Tiger Woods Master Catch-All Discussion

[JerseyBoy]

12 hours ago, Dakota Atkinson said:

Of the 3 remaining majors, which course do you guys think suits Tiger the best? Shinnecock, Carnoustie, or Bellerive?

Augusta is the only course set up for his kind of game. If he didn't place there, I don't think there is any way he comes close at the other Majors. 

I know he has to play Shinnecock or risk losing his exemption. I'll be there, so hoping to see him. 

[iacas]

15 minutes ago, JerseyBoy said:

I know he has to play Shinnecock or risk losing his exemption. I'll be there, so hoping to see him. 

Huh?

This is the last year he's exempt from qualifying. But he's also already inside the top 100 OWGR, and with only about six events divided by 40…

[klineka]

17 minutes ago, JerseyBoy said:

Augusta is the only course set up for his kind of game.

What do you mean "his kind of game"?

So far this year:

• He's averaging over 300 yards off the tee.
• He's 15th in strokes gained approaching the green (with not his best iron play)
• He's 11th in strokes gained putting
• He's 6th in strokes gained around the green

Just reread that second one again. With mediocre iron play so far this year Tiger is still gaining .727 shots per round from his mediocre iron play.

Stats like those show he can compete on any course on this planet.

Edited April 13, 2018 by klineka

[JerseyBoy]

6 minutes ago, iacas said:

Huh?

This is the last year he's exempt from qualifying. But he's also already inside the top 100 OWGR, and with only about six events divided by 40…

Please review the requirements for qualifying for the US Open. Thanks. 

6 minutes ago, klineka said:

What do you mean "his kind of game"?

He says so himself. He loves Augusta because it tends to favor his style of play. All Golfers have a preferred type of course and for Tiger, Augusta is it. 

[iacas]

2 minutes ago, JerseyBoy said:

Please review the requirements for qualifying for the US Open. Thanks. 

He's exempt this year. You get ten years for winning the U.S. Open.

1. 2009
2. 2010
3. 2011
4. 2012
5. 2013
6. 2014
7. 2015
8. 2016
9. 2017
10. 2018

My point in mentioning the OWGR is that the top 60 (IIRC) get into the U.S. Open, and at this rate, he'll be well inside that for 2019, as he's already 88th or whatever with only six events played in 2018 (divided by the minimum divisor of 40).

2 minutes ago, JerseyBoy said:

He says so himself. He loves Augusta because it tends to favor his style of play. All Golfers have a preferred type of course and for Tiger, Augusta is it. 

Two facts there, though:

• Tiger has won multiple times on a variety of courses. Firestone, Bay Hill, Torrey, U.S. Open courses, Doral, etc.
• Tiger's game is just coming back from two years off. Just as those who took a second place finish as "proof" that he was fully back were wrong, taking his finish at Augusta as "proof" of exactly what kind of golfer he is now are wrong. Week to week results fluctuate.

[klineka]

3 minutes ago, JerseyBoy said:

He says so himself. He loves Augusta because it tends to favor his style of play. All Golfers have a preferred type of course and for Tiger, Augusta is it. 

That's absolutely ridiculous to jump to the conclusion that he wont come close to winning at any other majors just because he didnt place at Augusta and that is his preferred type of course.

Somewhere like Carnoustie actually seems like it could be great for Tiger because he loves hitting those stinger irons off the tee which he seems to find the fairway more with compared to driver.

[JerseyBoy]

13 minutes ago, klineka said:

That's absolutely ridiculous to jump to the conclusion that he wont come close to winning at any other majors just because he didnt place at Augusta and that is his preferred type of course.

Somewhere like Carnoustie actually seems like it could be great for Tiger because he loves hitting those stinger irons off the tee which he seems to find the fairway more with compared to driver.

It's absolutely ridiculous to think the just because he didn't place at The Masters, he has a sure shot at winning a Major this year. Or ever again for that matter. 

I grew up watching Tiger and he was an absolutely incredible competitor in his day. Now is not then. People need to realize that. I don't think he will win again until he hits the Senior Tour in 8 years. 

18 minutes ago, iacas said:

He's exempt this year. You get ten years for winning the U.S. Open.

1. 2009
2. 2010
3. 2011
4. 2012
5. 2013
6. 2014
7. 2015
8. 2016
9. 2017
10. 2018

 

Did you even read what I wrote?

[iacas]

12 minutes ago, JerseyBoy said:

Did you even read what I wrote?

Yeah, you just made vague references. So be clear: what are you saying?

Since you didn't quote my bit about the OWGR, did you even read what I wrote?

13 minutes ago, JerseyBoy said:

It's absolutely ridiculous to think the just because he didn't place at The Masters, he has a sure shot at winning a Major this year. Or ever again for that matter.

