000-2002 Tiger but that was something unprecedented. Those couple of ridiculous years aside, even pre-injury, pre-meltdown Tiger would go through stretches where he wouldn't be in contention for a couple tournaments in a row.

 

[Dark Matter]

When asked where the shot on 16 ranks among his biggest, toughest shots, he cited the World Cup in Japan as maybe the best, and mentioned that most didn't see it. Here it is for anybody who wasn't aware of it.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hH-u0CxCAzs

wow, back when David Duval was actually good

Thanks for posting that AJ. I had never saw that. I love Duval's reaction, and the he gave Woods. Pretty classy.

Did Tiger and Steve Williams ever get a :highfive: right? Always looked like a monkey humpinn a football.

 

[zoonation]

I will be impressed when he contends in a major again. By his standards, that is all that matters. Who cares about missed cuts? T-24s may help solidify the missed cut stat, but they do sweet #### all for the guy's legacy.He needs 5 more majors. I give him a 15% chance of doing it.

Quite the prognosticator. Can you help us understand how you have gained such pga insight?

Just my feeling is all. 5 Majors is a hall of fame career in and of itself. Tiger is 36. He is not dominant anymore. He has been remarkably inconsistent the last couple of years (in terms of contending and winning).Winning 5 more Majors is going to be extermely difficult. He has 2 wins in the last 3 years. 15% seems generous in my view.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

In his last eight tournaments he has two wins, a 2nd and a 4th. It's the other four results that are the oddity.

 

[zoonation]

I will be impressed when he contends in a major again. By his standards, that is all that matters. Who cares about missed cuts? T-24s may help solidify the missed cut stat, but they do sweet #### all for the guy's legacy.He needs 5 more majors. I give him a 15% chance of doing it.

Quite the prognosticator. Can you help us understand how you have gained such pga insight?

1. Internet message board. 2. No skin in the game. 3. Group think.

Or, just an objective analysis of his game over the last three years and a realistic look at what he needs to accomplish to hold the majors record at age 36.The "group think" is the circle jerk around this one win after the guy just played like crap for 6 weeks.Let's bump this after the US Open. This place was all a buzz over Tiger winning the Masters after Arnie's tournament and he finished T-40. He is clearly improving. You can see it. He still has the magic shots too, obviously. But he just isn't the dominant force he once was.

 

[flapgreen]

Tiger is having a three-way tonight, bank that ####.

It's definitely on now.

 

[Apple Jack]

I will be impressed when he contends in a major again. By his standards, that is all that matters. Who cares about missed cuts? T-24s may help solidify the missed cut stat, but they do sweet #### all for the guy's legacy.

He needs 5 more majors. I give him a 15% chance of doing it.

Quite the prognosticator. Can you help us understand how you have gained such pga insight?

Just my feeling is all. 5 Majors is a hall of fame career in and of itself. Tiger is 36. He is not dominant anymore. He has been remarkably inconsistent the last couple of years (in terms of contending and winning).Winning 5 more Majors is going to be extermely difficult. He has 2 wins in the last 3 years. 15% seems generous in my view.

Two wins in his last three years is an interesting way to frame it when those two wins are in his last five events, giving him a 40% winning percentage in his last five. See how I did that?

 

[TobiasFunke]

I will be impressed when he contends in a major again. By his standards, that is all that matters. Who cares about missed cuts? T-24s may help solidify the missed cut stat, but they do sweet #### all for the guy's legacy.He needs 5 more majors. I give him a 15% chance of doing it.

Quite the prognosticator. Can you help us understand how you have gained such pga insight?

1. Internet message board. 2. No skin in the game. 3. Group think.

Or, just an objective analysis of his game over the last three years and a realistic look at what he needs to accomplish to hold the majors record at age 36.The "group think" is the circle jerk around this one win after the guy just played like crap for 6 weeks.Let's bump this after the US Open. This place was all a buzz over Tiger winning the Masters after Arnie's tournament and he finished T-40. He is clearly improving. You can see it. He still has the magic shots too, obviously. But he just isn't the dominant force he once was.

