Will Tiger Ever Ascend to No 1 Again?

[Wally Fairway]

If I had to bet on this, then I would have to bet no. Do I think he can get back to No. 1, sure - just look at how he played last year. But from where he is today (recovering from surgery), I think he has to redo his swing, again, to try and put less stress on his back & knees and I think he will play a reduced schedule, primarily focusing on preparing for majors.

I will say with certainty, that if he were to rise to No. 1 again and win another major or two it would be great for the game of golf - both those who love him and those who hate him are going to watch whenever he is in contention, as well as people who otherwise never watch golf.

[Mulligan Jeff]

Every hour, day, week and month he is out makes it an even steeper climb to the top. If anyone can pull it off Tiger can, I say yes!

[That is Good]

Yes. With Tiger playing pain free the intimidation factor will kick back on and he'll swiftly rise to #1

[Crim]

Yes.

With Tiger playing pain free the intimidation factor will kick back on and he'll swiftly rise to #1

Who knows if Tiger will ever be playing pain free again. Back surgery isn't a cure and from what I've heard, he'll likely still have problems with it.

With that said, Tiger has played through a lot of pain before. Pain or no pain I think it will happen.

[Kieran123]

Yes, without a doubt.

[jbishop15]

Absolutely.

[AmazingWhacker]

Absolutely yes.  I see Tiger reclaiming the number 1 spot.  The only reason why he wouldn't is if this current surgery doesn't help and/or his back gets worse.

If he can stay healthy, I think he could hold the #1 spot for most of the next 10 years.

[inthehole]

He's an old 38 year old.     Not sure he has the body (or if we're being brutally honest, the mental toughness on sunday) left to ever regain his past form.      Plus the competition is undoubtedly deeper than it ever was before - every week, there are 50-60 different guys with legitimate shots at winning given a little luck on their side.      This simply was not the case in Tigers prime.     I vote no

[dsc123]

I voted yes.  I think its more likely that he reaches number #1 than that he wins another major.  He could pull off another year like last year.

[newtogolf]

Tiger will be back at #1 if his injury is healed and he can swing a club without re-injuring his back.   It's going to take some time for him to gain confidence that the surgery repaired his back and that he can swing 100% without risking another injury too it.  I voted yes, but as @David in FL the first time there is real uncertainty to the answer.

[tmac20]

When Tiger comes back, he won't be in top form. He has a swing that requires a strong build. With this injury, he's going to lose a significant amount of muscle mass that came from years of weight lifting and intense workouts. At 38 years old (turning 39 this year), Tiger will likely have some trouble regaining the strength he had before the injury. Not to mention, with a back injury, I'm sure his doctor is advising against heavy lifting for quite some time, especially squats. I don't think he'll do very well the remainder of this year and next season, and he'll get rid of Foley. Will he ever come back to number 1? Maybe, but not with the swing he currently has.

[iacas]

When Tiger comes back, he won't be in top form. He has a swing that requires a strong build. With this injury, he's going to lose a significant amount of muscle mass that came from years of weight lifting and intense workouts. At 38 years old (turning 39 this year), Tiger will likely have some trouble regaining the strength he had before the injury. Not to mention, with a back injury, I'm sure his doctor is advising against heavy lifting for quite some time, especially squats. I don't think he'll do very well the remainder of this year and next season, and he'll get rid of Foley. Will he ever come back to number 1? Maybe, but not with the swing he currently has.

Filed for future #claimchowder. :)

[tmac20]

Filed for future #claimchowder. :)

Okay. :-) You know me - I like to make bold predictions. Most of the time, they are wrong. But when they are right, I am going to brag about it. :-P

[jbishop15]

When Tiger comes back, he won't be in top form. He has a swing that requires a strong build. With this injury, he's going to lose a significant amount of muscle mass that came from years of weight lifting and intense workouts. At 38 years old (turning 39 this year), Tiger will likely have some trouble regaining the strength he had before the injury. Not to mention, with a back injury, I'm sure his doctor is advising against heavy lifting for quite some time, especially squats. I don't think he'll do very well the remainder of this year and next season, and he'll get rid of Foley. Will he ever come back to number 1? Maybe, but not with the swing he currently has.

Why do you think he'll get rid of Foley?

[tmac20]

Why do you think he'll get rid of Foley?

Because he'll be pressured into making a change if he's not winning after the injury.

[jbishop15]

Because he'll be pressured into making a change if he's not winning after the injury.

By whom? There's no evidence to suggest that Tiger changed his swing because of media pressure. And I doubt that Tiger himself thinks that his swing is the problem. He was a dominant force on the Tour before this back injury last year. If not for a few bad breaks and a couple loose shots, he wins the Masters and maybe the British too.

I think Tiger believes in his swing. He's a smart guy; all the stats back Foley's methodology (at least in Tiger's case) up.

[tmac20]

By whom? There's no evidence to suggest that Tiger changed his swing because of media pressure. And I doubt that Tiger himself thinks that his swing is the problem. He was a dominant force on the Tour before this back injury last year. If not for a few bad breaks and a couple loose shots, he wins the Masters and maybe the British too.

I think Tiger believes in his swing. He's a smart guy; all the stats back Foley's methodology (at least in Tiger's case) up.

Tiger felt like he had to make changes in his swing to reduce pressure on his knee, now he'll feel like he has to make changes in his swing to reduce pressure on his back. It's as simple as that.

[iacas]

Tiger felt like he had to make changes in his swing to reduce pressure on his knee, now he'll feel like he has to make changes in his swing to reduce pressure on his back. It's as simple as that.

No it's not. And Tiger's too old to give up two or three years to change his swing. PLUS, Foley has a reputation as helping players with bad backs. That's how he got his start (with Ames).