I'll go ahead and say it...

[hokie07 11]

Tiger Woods is BACK!

 

I honestly never really thought he went anywhere, but this weekend absolutely confirmed to me that he still has "it". He hit the ball perfectly all week and didn't try to force anything. When he finds fairways and starts seeing the ball drop on the green, he'll be in contention on just about every Sunday afternoon no matter the circumstances.

 

Another point: A lot of the young guns like McIlroy, Fowler and the up and comers have always downplayed Tiger as just another player on tour. Fowler played with Tiger yesterday when he had it going and shot an 84. I hated that for Rickie because I really do like him and I hope its a learning experience for him, but it just shows that people don't want any piece of a trademark Tiger Sunday charge.

 

The Olympic Club should be a lot of fun next weekend.

[legend11 32]

Tiger Woods is BACK!

 

I honestly never really thought he went anywhere, but this weekend absolutely confirmed to me that he still has "it". He hit the ball perfectly all week and didn't try to force anything. When he finds fairways and starts seeing the ball drop on the green, he'll be in contention on just about every Sunday afternoon no matter the circumstances.

 

Another point: A lot of the young guns like McIlroy, Fowler and the up and comers have always downplayed Tiger as just another player on tour. Fowler played with Tiger yesterday when he had it going and shot an 84. I hated that for Rickie because I really do like him and I hope its a learning experience for him, but it just shows that people don't want any piece of a trademark Tiger Sunday charge.

 

The Olympic Club should be a lot of fun next weekend.

I forgot how much fun it is when Tiger is in the hunt on Sunday. I posted in the chat box yesterday that I hate when people say "the game is more fun when Tiger is winning." I've always loved golf and will always love the game. But yesterday reminded me just how fun it is when Tiger is winning.

[Deleted Account 5,203]

If I hadn't used the "America is Back" clip just about 2 months ago, I'd have used it here.

 

Tiger won with the 2nd-highest score in this tournament in 22 years. Not kidding. A -9 would have been good for about 10th most years. The history books will always show Tiger as the winner, but it's one of those "he won because everyone else played like garbage" wins. Even marginal pro golfers like Bart Bryant get those. Sorry, but I'm telling it like it is.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Tournament

 

Let him shoot under 70 in a meaningful round in a major. THEN, and ONLY THEN, will I even entertain the notion that "Tiger is back".

Edited June 4, 2012 by UVAObserver

[GMan 3,569]

Tiger Woods is BACK!

 

I didn't want to be the first to say it but I was probably the first to think it.

 

The chip-in on #16 was the warning alarm to the rest of the PGA Tour...he's on the prowl again...

 

He also had a little extra incentive yesterday...tying Jack for career wins by winning Jack's tournament. He owns both Arnie's and Jack's events.

[GMan 3,569]

I honestly never really thought he went anywhere, but this weekend absolutely confirmed to me that he still has "it". He hit the ball perfectly all week and didn't try to force anything. When he finds fairways and starts seeing the ball drop on the green, he'll be in contention on just about every Sunday afternoon no matter the circumstances.

 

Another point: A lot of the young guns like McIlroy, Fowler and the up and comers have always downplayed Tiger as just another player on tour. Fowler played with Tiger yesterday when he had it going and shot an 84. I hated that for Rickie because I really do like him and I hope its a learning experience for him, but it just shows that people don't want any piece of a trademark Tiger Sunday charge.

 

The Olympic Club should be a lot of fun next weekend.

 

Actually, he did lose it for a while...didn't have a clue where he was going to hit it. HOWEVER, he has found a shot that will keep him in play and allow him to hit greens with consistency, and he's smart enough to continue playing it until the rest of his game comes back...and it will come back, eventually. He will play the fade to several more wins this season, including at least one major.

 

Yep, the young guns talk a lot of smack about Tiger but it all seems to disappear when they play with him...is 84 the highest that Fowler has shot on Tour in his career???

 

Tiger will be ready for Olympic Club...that fade won't hurt him there and he'll hit enough fairways and greens to be in contention. If he putts well, he'll win.