I don't think most people disagree with you. I think maybe the criticism is of your "I'll be impressed when he contends in a major again" line plus the idea that you can guesstimate the odds. As far as the "contend at a majors" thing, he was T-4 at the Masters last year and has only played two majors since, so it's not like he's come up short a bunch of times. And despite what you say, he and others care about things besides the Majors, and the last two he won were both pretty big spots on the schedule. Both of them were drew all the best players in the world, including all the elite Euros, and were hosted by the two biggest names in the history of the sport other than him.So you kind of come off sounding like a bit of a hater, even though 15% sounds like as good a guess as any to me. Five majors is hard. He's in amazing shape which should help him contend regularly well past when Jack was doing so, that's the only reason I might guess a slightly higher % chance.

 

[17seconds]

It's funny how he kept being asked whether he thinks he's "back".

He had so much success in the past that the only way anyone could ever say "he's back" is if he wins several tournaments and a major or 2 in a year. You won't know he's back until he proves it over several months.

 

[-jb-]

It's funny how he kept being asked whether he thinks he's "back".He had so much success in the past that the only way anyone could ever say "he's back" is if he wins several tournaments and a major or 2 in a year. You won't know he's back until he proves it over several months.

I'm good saying that, as of now, he is on his way back. When he wins a major, he will be back.

 

[17seconds]

It's funny how he kept being asked whether he thinks he's "back".He had so much success in the past that the only way anyone could ever say "he's back" is if he wins several tournaments and a major or 2 in a year. You won't know he's back until he proves it over several months.

I'm good saying that, as of now, he is on his way back. When he wins a major, he will be back.

The biggest indicator of whether he's even on his way is whether he's comfortable with the swing changes and they are working for him. He says he trusts it now. If he has several tournaments without going bad in the long game, then I'll believe him. The putting has to stay strong also...

 

[Sinn Fein]

I would not say he is "back." That implies he is as good/dominant as he used to be. I don't know that anyone will ever be that dominant again (undoubtedly someone in a future generation will be).

But, I think it is safe to say that he is now playing at a level equivalent to the top players in the world, and it has been a few of years since he could say that.

If he can play at this level for the next several years, he has a good shot at Jack's record. I think he'll have to win 2 non-master's titles to do it, but can see him winning a couple of Masters in the next several years - one may be the equivalent of Jack's '86 win. Jack had 14 at this stage of his career - he won once at each major after turning 36.

 

[-jb-]

It's funny how he kept being asked whether he thinks he's "back".

He had so much success in the past that the only way anyone could ever say "he's back" is if he wins several tournaments and a major or 2 in a year. You won't know he's back until he proves it over several months.

I'm good saying that, as of now, he is on his way back. When he wins a major, he will be back.

The biggest indicator of whether he's even on his way is whether he's comfortable with the swing changes and they are working for him. He says he trusts it now. If he has several tournaments without going bad in the long game, then I'll believe him. The putting has to stay strong also...

Probably the main indicator here since he has been able to win pretty consistently without the long accuracy in the past. I thought for sure his putter would fail him over this past weekend given the speed of the greens, but he did well.

 

[zoonation]

I would not say he is "back." That implies he is as good/dominant as he used to be. I don't know that anyone will ever be that dominant again (undoubtedly someone in a future generation will be).But, I think it is safe to say that he is now playing at a level equivalent to the top players in the world, and it has been a few of years since he could say that.If he can play at this level for the next several years, he has a good shot at Jack's record. I think he'll have to win 2 non-master's titles to do it, but can see him winning a couple of Masters in the next several years - one may be the equivalent of Jack's '86 win. Jack had 14 at this stage of his career - he won once at each major after turning 36.

I don't want to come off like a hater. I love watching golf when he is contention and would love to see him resume his run at Jack's major titles record. It is one of the best story lines in all of sports.3 years ago I would have said he would crush that mark. Now, I think just beating it is a longshot, and I'm not convinced any more or less at this point based on what he did this week. He hasn't won a major in four years. 5 more is going to be a tall order.That is all I'm saying. I still think he is the greatest ever right now. 73 wins and 14 majors in the modern era of golf is mind-blowing.

 

[TobiasFunke]

I would not say he is "back." That implies he is as good/dominant as he used to be. I don't know that anyone will ever be that dominant again (undoubtedly someone in a future generation will be).

But, I think it is safe to say that he is now playing at a level equivalent to the top players in the world, and it has been a few of years since he could say that.

