Tiger Faces "Failed Legacy"

Jason Sobel at The Golf Channel has an interesting article up about Tiger and his legacy.

http://www.golfchannel.com/news/jason-sobel/tiger-facing-legacy-of-failure/

Discuss.

IDK, I disagree with that. Tiger's had a fantastic career even if he never wins another major - everyone's run comes to an end, eventually...The guy's had a great career - Failure and Tiger Woods are just two words that don't go together...Lol.

And this is coming from a guy who can not stand and has never rooted for Tiger Woods.

I agee in the sense that if Tiger fails to surpass Jack's 18 major championship, it will be a failed legacy in his mind . We were told from the beginning by him, his father and the rest of his camp from day 1 that this was his main objective.

A legacy is something that a person leaves behind.  If Tiger doesn't surpass Nicklaus, how will he be regarded 50 years from now?  My guess is that the history books will say that he was a great golfer who dominated professional golf for 15 years, but injuries cut his career short and a troubled private life tarnished his reputation.

Bobby Jones is known as a great golfer who retired from competitive golf in the prime of his career.  Ben Hogan is known as a great golfer whose career was cut short by a car accident.  Byron Nelson is known as a great golfer who retired from competitive golf after dominating the professional tour.

Many great golfers could have probably gone on to have greater careers, but for various reasons left the game early.

Although I am not a huge Tiger fan I still say he will most likely break the record.  Almost every great has had a dip in performance and came back as strong as ever at some point.  His physical condition allows him to contend for majors well into his late 40's so he still has about 44+ more chances to get 4 or more victories in the big ones.  That's not a bet I would be willing to make either way.  His legacy will most likely be that of a man who mentally and physically broke himself and his golf game because of some rather poor decisions.  It is no coincidence that his current slide started the week after he admitted his infidelity.   The game is 90% mental for most, at the tour level it's much more than that.  He shredded his mental and emotional state.  He'll get it back and eventually be alright, but not after wasting a couple years to get it back.  The writer met his objective... people talking about his writing.  One thing the golfing world will not say is that Tiger Woods was a failure at golf.  His legacy will remain as one of the greatest players to have ever played.

This is the important question.

The article isn't really bashing Tiger or calling him a failure as much as it is suggesting that the perception of him in the future would be a guy who couldn't achieve the success he was capable of.  I would tend to disagree with him.

One of the examples he uses is that of Roger Maris.  He correctly points out that, at the time, Maris was actually hated for going after the beloved Ruth's record because of the circumstances surrounding it.  Now?  Maris is hailed as the "true" home run champion.  Now he is beloved by people who probably never even saw him play, simply because of the people that passed his record.

History has a way of revising itself to fit the modern sentiment.  Right now, all of the focus is on all of the negative in Woods' life.  20 years from now, we will see the larger picture again.  If Tiger never wins again yet nobody ever approaches even 10 majors for that period of time, I don't see how anybody could see Tiger's legacy as anything but an incredibly successful one that was probably cut short by his own fallibility.

Brandon

A great's legacy is usually decided by how someone exits from greatness. That's why sometimes they'll retire early, because they don't want to end on a mediocre performance and tarnish their image that way. Regardless of his physical condition, it's obvious his "personal life" played a huge impact in his recent decline. If he fades out and never wins another major, particularly if he logs a very small handful of normal wins, he'll be remembered as the dominating golfer who's personal life brought an end to his game. Unless he gets some form of dominance back, that's going to be an image that's almost impossible to shed.

Quote:

These are truly two great points. Over his career, Tiger, his people, and the media have made so much over the chase for Jack's record, I think if his career were to be over today, a lot of people would forget how far he did get. Think about it. From 1997 to 2008, he won 14 major championships. That's insane for anyone else, but the way Tiger has been built up over his career, it's total failure to him, and in many ways, to most people. It's an interesting questions to say the least.

Tiger cheated on his wife, he didn't kill anyone, engage in a high speed chase while driving a white Explorer, rob a bank or blow up a building.  It's news now because Tiger was/is an icon and the media enjoys "exposing" such people to the public because it makes them money.  Babe Ruth was a drunk and womanizer, but 50 years later he's placed on a pedestal and everyone cried foul when Barry Bonds broke his record along with Aarons.  Chamberlin claims to have slept with over 20,000 women but is mostly remembered for being one of the greatest centers in basketball.   Most sports legends of the past weren't angels, but today, most are remembered for their accomplishments within their sport, not their failures as a human being.

Whether Tiger surpasses Jacks Major record or not, he'll be remembered as one of the best golfers to ever play and who shattered the racial stereotype of golf being a sport played and won only by whites.

Just to set the record straight, O.J. wasn't driving the Explorer Bronco. The killing part, well.........................

This is such bullshit......there have been more than one (Nicklaus) player that has had or has as much talent at Tiger.........Tiger has worked his absolute ASS off for the 14 majors he has won.....to say that if he doesn't beat Nicklaus' record that is legacy is that of a failue is ludicrous.......Hogan didn't win 14 majors.....this game if fukkin hard and very, very, very competitive at the highest level....anyone who understands that could never come to this conclusion.

Rant over..........................

When I think about Tiger, I think about his accomplishments, his winning spirit and domination of the game the last 15 years. Not that he has yet to beat Jack's records.

Every week you have a deadline and have to write something. Why not write something that will stir up controversy and keep people coming back to your column to find to what outlandish thing you'll say next?

