How Many Majors Would Tiger Woods Have If Nothing Sidelined Him Post 2009?

[nevets88]

Since he's in the HoF and there's talk of him coming back, I was thinking about this. So let's say in some alternate universe Woods had an amicable split and didn't have all those injuries around 2013? Memory is fuzzy but I think he was recovering from his 2008 USO injuries in 2009 and would have probably won one in 2010 if he kept the momentum going. Maybe one more before the 2013+ injuries started... stacking (that's a Foley reference) up.

That was when he was shanking his short game shots and had all those surgeries. Maybe he could have won 2 2014-2017.

I would go with he'd be at 19.

 

[iacas]

I can't vote because I think the answer may be less than 14.

In winning the majors, and in doing the work the way he did it, he incurred a certain amount of damage to his body. He paid the price to win the 14 or 15 majors he won (14 pre-2009, 15 now).

Had he taken it easier, and thus not been injured or undergone as many surgeries post-2008, maybe he wouldn't have won as many majors pre-2009.

[nevets88]

21 minutes ago, iacas said:

I can't vote because I think the answer may be less than 14.

In winning the majors, and in doing the work the way he did it, he incurred a certain amount of damage to his body. He paid the price to win the 14 or 15 majors he won (14 pre-2009, 15 now).

Had he taken it easier, and thus not been injured or undergone as many surgeries post-2008, maybe he wouldn't have won as many majors pre-2009.

Interesting point. That would certainly throw a wrench in the 15>16 argument if it becomes 13>16?

[iacas]

54 minutes ago, nevets88 said:

Interesting point. That would certainly throw a wrench in the 15>16 argument if it becomes 13>16?

16? Do you mean 18?

[ChetlovesMer]

2 hours ago, iacas said:

I can't vote because I think the answer may be less than 14.

In winning the majors, and in doing the work the way he did it, he incurred a certain amount of damage to his body. He paid the price to win the 14 or 15 majors he won (14 pre-2009, 15 now).

Had he taken it easier, and thus not been injured or undergone as many surgeries post-2008, maybe he wouldn't have won as many majors pre-2009.

I'm going to go with the alternate universe in which Tiger still does all the work he did, but in this universe he is unbreakable. In that universe I'll say he wins 18. 

[boogielicious]

I went with 20+. There was no real dominant player in that time period.

[colin007]

Sheeeesh I honestly can't believe our scandal was 13 years ago....

[woodzie264]

He’d be at least 30-40 deep at this point - long live the  🐐 

[nevets88]

3 hours ago, iacas said:

16? Do you mean 18?

Whoops, yeah 18.

I added 13 to the poll choices.

[Big C]

31 minutes ago, nevets88 said:

Whoops, yeah 18.

I added 13 to the poll choices.

I don't understand the "13" option. Tiger won 14 majors prior to 2009 - how could 13 be a valid choice?

[saevel25]

I answered before reading @iacas post. I went with 19. He won about 20% of the majors form 1997 to 2008. I thought, what if he won half as many, so 10% of them. That would be 4-5 more majors over the next 11 years (2009 to 2021). I voted 19 in total. 

I see three options. 

1. He didn't go as hard from 1997 thru 2008. So, he would have less majors. 
2. He found better workout and practice regime that let him work smarter, and still win just as many majors. 
3. He worked just as hard, but just got extremely lucky and doesn't get injured. 

Maybe #2 isn't even an option.

 

[iacas]

1 hour ago, Big C said:

I don't understand the "13" option. Tiger won 14 majors prior to 2009 - how could 13 be a valid choice?

Read my post.

[billchao]

Wait I’m confused. Are we having a hypothetical discussion on what Tiger’s career would be like if he spent it injury-free (significant injuries)? Then I get @iacas’s point.

But if we’re talking about only after 2009, which is how I’ve interpreted the question as well, then I’m with @Big C. He already won 14 majors.

[Vinsk]

2 hours ago, billchao said:

Wait I’m confused. Are we having a hypothetical discussion on what Tiger’s career would be like if he spent it injury-free (significant injuries)? Then I get @iacas’s point.

But if we’re talking about only after 2009, which is how I’ve interpreted the question as well, then I’m with @Big C. He already won 14 majors.

I believe Erik is saying that all of Tiger’s injuries weren’t due to random events such as the car wreck. Some of his injuries were due to how hard he trained and pushed himself. So, take that hard training away, less injury, but perhaps he may not have gotten to 14 at all.

[turtleback]

13 hours ago, nevets88 said:

Since he's in the HoF and there's talk of him coming back, I was thinking about this. So let's say in some alternate universe Woods had an amicable split and didn't have all those injuries around 2013? Memory is fuzzy but I think he was recovering from his 2008 USO injuries in 2009 and would have probably won one in 2010 if he kept the momentum going. Maybe one more before the 2013+ injuries started... stacking (that's a Foley reference) up.

That was when he was shanking his short game shots and had all those surgeries. Maybe he could have won 2 2014-2017.

I would go with he'd be at 19.

 

He was averaging better than one a year and at that rate he'd be at least 25, so I can't see how anyone could say less than 20+.

2 hours ago, Vinsk said:

I believe Erik is saying that all of Tiger’s injuries weren’t due to random events such as the car wreck. Some of his injuries were due to how hard he trained and pushed himself. So, take that hard training away, less injury, but perhaps he may not have gotten to 14 at all.

I think Erik is answering a different question.  The question was:

1. How Many Majors Would Tiger Woods Have If Nothing Sidelined Him Post 2009?

If nothing sidelined him he'd have been healthy for those 13 years, so I have no idea what going at it hard or going at it less hard has anything to do with it because the very premise of the question is that nothing sidelined him.

It isn't "What would Tiger have had to do in order to get to a place where nothing would have sidelined him post-2009".

Edited March 23, 2022 by turtleback

[iacas]

6 hours ago, Vinsk said:

I believe Erik is saying that all of Tiger’s injuries weren’t due to random events such as the car wreck. Some of his injuries were due to how hard he trained and pushed himself. So, take that hard training away, less injury, but perhaps he may not have gotten to 14 at all.

Correct. In order for nothing to have sidelined him he’d have likely needed to do things differently. He was already an injured guy in 2009. Had already had surgeries. Was already breaking down.

And both sides are hypothetical, @billchao. And that is answering the question @turtleback. Tiger’s play was a result of all that came before. Change what came after and I think what came before must have changed, too.

[ChetlovesMer]

48 minutes ago, iacas said:

Correct. In order for nothing to have sidelined him he’d have likely needed to do things differently. He was already an injured guy in 2009. Had already had surgeries. Was already breaking down.

And both sides are hypothetical, @billchao. And that is answering the question @turtleback. Tiger’s play was a result of all that came before. Change what came after and I think what came before must have changed, too.

I've heard from several sources (not sure how reliable) that a lot of Tiger's physical breakdowns were due to his Navy Seals Training. I guess Tiger trained with/for Navy Seals for a while. I'm not sure the truth or validity of such claims. But I've heard more than one person say that. 

[saevel25]

1 hour ago, ChetlovesMer said:

I've heard from several sources (not sure how reliable) that a lot of Tiger's physical breakdowns were due to his Navy Seals Training. I guess Tiger trained with/for Navy Seals for a while. I'm not sure the truth or validity of such claims. But I've heard more than one person say that. 

I think it all started earlier than that. I think he had a knee scoped before he even went on tour. Who knows what he was doing from a preventative, or rehab back in the mid 90's. In other sports, if you get injured your likelihood of getting injured again is greater. I could see this him, playing through injury (the US Open win). Him pushing rehab as quickly as possible.