If he can play at this level for the next several years, he has a good shot at Jack's record. I think he'll have to win 2 non-master's titles to do it, but can see him winning a couple of Masters in the next several years - one may be the equivalent of Jack's '86 win. Jack had 14 at this stage of his career - he won once at each major after turning 36.

I don't want to come off like a hater. I love watching golf when he is contention and would love to see him resume his run at Jack's major titles record. It is one of the best story lines in all of sports.

3 years ago I would have said he would crush that mark. Now, I think just beating it is a longshot, and I'm not convinced any more or less at this point based on what he did this week.

He hasn't won a major in four years.

5 more is going to be a tall order.

That is all I'm saying. I still think he is the greatest ever right now. 73 wins and 14 majors in the modern era of golf is mind-blowing.

I went back and took a look- he's only played in 11 majors since his last win. Somewhat uncharacteristic for him to miss out on 11 in a row I guess, but he's hardly turned in Colin Montgomerie. If he wins one out of every 11 majors he plays in from now until he gets too old to compete seriously, he would probably tie the record.By the way, those 11 finishes are: T6, T6, cut, 2, T4, T4, T23, T28, T4, cut and T40. Pretty solid considering his physical and mental health over that time frame. Actually was a much more impressive record than I thought it would be when I looked.

 

[zoonation]

I would not say he is "back." That implies he is as good/dominant as he used to be. I don't know that anyone will ever be that dominant again (undoubtedly someone in a future generation will be).

But, I think it is safe to say that he is now playing at a level equivalent to the top players in the world, and it has been a few of years since he could say that.

If he can play at this level for the next several years, he has a good shot at Jack's record. I think he'll have to win 2 non-master's titles to do it, but can see him winning a couple of Masters in the next several years - one may be the equivalent of Jack's '86 win. Jack had 14 at this stage of his career - he won once at each major after turning 36.

I don't want to come off like a hater. I love watching golf when he is contention and would love to see him resume his run at Jack's major titles record. It is one of the best story lines in all of sports.

3 years ago I would have said he would crush that mark. Now, I think just beating it is a longshot, and I'm not convinced any more or less at this point based on what he did this week.

He hasn't won a major in four years.

5 more is going to be a tall order.

That is all I'm saying. I still think he is the greatest ever right now. 73 wins and 14 majors in the modern era of golf is mind-blowing.

I went back and took a look- he's only played in 11 majors since his last win. Somewhat uncharacteristic for him to miss out on 11 in a row I guess, but he's hardly turned in Colin Montgomerie. If he wins one out of every 11 majors he plays in from now until he gets too old to compete seriously, he would probably tie the record.By the way, those 11 finishes are: T6, T6, cut, 2, T4, T4, T23, T28, T4, cut and T40. Pretty solid considering his physical and mental health over that time frame. Actually was a much more impressive record than I thought it would be when I looked.

Yeah, his record in the majors hasn't been awful or anything, but he hasn't really contended either. In his top 5 finishes since Ambiengate, he was never actually in contention to win on the back 9 on Sunday.Again though, the guy is the best all time right now. It took Jack 550 or so tourneys to win 73. I think it took Tiger about 265 or so (without going back to look). That is remarkable. Amazing really. In his career he basically wins more than 1 out of every 4 starts.

But I'm not looking back. I'm looking at where he is in his career, what I see from him this year and what he needs to do to get it done. Major #15 will reignite the chase. If he hits it great around Olympic, which he reportedly did last week, and really contends, then I 'll be back on board. Otherwise, we just have the same conversation again leading up to the British and PGA.

Edit to add: just did a quick calculation and it seems I shorted Jack. I think it is more like 73 wins in around 460 starts, but I don't have time right now to confirm the actual figure. Tiger still did it in 180 or so less starts.

 

[TobiasFunke]

Yeah, his record in the majors hasn't been awful or anything, but he hasn't really contended either. In his top 5 finishes since Ambiengate, he was never actually in contention to win on the back 9 on Sunday.

Again though, the guy is the best all time right now. It took Jack 550 or so tourneys to win 73. I think it took Tiger about 265 or so (without going back to look). That is remarkable. Amazing really. In his career he basically wins more than 1 out of every 4 starts.