[bluefieldRocks 14]

I make a good shot every now and then. Give him in more course to see of he's really back.

[hokie07 11]

If I hadn't used the "America is Back" clip just about 2 months ago, I'd have used it here.

 

Tiger won with the 2nd-highest score in this tournament in 22 years. Not kidding. A -9 would have been good for about 10th most years. The history books will always show Tiger as the winner, but it's one of those "he won because everyone else played like garbage" wins. Even marginal pro golfers like Bart Bryant get those. Sorry, but I'm telling it like it is.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Tournament

 

Let him shoot under 70 in a meaningful round in a major. THEN, and ONLY THEN, will I even entertain the notion that "Tiger is back".

 

Just from a few previous posts on here, I see your golf knowledge isn't your strongest point. No disrespect, I don't know much about bowling, but I don't claim to either.

 

Weather affects the golf course much more than you give credit for. This weekend's tournament played hard in the early part of the week. Wind, rain, cold. That's hard to play in. Ask Rory McIlroy. Or Luke Donald. Or Phil who couldn't even finish out 36 holes (FWIW, I like Phil too, but "mental fatigue" is one of the weakest excuses out there).

 

Yesterday was the only day in the tournament that had "ideal" course conditions. You saw what Tiger did. Look and see that Tiger also had TWO double bogeys earlier in the week and if he didn't throw away a couple bogeys yesterday he shreds the course.

 

I don't know what you constitute as Tiger being "back", but I'm pretty sure with the win yesterday he is going to crack the Top 5 in the latest world rankings. It's only a matter of time until he reclaims #1.

[hokie07 11]

Actually, he did lose it for a while...didn't have a clue where he was going to hit it. HOWEVER, he has found a shot that will keep him in play and allow him to hit greens with consistency, and he's smart enough to continue playing it until the rest of his game comes back...and it will come back, eventually. He will play the fade to several more wins this season, including at least one major.

 

Yep, the young guns talk a lot of smack about Tiger but it all seems to disappear when they play with him...is 84 the highest that Fowler has shot on Tour in his career???

 

Tiger will be ready for Olympic Club...that fade won't hurt him there and he'll hit enough fairways and greens to be in contention. If he putts well, he'll win.

 

You're right about all that.

 

Tiger played smart all week and, like you said, is realizing that he doesn't need the driver off the tee and settled with the 3-wood and irons most of the time. Olympic sets up well for him there too because he won't need to pull the driver out but for maybe 3 holes. Hole 1 is a 500 yard par-4 and there is a 600 yard par-5 on the back. The average par-4 out there is only like 426 yards or something like that and it definitely rewards placement off the tee. Tiger has a legit chance at throwing darts all week. If he sees the ball go in early a few times then it really is game over.

 

I don't know what Fowler's highest career round on Tour is, but I'd bet a lot of money he hasn't shot 84 (after a birdie on the first hole) when in contention on a Sunday.

[hokie07 11]

I make a good shot every now and then. Give him in more course to see of he's really back.

 

Tiger is tied right now for most wins this season. He's won twice and they've both been events where the top players in the world are competing. That qualifies as more than "making a good shot every now and then", IMO. It's not like he's winning the Shell Houston Open or anything.

[sixcat 2,942]

In my opinion, this is Tiger's new normal. He is 36 with a knee, left knee on top of that, that has been cut on four times. He will win more than his fair share when in contention but the weeks he does not have "it", he will struggle just like everyone else.

 

Tiger's biggest advantage from 1996 to 2008 was the fact that he could win tournaments with his "C" game and everyone else would struggle to make a cut with their "B" game. Tiger wins by 5 shots with a "B" game and when he has his "A" game, well just look at the 2000 US Open results from Pebble Beach or 1997 Masters.

 

Tiger will play less and less as he ages and will contend less and less but when he puts it together for a week here and there, we will get weeks like this past. If you doubt my opinion, look up Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus careers. Palmer never won another major after the 1964 Masters at the age of 35. Nicklaus went long stretches between tournaments from the mid 70's into the 80's. But the weeks he put it all together, you got the '86 Masters.