This is a telling quote: "The prevailing sentiment will be less about celebrating his career and more about how he robbed observers from getting an opportunity to see what could have been the most enthralling sports moment of their lives."

Tiger doesn't owe us anything, we're not entitled to anything from him. We didn't hire him to win golf tournaments or to break Nicklaus's record. He plays golf, we watch and wish him well, like we wish every other golfer well. That's it. Tiger is just a guy living his life like the rest of us are. I can't see why it needs to be any more complicated than that.

I don't think it was high speed either!

I'm OK with what was written. After all, it is an opinion piece. But to the legacy portion time has a way of viewing history in a contemporary light. Meaning the op ed piece was written with today's perspective but rarely do such opinions hold up in the long run. I think Tiger's legacy will be known for the incredible achievements he made on the course as well as increasing the purse sizes on the PGA Tour making a lot of players quite rich. Also, the exposure of the game to a worldwide audience is not something that can be ignored. The personal stuff he went though will be brought up from time to time but in the end it will be more of a footnote than a major factor in how his career will be perceived.

I think his legacy will be viewed in a very favorable light when all is said and done. But, I also don't believe that the book is closed concerning Tiger. I'm willing to bet there are a few more chapters to write before he is done. IMO, I think he is past the personal turmoil portion and now it's a health issue for him.

No one could ever consider Tiger a failure as far as golf is concerned. No one else has ever held the four modern major championship trophies at once, and I am doubtful they ever will, at least not in my life time. Right now to me, that is still his legacy. In that period and as others have said the larger period of 1997-2008, he created a sports legacy that no one can deny.  The other day on GC, someone said if he doesn't catch Jack, he will be remembered as the second greatest that every played. I must admit that is debatable even though I am more a Jack fan than a Tiger fan, but even the second greatest golfer ever doesn't sound like a "legacy of failure" to me.

As to his personal life, Tiger presented one image when the real thing was something else. I think that is the problem most people have with the events that came to light when the Escalade hit the tree/hydrant. Some personal bad choices tarnished what was a very good image and an inspiration to many. How history deals with this really depends on Tiger, and how he handles himself going forward, whether he is regarded as a bad boy, a sleaze, or a man who made some serious mistakes and did his best to atone for and correct them.

I agree with the comments above that I can't see how Tiger could ever be considered a failure as a golfer whether he ever wins another major or not.   As pointed out above he is the only golfer to have held all four Major Championship at once and the way he beat folks at Pebble Beach was amazing.  I just don't see people seeing him as "first loser" at golf.  As to his personal failing I suspect memory of those will diminish with time and while always a part of this legacy,not the main part.    How Tiger himself will feel about not breaking Jack's record (assuming he doesn't), only Tiger knows that.

Wow?!

Lee Elder, Calvin Peete, Vijay Singh,  and a several others, Ever heard of these guys?

Racism in golf doesn't exist any more does it?  No more than it does in the NBA.  If you have the skills and the ability to play you get in, skin color is no longer a factor and I am not old enough to know a time when it was.  I have been playing for 30 years.

Here's a little African American history in golf...

1896 - John Shippen became the first black to play in the U.S. Open. He began the second day of the event tied for first place!  He had a disastrous stroke of luck that began when his drive landed in a sand trap. He took eleven strokes to complete the 13th hole!

1899 - Dr. George Grant - Invented the golf tee, it was the first to be registered by the US Patent office. But, the prominent Boston dentist never marketed his invention. Twenty-five years later, a white golfer patented a tee, marketed it, and was credited with the invention.

*date un clear - Ann Gregory is reputed to be the first black woman to enter a USGA event.*date un clear -under research.

1925 - George Adams became a founding member of the United Golf Association.

1934 - In search of information about 'James "Pat" Ball'?

1935 - Women's Eastern Champion -Rhonda Fowler was a pioneering black woman golfer.

1946 - Bill Powell designs and opens Clearview G.C.

1948 - Theodore "Rags" Rhodes , Bill Spiller and Madison Gunther filed a civil lawsuit against the PGA, for civil rights violations. The PGA changes to an 'invitation only" format to avoid its legal and moral obligations to let these black men play in the PGA tournaments. But by standing up and taking a stance these men made significant in-roads and gained empathy for the movement.

1950 - Ann Gregory wins the National UGA Tournament in Washington, D.C., she won a total of six championships of the seven tournaments that she entered.

1954 - Harold Dunovant turned pro and was one of the first black golfers to attend the PGA Business School in Long Beach, California. He is the head pro at Minorcas Golf Course in Winston Salem and the founder of the National Black Golfers Hall of Fame.

1956- Ann Gregory becomes the first African American to enter the U.S. Amateur Championship held in Indianapolis, Indiana.

1962 - Charlie Sifford becomes the first African American PGA Tour member.

1963 - Althea Gibson broke the color line, and as it is well documented was highly successful as a tennis professional.

1964 - Pete Brown Win's the Waco Open.

1966 - Ben Davis was admitted to the Michigan PGA.

1967 - Renee Powell Joined the LPGA Tour and was a active competitor for 13 years. Now She works with the golfing industry promoting minority golf and running Clearview Golf Course founded by her father.

1968 - Ben Davis becomes the first Black head Golf Course Pro at Rackham Golf Course in Detroit, MI.

1975 - Lee Elder becomes the first black to play at the Masters Tournament at Augusta National.

1979 - Lee Elder played on the U.S. Ryder Cup Team

1991 - First Black member of Augusta National admitted.

1997 - Eldrick " Tiger " Woods becomes the first African-American Masters Champion