Of course he has "a shot" at winning. He's the greatest to ever play the game. I think it's "ridiculous" based on ONE event to think that he doesn't have "a shot."

A shot just means a chance.

14 minutes ago, JerseyBoy said:

I grew up watching Tiger and he was an absolutely incredible competitor in his day. Now is not then. People need to realize that. I don't think he will win again until he hits the Senior Tour in 8 years. 

You did see him finish second and fifth and T12 this year, in his first five events after coming back from basically two years off, right?

[JerseyBoy]

7 minutes ago, iacas said:

Yeah, you just made vague references. So be clear: what are you saying?

I wrote that this his last year of being exempt at the US Open. Which it is. At this point, it is a statement of fact.

7 minutes ago, iacas said:

Of course he has "a shot" at winning. He's the greatest to ever play the game. I think it's "ridiculous" based on ONE event to think that he doesn't have "a shot."

A shot just means a chance.

I don't think he has "a shot". Just because he's THERE doesn't mean he can win. It's not based on ONE event. It's based on his recovery history and his performance in the tournaments he's completed since his return. He doesn't have that hunger in his eyes to win like he used to. After his second round at the Masters he looked exhausted and beat up in his post round interview. I wouldn't be surprised if his back is an issue for him again, but he's keeping it under wraps. 

Edited April 13, 2018 by JerseyBoy

[klineka]

25 minutes ago, JerseyBoy said:

It's absolutely ridiculous to think the just because he didn't place at The Masters, he has a sure shot at winning a Major this year. Or ever again for that matter. 

I grew up watching Tiger and he was an absolutely incredible competitor in his day. Now is not then. People need to realize that.

Nobody is saying he has a sure shot at winning a major this year. The question you responded to was out of the 3 remaining majors, which do people think Tiger has the best chance of winning based on the courses. Thats nowhere close to saying he has a sure shot at winning a major.

He still is an absolutely incredible competitor. 

Competitor - a person who takes part in an athletic contest.

Tiger is still an incredible competitor. Competitor has nothing to do with winning majors or even tournaments.

I cant speak for him, but I bet he wants to win just as much now(if not more) than he did 10 years ago.

6 minutes ago, JerseyBoy said:

It's based on his recovery history and his performance in the tournaments he's completed since his return. 

... You must be trolling at this point. 

Out of 7 events he has played in, he has 2 top 5s, 4 top 10s and 5 top 15s, with only one missed cut. Those numbers are a decent season for some guys, and he did it in his first 7 events after being off for 2 years, along with the multiple stats around driving distance and strokes gained which I already posted earlier. 

Overall he's gaining 1.8 strokes per round, which is 8th on the PGA Tour.

What about that performance history so far indicates that he doesnt have a shot at winning a major?

Edited April 13, 2018 by klineka

[iacas]

Howdy,

3 minutes ago, JerseyBoy said:

I wrote that this his last year of being exempt at the US Open. Which it is. At this point, it is a statement of fact.

No you didn't. You said:

1 hour ago, JerseyBoy said:

I know he has to play Shinnecock or risk losing his exemption. I'll be there, so hoping to see him. 

He loses his exemption this year whether he plays or not.

And he's on track to get an exemption next year, which is why I mentioned the OWGR.

3 minutes ago, JerseyBoy said:

I don't think he has "a shot".

Then I'll say again: that's more ridiculous than those who think he has a shot.

3 minutes ago, JerseyBoy said:

Just because he's THERE doesn't mean he can win. It's not based on ONE event. It's based on his recovery history and his performance in the tournaments he's completed since his return. He doesn't have that hunger in his eyes to win like he used to. After his second round at the Masters he looked exhausted and beat up in his post round interview. I wouldn't be surprised if his back is an issue for him again, but he's keeping it under wraps. 

I think you're completely off target on the back thing. He's still swinging fast. He played poorly in both rounds, and the hills are steeper than he's played again this year.

He put together his best score in the fourth round and that's with some "slap it around" putting. Could have been a 65 or so.

Plus, you've misread the question: it's about which of the remaining majors gives him the best shot. If your answer is that they're all 0.00000%, then that's one way to answer, but even if one is 1% and the others are 0.5%, there's an answer.

[RussUK]

1 minute ago, JerseyBoy said:

I don't think he has "a shot". Just because he's THERE doesn't mean he can win. It's not based on ONE event. It's based on his recovery history and his performance in the tournaments he's completed since his return. He doesn't have that hunger in his eyes to win like he used to. After his second round at the Masters he looked exhausted and beat up in his post round interview. I wouldn't be surprised if his back is an issue for him again, but he's keeping it under wraps. 

im not surprised he looked exhusted. The guy has returned after pretty major spinal surgery and is playing in his 2nd (2nd or 3rd) "real" tournament of the year. No way is he fully match fit yet. If he didnt have that hunger to win he would have retired and become a pundit for one of the sports channels or even just stayed at home with the millions he's made over the years.