[legend11 32]

One more point I would make: it's not about the base score that suggests Tiger is "back". It's the fact that he created another amazing moment during a win that turns people's attention back to the game. I think the "Tiger is back" would be much, much less today if he would have won without the vintage chip-in on #16. But that one shot suggests that his head might finally be where it was 3 years ago.

 

Also overlooked, I think even 6 weeks ago Tiger would have missed that birdie putt on #18. But yesterday, I was talking to a friend who, right before Tiger hit the putt, said, "Any chance he misses this? No." And I agreed wholly. Tiger was absolutely locked in. Yesterday, Tiger showed that focus that I haven't seen since before Thanksgiving, 2009.

[Deleted Account 5,203]

Just from a few previous posts on here, I see your golf knowledge isn't your strongest point. No disrespect, I don't know much about bowling, but I don't claim to either.

 

Weather affects the golf course much more than you give credit for. This weekend's tournament played hard in the early part of the week. Wind, rain, cold. That's hard to play in. Ask Rory McIlroy. Or Luke Donald. Or Phil who couldn't even finish out 36 holes (FWIW, I like Phil too, but "mental fatigue" is one of the weakest excuses out there).

 

Yesterday was the only day in the tournament that had "ideal" course conditions. You saw what Tiger did. Look and see that Tiger also had TWO double bogeys earlier in the week and if he didn't throw away a couple bogeys yesterday he shreds the course.

 

I don't know what you constitute as Tiger being "back", but I'm pretty sure with the win yesterday he is going to crack the Top 5 in the latest world rankings. It's only a matter of time until he reclaims #1.

 

Because I don't agree with the absurd proposition that the Greenbrier is a challenging professional course doesn't mean that I don't have knowledge about the game. I "know" that the course was so awful in Year 1 that literally half of the Top 20 lowest rounds of the year were shot there. I "know" that the "OMG MAJOR UPGRADES" made an almost imperceptible dent in the scoring pace. I don't often fall into the "it's local, THEREFORE IT'S AWESOME" trap. If people here continue to think so in the face of objective evidence to the contrary, go right ahead. I "know" that differences of opinion does not "knowledge" make. But I digress.

 

Golf's by no means my specialty, but facts are facts. -9 is the 2nd-highest score to win in 22 years. Prove it wrong. The reason I used "22 years" as my measurement is that the weather was so awful in 1990 that Greg Norman won with a score of E after the rain cut it back to 54-holes. You want to talk about weather, my friend? THAT is some gnarly weather.

 

For your point to be nearly as strong as you want it to be, you would have to assume that the weather conditions on the first weekend in June in Dublin, OH were considerably better for 21 out of the previous 22 years (Kenny Perry's score in 2008 was a massive 1 stroke higher). I'm not a meterologist, so I don't have those records in front of me (and I'm not going to spend the time to look them up). So, it's your inference that the weather was solely responsible for the low scores against mine that this year was a historical anomaly that Tiger just happened to benefit from. So be it.

 

BTW, a 67, while a fine score, is hardly "shredding the course" by professional standards. Let's save that talk for the 61-65 range. Particularly when Tiger was staring at a round of 70 after the 15th hole. He "shredded" the last three holes, sure. He shredded them to an equal degree that Sabbatini gagged and to an equal degree that Romero did well. Romero was just too far behind.

 

Again, wake me up when Tiger shoots in the 60s in a relevant round in a major. If he wins in 2 weeks, then I'll eat the crow. If not, well, expect a parody thread of this one.

Edited June 4, 2012 by UVAObserver

[Deleted Account 5,203]

In my opinion, this is Tiger's new normal. He is 36 with a knee, left knee on top of that, that has been cut on four times. He will win more than his fair share when in contention but the weeks he does not have "it", he will struggle just like everyone else.

 

Tiger's biggest advantage from 1996 to 2008 was the fact that he could win tournaments with his "C" game and everyone else would struggle to make a cut with their "B" game. Tiger wins by 5 shots with a "B" game and when he has his "A" game, well just look at the 2000 US Open results from Pebble Beach or 1997 Masters.