But I'm not looking back. I'm looking at where he is in his career, what I see from him this year and what he needs to do to get it done. Major #15 will reignite the chase. If he hits it great around Olympic, which he reportedly did last week, and really contends, then I 'll be back on board. Otherwise, we just have the same conversation again leading up to the British and PGA.

I get that you're not trying to hate on the guy, but stuff like the bolded might be why people are perceiving a little bit of it. IIRC he had a putt on 15 to take the outright lead in the Masters last year. He was definitely tied for the lead on the back nine at some point. He was absolutely in contention.

 

[Otis]

I would not say he is "back." That implies he is as good/dominant as he used to be. I don't know that anyone will ever be that dominant again (undoubtedly someone in a future generation will be).



But, I think it is safe to say that he is now playing at a level equivalent to the top players in the world, and it has been a few of years since he could say that.

If he can play at this level for the next several years, he has a good shot at Jack's record. I think he'll have to win 2 non-master's titles to do it, but can see him winning a couple of Masters in the next several years - one may be the equivalent of Jack's '86 win. Jack had 14 at this stage of his career - he won once at each major after turning 36.

He's consistently BEATING the top players in the world. He's #3 in the rankings. Generous of you to say he is "at a level equivalent" to them.

 

[Sinn Fein]

I would not say he is "back." That implies he is as good/dominant as he used to be. I don't know that anyone will ever be that dominant again (undoubtedly someone in a future generation will be).



But, I think it is safe to say that he is now playing at a level equivalent to the top players in the world, and it has been a few of years since he could say that.

If he can play at this level for the next several years, he has a good shot at Jack's record. I think he'll have to win 2 non-master's titles to do it, but can see him winning a couple of Masters in the next several years - one may be the equivalent of Jack's '86 win. Jack had 14 at this stage of his career - he won once at each major after turning 36.

He's consistently BEATING the top players in the world. He's #3 in the rankings. Generous of you to say he is "at a level equivalent" to them.

His last 9 tournaments: 15, 17, 2, cut, 1, 40, cut, 40, 1

So, 2 wins sandwhiched around the worst 3-tourney stretch in his career. He is capable of winning now, which is more than he could say for the last few years. But, he is inconsistent now - which is the same for many top players in the world. So, I think he belongs in the conversation as one of the top players today - it used to be there was no conversation, he was head and shoulders above everyone else. I don't think he is ever getting back to that level.

 

[Otis]

I would not say he is "back." That implies he is as good/dominant as he used to be. I don't know that anyone will ever be that dominant again (undoubtedly someone in a future generation will be).



But, I think it is safe to say that he is now playing at a level equivalent to the top players in the world, and it has been a few of years since he could say that.

If he can play at this level for the next several years, he has a good shot at Jack's record. I think he'll have to win 2 non-master's titles to do it, but can see him winning a couple of Masters in the next several years - one may be the equivalent of Jack's '86 win. Jack had 14 at this stage of his career - he won once at each major after turning 36.

He's consistently BEATING the top players in the world. He's #3 in the rankings. Generous of you to say he is "at a level equivalent" to them.

His last 9 tournaments: 15, 17, 2, cut, 1, 40, cut, 40, 1

So, 2 wins sandwhiched around the worst 3-tourney stretch in his career. He is capable of winning now, which is more than he could say for the last few years. But, he is inconsistent now - which is the same for many top players in the world. So, I think he belongs in the conversation as one of the top players today - it used to be there was no conversation, he was head and shoulders above everyone else. I don't think he is ever getting back to that level.

He is absolutely getting back to that level. This is more mental than anything else, and confidence builders like this weekend will get him further and further into his groove. Next year he'll be devouring the field again.

 

[tipsy mcstagger]

But he just isn't the dominant force he once was.

This is true. His run before 30 years old was sick. He won't ever be that scary again......Unless he is in the final 3 pairings in any tourney for the next 10 years...then he is that scary...ask the guys playing behind him this past week if that roar from Tigers gallery @ 16 & 18 didn't flat out destroy them...did you see the body language or the facial expressions on either one of them? Not to mention the 10 over score Tiger had playing with him that day...although I think the popsicle outfit was his real problem.5 more majors will be tough. Most guys never even get one. I would not bet against him however.