Is the Tiger Era Over? Brandel Chamblee Thinks So

[David in FL]

[quote name="newtogolf" url="/t/75925/is-the-tiger-era-is-over-brandel-chamblee-thinks-so/54#post_1031707"]IMO, for the "Tiger Era" to be over, someone more dominant needs to step up and start a new era.  [/quote] Not at all. All that needs to happen is that Tiger no longer dominates over the field as he once did. Tiger versus the field used to be a reasonable bet. No longer....

[motsco]

Not a tiger fan at all. he will win again. he is one of the greatest/amazing players ever. he needs to tiger himself and he will be fine.

[oregongolfguy]

Tiger as the absolute, overly dominate player on tour is over in my opinion.  I don't think that he will overwhelmingly dominate like he did earlier in his career, and probably more then any other reason because it does not appear that he has the mental edge that he used to have over the field any more.

At his best he could do things that nobody else on the course could do.  Now there are other players that can do things on the course that he seemingly cannot do.

I still think he is going to be competitive, he will still probably win some tournaments, maybe even a major or two before he is done.  But the era of it being Tiger, then drop a couple notches to everybody else is over.

Chances are pretty good that we might move into a era for a while when we have 10-12 really good players that kinda spread the wealth of the top of the PGA for a while.

[Lihu]

At least the ones that continue pass drug testing. . .

[late347]

IMO, for the "Tiger Era" to be over, someone more dominant needs to step up and start a new era.  Unless we want to call this the "Parity Era" there's no one to hand off the torch to.

I think bubba has potential, he's obviously trying hard to win but his carefree attitude with the bubba-golf angle is... shall we say unorthodox strategy.

But at least two thing have to happen for that.

1. bubba practices putting more

2. bubba hires an actual golf coach with trackman knowledge (so he can hopefully get his big driver misses more in control, in other words less OB shots)

[atb5079]

I think bubba has potential, he's obviously trying hard to win but his carefree attitude with the bubba-golf angle is... shall we say unorthodox strategy.

But at least two thing have to happen for that.

1. bubba practices putting more

2. bubba hires an actual golf coach with trackman knowledge (so he can hopefully get his big driver misses more in control, in other words less OB shots)

He's 10th overall in total driving. IMO, his driving accuracy isnt what is holding him back. Its three things - sand play, putting, but most importantly whats between his ears. He is too much of a headcase for me to believe he will dominate this tour. I do believe he will end up for a few more green jackets, but I dont see him owning this tour all together. Rory is really the only one I can possibly see doing that; and I dont even think that will happen.

[Zeph]

Bubba is good when he's playing well, but I've never had the feeling that he'd be one of the consistent top players in this era.

[MS256]

Bubba is good when he's playing well, but I've never had the feeling that he'd be one of the consistent top players in this era.

Yeah he's probably never going to be the guy that grinds out wins when he doesn't have his A game like Tiger used to do but I like watching him play when he's on and free-wheeling it.

[oregongolfguy]

And....tiger looked like me today...big fat shots multiple times...some really weird bunker shots.....And.......the big grimace after a tee shot and as I am watching right now he is in big pain and withdrawing....Man, it looks like he can barely sit.....

Honestly, I never thought that I would say this...but he can't be on the ryder cup team can he????  I have always just assumed he would be there because he is tiger woods and he is too big of a name to the game to leave off...but........

[ghalfaire]

I voted yes and I do believe Brandel is correct that Tiger will never dominate the tour like he did.  Will he win again?  Probably, but none of the top 10 on tour are afraid of him anymore, nor should they be.  Too many injuries and too close to middle age to recover 100%.

[9iron]

And....tiger looked like me today...big fat shots multiple times...some really weird bunker shots.....And.......the big grimace after a tee shot and as I am watching right now he is in big pain and withdrawing....Man, it looks like he can barely sit.....

Honestly, I never thought that I would say this...but he can't be on the ryder cup team can he????  I have always just assumed he would be there because he is tiger woods and he is too big of a name to the game to leave off...but........