 

Tiger will play less and less as he ages and will contend less and less but when he puts it together for a week here and there, we will get weeks like this past. If you doubt my opinion, look up Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus careers. Palmer never won another major after the 1964 Masters at the age of 35. Nicklaus went long stretches between tournaments from the mid 70's into the 80's. But the weeks he put it all together, you got the '86 Masters.

 

Now this is a prognostication that's very reasonable. I especially like the using Palmer's and Nicklaus's careers are examples. I think Sam Snead's provides another good example of this corollary. As his career went along, you could see the numbers dip down as he aged from '51-'55 (14 wins) to '56-'65 (8 wins). Funny enough, the U.S. Open was the only one he didn't win...that being the next on Tiger's plate.

[GMan 3,569]

If I hadn't used the "America is Back" clip just about 2 months ago, I'd have used it here.

 

Tiger won with the 2nd-highest score in this tournament in 22 years. Not kidding. A -9 would have been good for about 10th most years. The history books will always show Tiger as the winner, but it's one of those "he won because everyone else played like garbage" wins. Even marginal pro golfers like Bart Bryant get those. Sorry, but I'm telling it like it is.

 

The course this weekend played almost like a "Major" course...greens were difficult (lots of slope, undulation, not to mention extremely quick), the fairways were narrow, the rough was fairly deep, and the bunkers were unforgiving. Toss in some rain, much cooler temperatures, God awful wind, and some extremely difficult pin placements and you can expect much higher scores than normal.

 

Did you see the post-tournament press conference??? Jack made mention of several "awful" pin placements on Sunday's round because of the wind conditions.

 

This was NOT a garbage win...

[GMan 3,569]

Or Phil who couldn't even finish out 36 holes (FWIW, I like Phil too, but "mental fatigue" is one of the weakest excuses out there).

 

"Mental fatigue" is just another way of saying "this golf course kicked my ass..."

[legend11 32]

In my opinion, this is Tiger's new normal. He is 36 with a knee, left knee on top of that, that has been cut on four times. He will win more than his fair share when in contention but the weeks he does not have "it", he will struggle just like everyone else.

 

Tiger's biggest advantage from 1996 to 2008 was the fact that he could win tournaments with his "C" game and everyone else would struggle to make a cut with their "B" game. Tiger wins by 5 shots with a "B" game and when he has his "A" game, well just look at the 2000 US Open results from Pebble Beach or 1997 Masters.

 

Tiger will play less and less as he ages and will contend less and less but when he puts it together for a week here and there, we will get weeks like this past. If you doubt my opinion, look up Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus careers. Palmer never won another major after the 1964 Masters at the age of 35. Nicklaus went long stretches between tournaments from the mid 70's into the 80's. But the weeks he put it all together, you got the '86 Masters.

 

Now this is a prognostication that's very reasonable. I especially like the using Palmer's and Nicklaus's careers are examples. I think Sam Snead's provides another good example of this corollary. As his career went along, you could see the numbers dip down as he aged from '51-'55 (14 wins) to '56-'65 (8 wins). Funny enough, the U.S. Open was the only one he didn't win...that being the next on Tiger's plate.

Haha, yet none of these players had the added benefit of Dr. Anthony Galea...

[Deleted Account 5,203]

One more point I would make: it's not about the base score that suggests Tiger is "back". It's the fact that he created another amazing moment during a win that turns people's attention back to the game. I think the "Tiger is back" would be much, much less today if he would have won without the vintage chip-in on #16. But that one shot suggests that his head might finally be where it was 3 years ago.

 

Also overlooked, I think even 6 weeks ago Tiger would have missed that birdie putt on #18. But yesterday, I was talking to a friend who, right before Tiger hit the putt, said, "Any chance he misses this? No." And I agreed wholly. Tiger was absolutely locked in. Yesterday, Tiger showed that focus that I haven't seen since before Thanksgiving, 2009.

