What was it like watching Tiger in his prime?

[StrokerAce]

10 minutes ago, TSauer said:

I would have probably guessed Jordan as well. That is actually a pretty wild statistic!

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[Sheep]

Excellent question. Had the privileges of following Tiger around during one of his lowest rounds as a pro at the 1999 Buick Invitational. It was the first time I'd seen him play and it was a surreal experience. The way he walked / stalked around the course was wild to watch. After that day, I came away with a couple of thoughts: one, I wondered why he wasn't winning every week and two, I couldn't see how his playing partners could even concentrate (with all the crowd movements, noise).

[RickyBobby_PR]

1 hour ago, Sheep said:

Excellent question. Had the privileges of following Tiger around during one of his lowest rounds as a pro at the 1999 Buick Invitational. It was the first time I'd seen him play and it was a surreal experience. The way he walked / stalked around the course was wild to watch. After that day, I came away with a couple of thoughts: one, I wondered why he wasn't winning every week and two, I couldn't see how his playing partners could even concentrate (with all the crowd movements, noise).

I volunteered at several of his events at congressional. There was a sea of people following him on the range then to the first hole and all around the course. It was 10-20 people deep and somewhere between 25-50 people long if not more.

i had the chance to follow him, Freddie, Phil for a practice round at the presidents cup at rtj. The sound off his clubs is like no other pro. I’ve spent hours watching pros at congressional hit balls on the range before practice rounds and tournament rounds and their contact and the sound is unreal, but his is even different from theirs

[arctictenor]

"IN THE HOLE!!!"

I often chuckle now when I hear someone in the gallery shout it. That shout out was established when Tiger was in his prime. And we often expected his shot to do so: get "in the hole!" or pretty darn close. It was exciting to watch him play and the other golfers to step up their games to be competitive.

[tdroma98]

On 6/15/2024 at 11:51 AM, TSauer said:

I did not get into golf until 2015, so I wasn’t fortunate enough to witness the dominance of his earlier years.

To those of you who have been around golf ever since Tiger was a cub, what was it like watching him in his prime? 

 

@TSauer it wasn't just watching Tiger in his prime, it was being amazed by Tiger growing up winning Amateur Events (3 U.S. Ams), then taking that impressive talent to the professional level & living up to and exceeding expectations.  

We all heard the cliche - "He will be the next...." In Tigers case, it was indeed "He will be the next Jack Nicklaus".  Mr. Nicklaus was great to watch on the course, his demeanor, his execution, and his dominance.  He had a look, different from Arnie & not as pleasant as Trevino. It was business & he was going to beat you. Tiger had that look, but was more emotive & his smile glowed, it captured you. The crowds unnerved his opponents for the first few holes.  

Watching Tiger win 3 U.S. Amateurs, could he take that game & winning attitude to the next level - The Pro's.  Yep! 
To me, he captivated you when he played.  When you turned on the TV to watch PGA on Saturday & Sunday, you immediately wanted to see the Leaderboard.  Where was Tiger?   If he was lurking 1 or 2 shots behind, you felt he was going to win. If Tiger was leading, you didn't dare turn the channel, cause you wanted to see by how many shots he was going to win.  It seemed like, he didn't make mistakes down the stretch.  If Tiger was ahead by 1 shot going into 15, he won by 3 shots at the end.  He could slam the door.  It was impressive to watch. 

Listening to Ken Venturi announcing & his colleagues appreciation for Tiger's play was great.  As Tiger racked up the wins, the fans poured in to follow.  If TV was not catching Tiger's play live, if you heard a crowd roar in the background you knew Tiger was involved. Sure enough, you'd hear Jim Nantz say, let's show you what you missed, yep it was Tiger moment! 

There was a sense of dominance with Tiger in his prime. In my opinion, that dominance is not felt today.  Although Scottie Scheffler is planting that seed. But Scottie is not as charismatic as Tiger.  We've gotten teased with Jordan Speith, Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson. But not the dominance. Can't take away their 14, 15 or 21 wins.  Tiger was great to watch & fueled my passion for golf, which still is fueled today.  What a time for PGA Golf!