Tiger's Poor (or Childish or Angry or Unprofessional) Antics

[kris]

Unlikely, given that he has yet to win one.

i meant majors, sorry.

and yeah, that vid that was posted.... he shouldn't have said that but i think we all say stuff we regret at one time or another.

[Shorty]

Stewart Cink and Zach Johnson and co would not like that remark due to their religious beliefs- it's tantamount to blasphemy.

Extraordinary that a word like blasphemy is being used in 2009. I for one find many of the comments of the likes of Christian golfers like Baddeley, Hull and Johnson as offensive as Tiger's swearing. And Tiger is not the only golfer who "curses" (love that term). I do, however, think that the club dropping and throwing is getting a little too "rehearsed" looking, in the same way that Anthony Kim seems to enjoy letting go of the club on every second swing.

[TheNatural]

lol, I love it when 30+ handicappers that play golf for fun compare themselves to golf pros that are under a ridiculous amount of pressure and every shot decides between 10000s of $$$. One bad shot could mean the end of your career (not making the cut, running out of money) etc...

Hey easy on the strippers, they may have no soul anymore but their people too.

[OzzDOA]

Oh, who cares? He is a human just like everyone else. I wouldn't trust a guy who didn't use a choice explative now and again.

[Trav]

Imagine taking all the money you have out of your bank account, all your savings etc, then go to a casino and put everything on red.

According to reports, he has had $1 billion in earnings (maybe if he's been hanging out with John Daly at those casinos, it's a little lower). I don't think he loses it all when he hits the rough or misses a cut.

[RocketSauce]

heres a link to an article about Tigers bad behavior on the course:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?id=4347419

[RocketSauce]

Has that happened? No, so let's not speculate or hypothesize. "Should we sell baseball bats? No, what about the one time someone kills their wife with one?!" It's a cheap way to try to make your point. You don't like Tiger's antics - that's fine - please don't cheapen your point by saying something ridiculous and hypothetical.

according to Rick Reilly it

ALMOST happened. But no, it hasnt happened yet....just sayin "I can still remember the 1997 Masters -- arguably the most important golf tournament ever played. Woods, then 21, was playing the 15th hole on Sunday. He had just hit a fairway wood out of the rough and was watching it. A young boy came up from behind just to touch him -- just to pat the back of this amazing new superhero. That's when Tiger pulled the club way back over his head and slammed it down, nearly braining the kid he couldn't see behind him. And this was with a huge lead." this has been an entertaining thread so far. lots of different opinions on the subject for sure.

[trumps4]

OH, IT'S LIKE THAT?????

Wow, I must have really hit a nerve there. I didn't realize anyone would be so sensitive to a vague observation. I was absolutely not sterotyping though. I just noticed that (apparently) folks that do not mind Tiger's behavior are more likely to use Nike equipment. I never said there was anything wrong with that or that all Nike equipment users give Tiger a pass. It makes perfect since actually. If someone accepts the way Tiger handle's himself on the course then certainly they would be more receptive to his endorsements. While I do not care for Tiger's outbursts, I do use some Nike equipment for the same reasons you mention. I'm sorry if my observation offended you but I gotta plead not guilty to the sterotyping thing.

[Chas]

One bad shot could mean the end of your career (not making the cut, running out of money) etc...

You have gots to be kidding, talk about hyperbole. If a professional golfer actually DID live in such fear of perdition on every shot he'd be a basket case and never win another tournament. Emotional toast.

If Tiger Woods makes a bad decision it may cost him a major. Of course I'd get pissed if I hit millions of golf balls, have put in 30000+ hours of practice, work my ass off in the gym everyday and then hit a bad shot which I practiced so many times that may result in me losing a major and me having to justify myself to the whole world and having even more pressure for the next tournament.

Tiger has much more intelligence and just plain good sense than you give him credit for. Of course, we all know that in certain situations a bad shot can - and on occasion does - lose a person a tournament. So what? That's the game of golf, what else do you expect? The same holds true for professional tennis in a close match.

If Tiger actually believed he was some sort of a demi-god, or a machine that should be incapable of ever making a mistake on the course, he's been concealing it well. Personally I like the way that he critiques his own play after a rather poor (for him) performance, it shows that overall his head is in a good place. He has humility in the face of the great game of golf, even as the #1 player.

Imagine taking all the money you have out of your bank account, all your savings etc, then go to a casino and put everything on red.

No it isn't, not even close in fact. Indeed what you are suggesting would be much LESS true for Tiger than for many other players for reasons that should be obvious.

[CG031]

Tiger's poor antics on the course need to go for sure, I agree with virtually everything Reilly says in his featured article now on ESPN.com's homepage and posted by RocketSauce a few posts above.

Kids CERTAINLY do act just like Tiger Woods. I once played with this Asian kid in a High School match, and everything that he did, from his mannerisms, to his pre-shot routine, etc. came from Tiger. He had his clubs, his headcovers, etc. He was like a clone - it was actually weird .

