The Tiger Woods Retirement Thread

[rkim291968]

He has nothing left to prove and should retire if his game cannot improve enough to win another major.   Personally, I don't think he can get back to win another major.   He just had way too many injuries, and not enough motivation/desire/discipline left (IMHO).

[14ledo81]

Count me in the group that hopes he does not retire.

Professional golf is much more interesting (to me) when Tiger is playing well.

[BallStriker]

He has failed in his mission though, so far.

I can't believe I am reading this -- Tiger may not have 18 (or 19) majors, but to think of his career as a "failure" is simply ridiculous....although I do believe that a lot of folks will say this same thing.

I think iacas has the right number....15% or so by end of the year.

I think Tiger has some regrets.....maybe about his personal life, but maybe more about his training methods/nave seal stuff in his younger days (if that did truly cause the injury hank claims)....we all can relate in some fashion

All I do know is that I have received a great deal of personal joy watching him do what he did....not that I am a big Tiger fan, but a big fan of seeing human beings do "inhuman" things.

I wish him the best.

[3putter]

He has failed in his mission though, so far.  I have a feeling that he will view it as a personal failure if he is forced to retire this soon because of the injuries.

I don't know him, nor do I know is mind, so I can't comment on how he'll view it. For all I know his priorities from 17 years ago aren't quite the same as they are now, and I'm certain that if injuries don't hold him back, he'll easily take both records. There are tons of Tiger experts on here who would probably second your thoughts though.

If he's striving to be the greatest to ever play the game, he can rest easy knowing he's done that. This is however a topic for a different thread.

[Lihu]

Lots of strong young players out there. Lots. I think he should design courses until he's old enough to play the champions tour.

[3putter]

Lots of strong young players out there. Lots. I think he should retire until he's old enough to play the champions tour.

Lots of strong young player whose combined presence hardly matches up to Tiger presence in the same event. You need only look at ratings and ticket sales to see that, or you can look at his gallery even while he was shooting 82 at Phoenix.

[9iron]

He has failed in his mission though, so far.

I can't believe I am reading this -- Tiger may not have 18 (or 19) majors, but to think of his career as a "failure" is simply ridiculous....although I do believe that a lot of folks will say this same thing.

He never said Tiger's career was a failure, just that Tiger couldn't beat Jack's record. He failed the one quest he was on, that's all. No shame in being unable to beat the all time record.

[imsys0042]

I'd say there is a > 15% chance that he takes a longer time off, but I don't think he will retire.  Tiger may have all the money he needs, but the money is only a yardstick of how much more he can make than anyone else.   I'm sure he enjoys it, but I think it's another outlet for how much he can dominate.  He's very competitive and being the best is what drives him.   That criteria for him has been major championships.

A number of people think he's given a couple away in the past 5 years because he's pushed too hard, mentally.   I tend to agree with that.   He's a seemingly good father and boyfriend now, which is nice, but I don't think that blunts his overall motivation.   I think he knows he cannot outhit the younger people out there, but he still has the talent.

Now if he physically cannot play at the level he wants and it's a permanent diagnosis, then I think he'd retire.   Crapping chipping and a single bad back day isn't enough to tell.

[BallStriker]

He never said Tiger's career was a failure, just that Tiger couldn't beat Jack's record. He failed the one quest he was on, that's all. No shame in being unable to beat the all time record.

OK, fair enough -- I just have a very hard time including the word "failure" in any sentence that relates to Tiger's career......but I guess he is correct that everyone but Jack has failed to win 18

[ScouseJohnny]

Quote:

A number of people think he's given a couple away in the past 5 years

I think that but for the unlucky fluke of hitting the pin on the 15th, he'd have definitely added #15 at the 2013 Masters. Sheer bad luck. And that may have provided the impetus for more.

Right now another five must seem like a very ponderous task indeed. On the one hand, reason enough to retire; on the other, I severely doubt whether Tiger scrutinizes the quality of the field in British Opens of the 1960s when arriving at a judgment as to whether he is the GOAT yet - reason enough to persevere, health allowing....

