Tigers Return

[furu 209]

Terrible round. He's still going to end up in the top 20 though.

[GolfSpy Dave 1,598]

I was very happy to see Tiger return today, but I was hoping for super human Tiger, not human Tiger.

I bet he will get it together soon, but those chips, and some of the putts, were painful to watch.

[Mr_Theoo 3,195]

I was very happy to see Tiger return today, but I was hoping for super human Tiger, not human Tiger.

I bet he will get it together soon, but those chips, and some of the putts, were painful to watch.

I think this could be a really good year for him. Even though yesterday was abysmal the swing looked great and he found the fairway with the driver a lot.

[fozcycle 12,485]

Now, Tiger has an opportunity......to dig out of the hole he encountered yesterday and return to respectability.  I'll be there on Sunday to watch....Hopefully, he put on a better show than yesterday. 

[TheHacker 3]

For all of Tiger's detractors who says he has lost it.... 

 

I would gladly give one of my kidneys to be able to play like him in his worse form. Hell... I'll throw in half my liver if I could put like him as well 

[TheHacker 3]

I think this could be a really good year for him. Even though yesterday was abysmal the swing looked great and he found the fairway with the driver a lot.

His full swing looks great!

 

His short game... hmmm... seem to flub his chips / pitch a bit. But I doubt that's something that will trouble him for long.

[revkev 22,899]

Gotta admit I've kinda developed a soft spot for Tiger and his past troubles over the years. It seems that post accident/scandal he's kind of lost his hubris, which is what made him behave the way he did, but also gave him that aura of invincibility on the course.  

 

He's still a great player - now one of many.  Think his struggles at the majors are health related or head related?

I've been trying this for the past five years with very few takers/converts so I will try it here again.......

 

It's about the putter!

 

It happened to Snead, Palmer and Watson in their early to mid 30's. After that they all could compete and even win regular tour events for quite some time but not majors. it's like that for Tiger and it started before the personal issues or coach changes or comebacks or anything else.

 

Check out the stats, he was not hitting the ball particularly well towards the end of his tenure with Hank and his body was a mess. He won a US Open on a broken leg because he holed the putts that he needed to hole to win.

 

Since that time though it's all changed. In his comeback Masters he was on a roll until a short miss of an Eagle putt on 13 stopped the run. That was a putt that he had never used to miss. He's constantly struggling with his speed in majors, blowing it by, leaving it short and that leads to short game issues (if I don't get this tight I'm making bogey) to approach shot issues (dunk it or settle for par) to driving issues although it's been a long time since he was a good driver. After his first return he was striking the ball great, winning regular tour events, even World Golf events, heck he returned to World number 1, but he could not win majors.

 

For Tiger it's all about the putter. Of course his legacy is greater even than Snead, Palmer and Watson but I don't see any more majors or certainly not enough to threaten Jack unless the putter changes. Even when Watson had that incredible run at the Open it was the putter that did him in. That's where Tiger is at.

 

It's not physical, it's not ball striking and it's not mental unless that's what is causing him to miss putts. It's all about the putter for him. He should take care of his swing himself and go see Dave Stockton.

[wbealsd 1,063]

Revkev, I tend to agree with your take on this, if for no other reason that I think as we get older we lose some of the "instinct" or natural coordination of vision and muscles we were able to rely on when we were younger.

 

When I was a kid, even though I didn't play golf, I did play Putt-Putt courses and was pretty good at it.  Even though I didn't start to play golf until I was 50, I could putt better than I do now, without really having to think about it.  I could, more or less, instinctively see the line and strike the ball well enough to make the putt or get close enough to tap in.

 

Once that natural ability declines, we start to "think" about our putting and the brain gets in the way.

[revkev 22,899]

Revkev, I tend to agree with your take on this, if for no other reason that I think as we get older we lose some of the "instinct" or natural coordination of vision and muscles we were able to rely on when we were younger.

 

When I was a kid, even though I didn't play golf, I did play Putt-Putt courses and was pretty good at it.  Even though I didn't start to play golf until I was 50, I could putt better than I do now, without really having to think about it.  I could, more or less, instinctively see the line and strike the ball well enough to make the putt or get close enough to tap in.

 

Once that natural ability declines, we start to "think" about our putting and the brain gets in the way.

 

Perhaps it gets better as dime tai kicks in and we start to forget the misses.

 

It's strange age effects people differently. I've gotten to be a better putter with age. Some no all of that is a matter of confidence and clearly I'm not doing it for a living, under pressure, day after day. Clearly there are those who loose their stroke earlier than others.

[wbealsd 1,063]

 

Perhaps it gets better as dime tai kicks in and we start to forget the misses.

 

It's strange age effects people differently. I've gotten to be a better putter with age. Some no all of that is a matter of confidence and clearly I'm not doing it for a living, under pressure, day after day. Clearly there are those who loose their stroke earlier than others.

I play better, in all aspects of the game, the less I think about it.  Maybe I'm just forgetting the misses - lol

[Kenny B 25,090]

I've been trying this for the past five years with very few takers/converts so I will try it here again.......

It's about the putter!

 

It's not physical, it's not ball striking and it's not mental unless that's what is causing him to miss putts. It's all about the putter for him. He should take care of his swing himself and go see Dave Stockton.

Totally agree about the putter. He doesn't seem to have he same confidence he used to have. Stockton would be a good choice, but I would also add that since he is going back to his early swing, Tiger should also dig his old putter out of the closet.

[TheCommonHacker 32]

I feel like we are witnessing a legend become human. I find it interesting about age and putter. Then again I find that stat a little scary since I am closing in on that age. But it can't make my putting much worse. The Tiger of days past have gone. He is a normal PGA player. He will have good weeks and bad weeks. We need to start watching the young guys begin to carry the work load and carry the future of the PGA to another new level. 

[Mr_Theoo 3,195]

I feel like we are witnessing a legend become human. I find it interesting about age and putter. Then again I find that stat a little scary since I am closing in on that age. But it can't make my putting much worse. The Tiger of days past have gone. He is a normal PGA player. He will have good weeks and bad weeks. We need to start watching the young guys begin to carry the work load and carry the future of the PGA to another new level. 

 

I doubt Tiger sees himself as a regular PGA player now. He is going to have to figure a new way to score low, similar to how Michael Jordan had to figure out how to score when he could no longer jump over everyone, so he went to the fadeaway.

 

Wonder what is going to be Tiger's fadeaway?

[TheCommonHacker 32]

Great point Theoo. And maybe Tiger switching his gear is like MJ going to 45. 

[markb 243]

Great point Theo, the legends always find a new trick to get them over the next challenge and remain great.   I remember when the Mailman started taking mid-range jumpers and I thought, "What are you doing, take it to the hole!"   Then he started hitting them and uh-oh, he had another weapon.

 

I think there is a difference in the MJ and Tiger analogy, however.  MJ never stopped thinking he was MJ.  It seems to me that Tiger may think he's human now.

[mbrodeur86 379]

It's what makes great players great. Like some of the guys said, his full swing looked really good. We all know short game and the putter comes down to feel. He must have really taken the time he needed off and not touched any clubs while he was out. With all that has happened to him though, I still wish him the best and hope to see him give Rory a run for his money.