Re his back i would  be surprised if it became an issue. He's had vertebrae fused, that normaly sorts the problem he had prior to sugery.

He is still getting to grips with how his body has to work after the sugery so i dont think he'll be "on it" till mid season. Not having a go, just my 2p's worth

[iacas]

3 minutes ago, klineka said:

Overall he's gaining 1.8 strokes per round, which is 8th on the PGA Tour.

And he was 5th in scoring average before the Masters, 11th now.

4 minutes ago, RussUK said:

Re his back i would  be surprised if it became an issue. He's had vertebrae fused, that normaly sorts the problem he had prior to sugery.

Yeah. Again, I feel like people simply don't understand the type of surgery he had, and what it does, and fixes.

ALIF pretty much fixes the problem. Talk to Lee Trevino or the other golfers who have had it.

[JerseyBoy]

16 minutes ago, iacas said:

He loses his exemption this year whether he plays or not.

Not exactly. First if he WINS, which is what everyone here thinks. 

Second, if he places high enough to get into the Fed Ex Cup and then makes the top twenty five. He certainly doesn't have to play the US Open to make that happen, but why wouldn't he. 

He also has a shot to get an exemption agreed upon by the USGA and he may have a better shot at that next year if he actually plays this year. 

There are ways to assure he gets to play in the US Open in the future, which don't include him not playing there. 

14 minutes ago, RussUK said:

Re his back i would  be surprised if it became an issue. He's had vertebrae fused, that normaly sorts the problem he had prior to sugery.

Nope. The motion which the fusion prevents is taken up somewhere else causing other joints to deteriorate faster. And muscles to work harder. Potentially leading to injuries at other spinal vertebral levels. And with the stress he's placing on himself, that is likely. He hasn't realized he's not a young man anymore. 

13 minutes ago, iacas said:

Yeah. Again, I feel like people simply don't understand the type of surgery he had, and what it does, and fixes.

I fuse joints in the foot and ankle for a living. I'm very well aware of what can happen and the pitfalls of that kind of surgery in the back. It's not a fix all. Many people end up with more problems down the road if they are not careful. And Tiger isn't being careful. 

Edited April 13, 2018 by JerseyBoy

[Braivo]

24 minutes ago, JerseyBoy said:

I don't think he has "a shot". Just because he's THERE doesn't mean he can win. It's not based on ONE event. It's based on his recovery history and his performance in the tournaments he's completed since his return. He doesn't have that hunger in his eyes to win like he used to. After his second round at the Masters he looked exhausted and beat up in his post round interview. I wouldn't be surprised if his back is an issue for him again, but he's keeping it under wraps. 

He also mentioned in that interview, or one after the last round, his intent to get back into a better fitness routine immediately following the Masters. I think he is quite aware that his stamina has to improve to grind out 4 rounds under competitive stress and concentration. 

[RussUK]

10 minutes ago, JerseyBoy said:

Not exactly. First if he WINS, which is what everyone here thinks. 

Second, if he places high enough to get into the Fed Ex Cup and then makes the top twenty five. He certainly doesn't have to play the US Open to make that happen, but why wouldn't he. 

He also has a shot to get an exemption agreed upon by the USGA and he may have a better shot at that next year if he actually plays this year. 

There are ways to assure he gets to play in the US Open in the future, which don't include him not playing there. 

Nope. The motion which the fusion prevents is taken up somewhere else causing other joints to deteriorate faster. And muscles to work harder. Potentially leading to injuries at other spinal vertebral levels. And with the stress he's placing on himself, that is likely. He hasn't realized he's not a young man anymore. 

Sorry, but i worked in the Spinal team at J&J medical. The ALIF op sorts the spinal issue, the body can then make compensations on order to carry out the same motion it did prior to surgery.

Providing the correct excercise regime is carried out to strengthen the muscles and joints compensating for the fused vertebrae then barring him doing something stupid he should be good to play till a ripe old age.

The amount of spinal ops both ALIF and TLIF our guys were involved in that were sports related was high. Main goal of the op is simple....to keep the patients quality of life as it was or better and that includes getting them back to sport.

Also, i dont think he'll win the US Open so not all of us think that

 

Edited April 13, 2018 by RussUK

[JerseyBoy]

2 minutes ago, RussUK said:

Sorry, but i worked in the Spinal team at J&J medical. The ALIF op sorts the spinal issue, the body can then make compensations on order to carry out the same motion it did prior to surgery.

Which can cause issues due to the compensation if not careful. And Tiger is not being careful. 

[klineka]

@JerseyBoy Still waiting for an answer to the question I posed:

What about that performance history so far indicates that he doesnt have a shot at winning a major?