[David in FL]

Maybe he'll do a Jordan type of retirement, take a couple years off and come back.

Cuz he's done so well coming back after a hiatus so far? ;-) [quote name="Shorty" url="/t/79927/the-tiger-woods-retirement-thread#post_1103711"]I don't think money has ever been part of the conversation. Even since he was an amateur. Are you giving up because you won't beat Nicklaus' record? Tiger likes competing. Why should he give that up? Depending on how he goes in the Majors this year, it'll be a scaling back - which we have anyway, unofficially. He'll say he's going to devote time to his family and golf course design business but will play a limited schedule. [/quote] I think this about nails it. I don't see him retiring any time soon......

[taxgolf]

I am wondering why he should retire. He just hired a new coach. If the body can not cope, it could be a reason. He seems to enjoy life more.

[mchepp]

Tiger likes competing. Why should he give that up?

I agree with this, except, I think he doesn't like playing like he is. I mean hitting the driver all over the place, chipping like a 15 handicapper, and finishing DFL. So to play the limited schedule he has to get better, that is a big element in determining how he handles his schedule.

[Deryck Griffith]

I think that but for the unlucky fluke of hitting the pin on the 15th, he'd have definitely added #15 at the 2013 Masters. Sheer bad luck. And that may have provided the impetus for more.

A lot of people may skim past this point but I think it is an excellent point to make.  Hitting that pin on #15 at the masters and then all of the aftermath of how he botched the rules I think was an incredible turning point in his "Tigeresque" comeback.  If he doesn't hit that flag and does win the Masters, it would have given him a HUGE amount of momentum that we probably would still be benefiting from as fans today.  In sport, momentum is everything and trying to gain that back is a huge feat, especially if you aren't at your full powers which Tiger isn't.

It's mind blowing to me how many little key events have struck Tiger ever since 2009.  It's almost like the "Evil Eye" is tailing him and screwing around with his ability to have progress without issues.  Some may say it's Karma?  Maybe it is but I'll say this, if his career comes to an end like this (pretty much overnight), it'll be an end in to the likes of Bo Jackson.  We never saw Bo's full potential but we did see Tiger's and to have it snatched away seemingly overnight will be a tragic state of affairs.

Personally, I don't think he will retire or officially announce retirement.  Everything he does going forward is contingent on his back.  He even said it himself, all of the other injuries he had he could play through at a high level but with the back, it's a totally different beast.  He is right.

Tiger is stuck right now.  Is it the back or is the swing what's causing the back issue?  With those questions lingering, he is going to have a hell of a difficult time to figure what direction to go.  We will have to sit back and wait to see what happens as either way, it's going to make for a tremendous movie in the future.

[MrDC]

I think it's funny reading these sports writers and other media calling TW a "headcase" as if this is anything but a physical problem, well I guess the mind is physical but you know what I mean, his back is hurting, his back is shot, and that's the only reason the guy is not able to play well, he can't practice, he can't relax and think about the game, all he can do is hurt.

[colin007]

IMHO, the turning point in Tiger's career was when that double-jointed midget YE Yang beat him down the stretch in the 2009 PGA Championship. He's not been the same since. He got punched in the face and couldn't respond.

[bjfox10]

I don't believe we will see him retire anytime soon. For one there is too much money on the table...he just signed two or three endorsement deals. I know he doesn't need it but I don't think he'd want to give it up either. I also do not believe this latest WD will be that big of a deal. He made a mistake by just standing around during a two and a half hour weather delay. At the very least he should have gotten off his feet. He warmed up...cooled down and then went out to play, not the best approach.

[Wally Fairway]

I guess it depends on what you call retired.

I can see Tiger cutting way back on his competitive rounds - but IMO he will still play in the Masters, and at Open Championship sites that suit his game or that are too steeped in tradition (St. Andrews), Torrey Pines, etc. Other than WGC events that have set rules to make the field (top 50 OWGR), I think he would continue to play a partial schedule; once he felt his back could take it, and his chipping wouldn't ruin his every round.