The Masters

[gator1946]

Look, given all that's happened I'm not a Tiger fan. But I have to give him is due. At almost 43 he's come back from an almost debilitating back problem. He's played in only a few tournaments and done very well. I'm actually shocked that he's made it back this far.

All that said, I'd prefer that he be treated as (for golf) an elder statesman who might do something someday, but keep the focus on the new guys. Yeah, I'll admit I'm interested in how he does. I'm more interested in who contends on Sunday. I don't want to see every blinking one of Tiger's shots at the expense of others in the hunt.

Nicklaus, when he was older and playing, got special attention because he was and is the GOAT, but not to the point of nausea. And you better believe, Nicklaus moved the viewing needle plenty in his day.

Nicklaus 18 - Woods 14. Case closed.

 

[itsgr82bag8r]

You're in the vast minority. Golf has been in the toilet without Woods, immediately returning to pre-1996 levels of interest.

The tour has plenty of new guard & doesn't "need" Tiger. Nobody's taking away from his accomplishments, but he lost a lot of the bandwagon fans the sport gained when he made some very serious public mistakes.

 

[Theologator]

Look, given all that's happened I'm not a Tiger fan. But I have to give him is due. At almost 43 he's come back from an almost debilitating back problem. He's played in only a few tournaments and done very well. I'm actually shocked that he's made it back this far.

All that said, I'd prefer that he be treated as (for golf) an elder statesman who might do something someday, but keep the focus on the new guys. Yeah, I'll admit I'm interested in how he does. I'm more interested in who contends on Sunday. I don't want to see every blinking one of Tiger's shots at the expense of others in the hunt.

Nicklaus, when he was older and playing, got special attention because he was and is the GOAT, but not to the point of nausea. And you better believe, Nicklaus moved the viewing needle plenty in his day.

Nicklaus 18 - Woods 14. Case closed.

And when Jack made his run on the back nine on Sunday at Augusta in 1986, at age 46, it was among the greatest sports moments of all time.

Ironic that for all his trouble, up until a few week ago Tiger had won more recently than Mickelson. Being 40+ isn’t what it used to be, so those two remain relevant despite having 5-year droughts.

None of the young guys have managed to maintain success like Tiger did. If 2-3 of them would (say Spieth, McIlroy & Johnson) then some epic rivalries could develop.

 

[oxrageous]

The tour has plenty of new guard & doesn't "need" Tiger. Nobody's taking away from his accomplishments, but he lost a lot of the bandwagon fans the sport gained when he made some very serious public mistakes.

The new guard sucks balls. What a boring bunch of stiffs.

 

[Tunaboat]

Tiger, Schmiger. I watch the Masters to see how great the golf course looks with all the azaleas in bloom and the manicured greenery everywhere. By far the best looking course I've ever seen.

 

[78]

The Tiger of old was a corporate machine whose only indication of normalcy was the occasional temper tantrum after a rare display of mortality on the golf course.

The new Tiger has enough f*ckups in the bag to last a lifetime. He's fatally flawed. In a weird way, I actually find him lovable now.

 

[Gulfstream]

Old Tiger, (1999-2013) crushed the field by just showing up. Everybody knew they were playing for second place at every event, especially the majors.
The young guns today, many of whom Tiger inspired are not in awe or in anyway scared of his charges as evident by Rory on Sunday.
He is good for the game, but an afterthought.

 

[oxrageous]

Old Tiger, (1999-2013) crushed the field by just showing up. Everybody knew they were playing for second place at every event, especially the majors.
The young guns today, many of whom Tiger inspired are not in awe or in anyway scared of his charges as evident by Rory on Sunday.
He is good for the game, but an afterthought.

Too early to say this. He JUST started playing again. Doesn’t anyone else find back to back top 5 finishes remarkable? He set the bar so high that if he doesn’t win it’s a total failure.