 

Perhaps I'm just not thrilled about "the moment". Great shot? Absolutely. But nowhere near the best this year. Oosthuizen's "moment" at #2 at Augusta in April far, far outshone this. Golf's biggest stage, a 200+ yard shot, and the only albatross EVER HIT on that hole. And even THAT is debatable when compared to Bubba's chip out of the pine needles on the 2nd playoff hole on an "impossible" angle. Two shots that were literally unbelievable, both on the same day, both in higher pressure situations, both in the most prestigious tournament in the sport.

 

Sorry if I'm being curmudgeonly. I'm just sick of the "TIGER IS BACK" talk every time he puts a couple of rounds together. He's been literally "back" for a while. He's not going to regain the dominance he once had. Where he falls in between is the question, and he's shown us nothing but flashes to suggest that he'll be a "Top 10" golfer (I mean, literally "one of the 10 best", not the unwieldy, strange formula golf has now).

[GMan 3,569]

Golf's by no means my specialty, but facts are facts. -9 is the 2nd-highest score to win in 22 years. Prove it wrong. The reason I used "22 years" as my measurement is that the weather was so awful in 1990 that Greg Norman won with a score of E after the rain cut it back to 54-holes. You want to talk about weather, my friend? THAT is some gnarly weather.

 

You also have to consider that golf equipment and golf balls have been improved dramatically in those "22 years"...scores are going to be much better today than they were back then just due to the equipment/balls that are being played today.

[sixcat 2,942]

Haha, yet none of these players had the added benefit of Dr. Anthony Galea...

 

Most people reading this forum will never know just how funny this is! Nice post.

[Deleted Account 5,203]

The course this weekend played almost like a "Major" course...greens were difficult (lots of slope, undulation, not to mention extremely quick), the fairways were narrow, the rough was fairly deep, and the bunkers were unforgiving. Toss in some rain, much cooler temperatures, God awful wind, and some extremely difficult pin placements and you can expect much higher scores than normal.

 

Did you see the post-tournament press conference??? Jack made mention of several "awful" pin placements on Sunday's round because of the wind conditions.

 

This was NOT a garbage win...

 

Quote me correctly, please. I said that Tiger won because the other golfers "played like garbage". He had 1 A- round, 2 B+ rounds, and 1 C round. Not vintage Tiger for the full week, not by a long shot.

 

Sure, the pin placements may have been bad. Blame the architect and founder, I say.

[GMan 3,569]

Perhaps I'm just not thrilled about "the moment". Great shot? Absolutely. But nowhere near the best this year. Oosthuizen's "moment" at #2 at Augusta in April far, far outshone this.

 

An historical shot indeed, but did it win the tournament for him???

[Deleted Account 5,203]

Haha, yet none of these players had the added benefit of Dr. Anthony Galea...

 

I'm tempted to add a "they didn't have HGH either" crack, but I would probably get myself ban't a-gain.

 

Good pull, though.

[GMan 3,569]

Quote me correctly, please. I said that Tiger won because the other golfers "played like garbage". He had 1 A- round, 2 B+ rounds, and 1 C round. Not vintage Tiger for the full week, not by a long shot.

 

Sure, the pin placements may have been bad. Blame the architect and founder, I say.

 

I don't think the other players played like "garbage", I think the course kicked their ass and the pressure of having Tiger floating around the top of the leader board was too much for some of them (see Fowler's 84)...

[Deleted Account 5,203]

You also have to consider that golf equipment and golf balls have been improved dramatically in those "22 years"...scores are going to be much better today than they were back then just due to the equipment/balls that are being played today.

 

Look at the historical trends, though. The scores made a big jump in 1986 and haven't looked back (save that 1990 even that could've been played on Noah's Ark). I would ask if the equipment made a particularly large jump in that year, or has it been more recent?

[GMan 3,569]

Look at the historical trends, though. The scores made a big jump in 1986 and haven't looked back (save that 1990 even that could've been played on Noah's Ark).

 

And that golf course hasn't played as difficult as it did this weekend during that time either (except maybe in 1990). Did you watch any of the telecasts? The announcers spent much of the time harping on the difficulty of the course this week.