I recognoize that posture Tiger was in today. The one where you literally can't stand and walk freely. I had it 20 years ago when I hurt my own back. He will never be anywhere near what he once was. Not at his age and with the lingering pain he is in. Maybe he lost a lot of disc material and he has two verts close to touching. That sort of inflammation never goes away. Not fully. You only get relief for a while, then its back. Like an old nemesis. Ouch.

[txag]

Hmm...getting over a back injury is the worse thing that can happen...takes a lot of time- I was there at 33 with a bad back.

Now I am almost 46, and I am hitting it just as long as I was in my mid 30s.  But he needs to stretch often, stop lifting, and probably take up yoga for his back.  That saved mine.

[9iron]

Hmm...getting over a back injury is the worse thing that can happen...takes a lot of time- I was there at 33 with a bad back.

Now I am almost 46, and I am hitting it just as long as I was in my mid 30s.  But he needs to stretch often, stop lifting, and probably take up yoga for his back.  That saved mine.

Winner. And stretch correctly. Not for you txag, but for others, yes, you can stretch in ways that do maore hamr than good. The Yoga suggestion is spot on.

[jamo]

Hmm...getting over a back injury is the worse thing that can happen...takes a lot of time- I was there at 33 with a bad back.   Now I am almost 46, and I am hitting it just as long as I was in my mid 30s.  But he needs to stretch often, stop lifting, and probably take up yoga for his back.  That saved mine.

He's said a few times that he hasn't been lifting this year because the back's been hurting.

[jajwrigh]

I don't think so....like many have said he needs to quit being his own worst enemy.

[Shorty]

Hmm...getting over a back injury is the worse thing that can happen...takes a lot of time- I was there at 33 with a bad back.

Now I am almost 46, and I am hitting it just as long as I was in my mid 30s.  But he needs to stretch often, stop lifting, and probably take up yoga for his back.  That saved mine.

Tiger would probably do more stretching in a week than most have done in a lifetime.

These people are not stupid, you know.

[albatross]

Whether you think he'll continue winning or not, Chamblee is correct that the era is coming to an end.  Obviously just my opinion, but I don't think Tiger will play much past the age of 45 on the regular tour. I just don't.  I also don't think his body will hold up that long, given his history with injuries.

So let's say he plays 7 more years.  Even if we base it on the average number of tournaments he typically plays a year when HEALTHY, we'll see Tiger tee it up about 100 more times on tour. And that's if he's healthy.  That's the end of an era folks. Like it or not. The numbers don't lie.

Yes, I quoted myself from last week.  If you think otherwise, you're in total denial.

[Zeph]

Of course it's the end of an era when Tiger retires or reaches a point where he cannot play golf, but we're not there yet. Look at his performance in 2013. You don't think he can repeat that if he stays healthy? You don't think he can win majors?

We are obviously in the latter parts of his era, he is 38 years old and it's 18 years since he joined the PGA Tour.

Quote:

“There was a beginning of his career, middle of his career, and this is the end of his career, no question about it,” said Chamblee. “And if you want to qualify ‘era’ as dominance, then the Tiger era is over, and we’ll never see it again.”

The first part is stating the obvious. If you divide a career in three, and it typically last 25 years, we're now in the final part of the career.

The latter part is guesswork. As much as our "predictions" are guesswork. Nobody knows how long Tiger can keep playing golf, or how long he can contend in majors. He doesn't know, his doctors doesn't know, we definitely do not know. All we can do is guess, hope, believe or whatever, for the better or worse.

Personally, I think (or guess) that Tiger can keep playing many years yet, IF his body holds up. He's had swing issues god knows how many times and I didn't expect him to perform remotely close to what most expect this soon after surgery and months of no practice. He's always come back and I think he can come back still. Whether it's with Foley or someone else. His drive was discussed in another thread, and I think it's big enough for him to still get his performance back.

But he absolutely must stay healthy. Had he not had these injuries the last six years, I think he would've been closer to Jack than ever.