 

[Theologator]

Tiger, Schmiger. I watch the Masters to see how great the golf course looks with all the azaleas in bloom and the manicured greenery everywhere. By far the best looking course I've ever seen.

I was able to go on the Friday in 2005, the year Tiger edged Chris DiMarco in part with the amazing chip on 16 that Sunday.

The course is unbelievably beautiful in person. A few things stood out that don’t translate well to television:

1. The elevation changes - it is in a ravine. The high and low point are the biggest change in elevation on the tour, I think. The rise from 16 to 18 is impressive.

2. It is a lot tighter than I expected in terms of tightly packed tee and greens in several spots. Much tighter than say Bay Hill.

3. The undulations in some of the greens are better seen on HDTVs today, but still crazy in person. Some of those landing spots are tiny.

And the concessions aren’t a ripoff. $2 beer that year, $1 pimento sandwiches. Just a great, great day.

 

[Blacklabgator]

I’ll watch if I need something to help me nap.

 

[ufgator812]

I’ll watch if I need something to help me nap.

Yep. Or a Bob Ross rerun...

 

[oxrageous]

I would assume that people that aren't interested in the topic at hand would simply move on and not post their disinterest.

 

[GatorJ]

I would assume that people that aren't interested in the topic at hand would simply move on and not post their disinterest.

Now you know the haters are just gonna hate.

 

[divits]

As someone who's witnessed the kind of surgery Tiger had and the amount of rehab it takes just to get back to being able to walk and sit without pain, I'm amazed he's able to play golf as well as he is. The amount of torsion on the lower spine with a normal golf swing is bad enough on a healthy back, but then add the vertebral fusion and the hardware and its pretty amazing he's able to perform to the standard he has.

 

[GatorInKnox]

Yep. Or a Bob Ross rerun...

I ****ing love Bob Ross. Better sleep aid than anything on the market.

 

[Gulfstream]

Too early to say this. He JUST started playing again. Doesn’t anyone else find back to back top 5 finishes remarkable? He set the bar so high that if he doesn’t win it’s a total failure.

Sorry, i had to catch a flight. I was there on Sat. and watched him tee off on number one, and watched him for a few more holes.

Im not a hater by any means, the money these guys earn today is a DIRECT result of his past accomplishments.

I just believe that the competition is far and away better than when he was in his prime years. Can he win again? probably. Will he win again? who knows.

I do know this, he will never be the same as he was, and that is where people get caught up at.

 

[Zambo]

The competition today is absolutely better than it was back when Tiger was dominating. Most of these young guns that are tearing it up learned by watching how tiger played the game.

 

[oxrageous]

I do know this, he will never be the same as he was, and that is where people get caught up at.

I haven't heard anyone make this claim. Not only is he a lot older, but that many surgeries certainly takes its toll.

 

[Gator Fever]

Never really into watching golf too much but may tune in the last day if Tiger has a chance hoping he doesn't win. I think he hasn't won a major in about 10 years and hasn't won any tournament in about 5 years.

 

[Since65]

The new guard sucks balls. What a boring bunch of stiffs.

Attended the Saturday round of the 2015 Masters. Rory and Bubba were paired together. As they walked down each fairway they received the stereotypical "golf applause". No juice, no vibe, no excitement. And this was for the defending Masters champ and the defending British Open champ. Just two guys playing pro golf.

Tiger walked on to the practice putting green and it was like Elvis had arrived. Total rock star atmosphere everywhere he went. And that's from the more subdued Augusta National crowd. He has a presence that most other players don't possess.

I agree with Ox that what Tiger has done so far in 2018 is well beyond expectations. Will he win another major or even a regular tour stop? That remains to be seen but it's clear that his game is miles better than it has been the last 3-4 years.

He appears to have been impacted by the downturns his life has taken. His overall demeanor and interactions with fans seem more positive and outgoing. Life has a way of humbling even the most successful folks. You'd like to believe that any of us would "learn a lesson" from hard times and change for the better after making big mistakes.