If you don't think Tiger's antics on the course have a following on our youth of junior golf you're quite mistaken.

[Leftygolfer]

If my boy ends up like Tiger I will be fine with that. I have the same problem, I just get so frustrated. I have the double curse word, "S**TF**K) and I am trying not to curse as much do to my son. But it really isn't the worst characteristic in a human being. I think the other positives in Tiger's character far outwieght the negatives. His work ethic, drive, focus, and determination are characteristics all of want (at least I do). I think he is an amazing role model for our children and I wish there was more like him. I have never heard one bad thing in the media and that speaks more to his character than getting upset after a bad shot. Plus, it doesn't bleed into the next one like it does with lots of us.

[ControlJunkie]

Wow, I must have really hit a nerve there. I didn't realize anyone would be so sensitive to a vague observation. I was absolutely not sterotyping though. I just noticed that (apparently) folks that do not mind Tiger's behavior are more likely to use Nike equipment. I never said there was anything wrong with that or that all Nike equipment users give Tiger a pass. It makes perfect since actually. If someone accepts the way Tiger handle's himself on the course then certainly they would be more receptive to his endorsements. While I do not care for Tiger's outbursts, I do use some Nike equipment for the same reasons you mention. I'm sorry if my observation offended you but I gotta plead not guilty to the sterotyping thing.

Dude, I dont know if you missed the smilies, the all caps, the South Park reference, and everything else, but part of that was meant as a joke, no real offense taken... The only time it gets offensive is when others (not grouping you in there, btw) take every advantage they can to try and slam anything with a Swoosh on it. But that's another subject for another day...

[Cesar]

Personally, I wouldn't have Tiger any other way. It's who he is, it's part of the fabric that's made him the arguably the best player to ever play the game. The fist pumps, the intensity in his eyes when the tournament is on the line, the twirl of the club when he hits a shot on the button, the f bombs when he f's up, all of it. It's Tiger.

You don't have to like it or root for him, but he doesn't have to change for you or anybody else.

There's room in this game for all kinds of different personalities, and it's OK to like them all. When I was growing up, Seve was my idle. The flair and intesity he played with is who I modeled my game after. That still didn't mean I didn't like guys like gentlemen like Ben Crenshaw and Tom Watson on one side of the spectrum or notorious hotheads like Lanny Wadkins or Craig Stadler on the other.

The mix of all the different styles and personalities is what made the game great and still does today.

The only player I really ever hated was/is Greg Norman, and that's for personal reasons. I didn't take kindly to being pushed into a bush at Pebble trying to get his autograph at the age of 12.

[CG031]

I don't think the club throwing and smashing does Tiger any good, to be honest. It's one thing if he drops an occassional F-bomb, no one is perfect. But after every bad shot, the club flying gets a little old.

I don't think he deserves a pass on this just because "It's Tiger and it's his personality."

[Cesar]

I don't think the club throwing and smashing does Tiger any good, to be honest. It's one thing if he drops an occassional F-bomb, no one is perfect. But after every bad shot, the club flying gets a little old.

Then don't give him a pass. It's your choice. I don't think he'll give a damn, but what the heck. As for it not doing him any good, you have no way of knowing that. Some guys just can't play unless they're fired up.

IMO, that's the kind of guy he is. Take it or leave it, he's not going to change and he's not going anywhere.

[CG031]

Then don't give him a pass. It's your choice. I don't think he'll give a damn, but what the heck. As for it not doing him any good, you have no way of knowing that. Some guys just can't play unless they're fired up.

I highly doubt he needs to throw clubs to get fired up, or for motivation. He does it simply for frustration and should probably channel it back just a notch.

I just feel like people give him a pass on this because he is the greatest player of all time. I don't think that's fair - I feel that club throwing and bashing should be pointed out and discouraged for anyone on Tour. Golf is a unique sport in that we call penalties on ourselves. It's all about integrity and respect and class. It's classless to be bashing and throwing clubs on the golf course, even as the World's best. Just my opinion though.

[Cesar]

I highly doubt he needs to throw clubs to get fired up, or for motivation. He does it simply for frustration and should probably channel it back just a notch.

I hear what you're saying, I guess it just isn't that big of a deal to me. I've been seeing it happen for many years with many different players. Some guys, like Craig Stadler, almost turned it into comic art.

Nobody really gave a damn then and I don't think anybody should now. Just because it's Tiger, doesn't mean anything's changed for me. It has nothing to do with giving him a pass becuse he's the greatest ever. I'm giving him a pass because he's human, as hard as that may be for some to believe at times.

[Taylor Shrake]

hes just mortal, he can't be picture perfect any other way. He brings intensity and excitement with golf. Hes just unlike many of the "gentlemen" golfers. It just brings golf a new wave of air (not neccasarly a GREAT thing) but its something else. Tiger woods is GOOD for the sport. He is just exciting to watch