Revealing Tiger Interview (TIME.com)

[Pretzel]

That was an interesting read, and what surprised me most was his comments on his goals. Specifically that he stated they were all based on doing things at a younger age than Jack Nicklaus, rather than beating him outright in terms of the numbers Jack had set. In the past it seemed he had been dead set on breaking the record of 18 majors, but perhaps he has backed down slightly from that.

Coming from one of the people in contention for the title of GoaT, it's interesting to hear the argument that its impossible to compare golfers between eras. That how I feel myself, but it wasn't quite what I expected to hear from one of the two people most commonly referred to as the greatest golfer to ever live.

[isukgolf]

Sometimes life has to kick us in the balls, to show us what is important in life ...

I know it was not till my 50's that I started viewing life a little differently ... I realized that Father Time is still undefeated ...

I always felt this Tiger was underneath the surface ...

[iacas]

4 hours ago, newtogolf said:

While Tiger made some mistakes in his personal life, he seems to be doing everything possible to make things right, hopefully the haters take notice of this as well and his flaws.

They're not going to take notice. Most of their minds are made up.

1 hour ago, Pretzel said:

That was an interesting read, and what surprised me most was his comments on his goals. Specifically that he stated they were all based on doing things at a younger age than Jack Nicklaus, rather than beating him outright in terms of the numbers Jack had set. In the past it seemed he had been dead set on breaking the record of 18 majors, but perhaps he has backed down slightly from that.

I read that part, honestly, as a little bit of goalpost shifting. I'm pretty sure he's said several times "19" or "18" is the number he has in his mind, one of his goals, etc.

I knew about the AGE thing. I believe that part is true. I'd heard about the ages stuff decades ago. But I think he glossed over the "GOAT" and "18 <? 14" type of conversation.

[JetFan1983]

Enjoyed that article very much. I'm not sure Tiger's been this candid with a reporter before. If so, then I stand corrected, but I thought this was a refreshing interview. 

[JKolya]

Good read. For those questioning his authenticity, that perhap he is only focusing on his kids/personal life is because he knows he's done. I've always wondered the opposite that perhaps he has struggled, because he is focusing on his personal life and not putting unto tb4 game as much as he used too. I remember an interview from early 2013 where he mentioned his focus and time priorities had changed. I think this is why he has struggled more than anything (obviously along with injuries).  I'm one who has zero tolerance for cheating, but just as a player I support him, and hope he has some left in the tank to challenge Jack and Snead. 

[Pretzel]

1 hour ago, iacas said:

I read that part, honestly, as a little bit of goalpost shifting. I'm pretty sure he's said several times "19" or "18" is the number he has in his mind, one of his goals, etc.

I knew about the AGE thing. I believe that part is true. I'd heard about the ages stuff decades ago. But I think he glossed over the "GOAT" and "18 <? 14" type of conversation.

That was my same initial impression, with the goalpost shifting, but I didn't want to outright say he was lying since I haven't specifically read quotes of what his goals were (only heard about them). I like to avoid concrete statements unless I have concrete evidence.

The problem with the GOAT question is that, were he to provide a concrete answer, he would need to either admit (to himself and the world) that he views himself as a lesser golfer than Jack Nicklaus or he would come across as full of himself (in light of his recent performances, the media would tear into him like no other) if he said he thought he was a better golfer. It was a bit of a no-win question for Tiger but I think he handled it fairly well, just because answering either way could have potential repercussions. 

[Yukari]

Very revealing interview indeed.  I guess the father time has mellowed him a bit.

Too bad, I would have love to see him chase Jack's record of 18 majors.  Can you imagine all the hoopla when he gets 17 (professional) major titles?

What could have been...

[newtogolf]

14 minutes ago, Yukari said:

Very revealing interview indeed.  I guess the father time has mellowed him a bit.

Too bad, I would have love to see him chase Jack's record of 18 majors.  Can you imagine all the hoopla when he gets 17 (professional) major titles?

What could have been...

I think having kids changes some people.  We tend to be self absorbed by our own needs and happiness and then when you have kids, you find that your children's needs and happiness bring you even more joy than satisfying your own.

I think Tiger is content with how his life has turned out and realizes that his kids are his top priority right now.  He will try to find balance but is content to sacrifice what is left of his career for his kids.

[boogielicious]

3 hours ago, iacas said:

They're not going to take notice. Most of their minds are made up.

I read that part, honestly, as a little bit of goalpost shifting. I'm pretty sure he's said several times "19" or "18" is the number he has in his mind, one of his goals, etc.

I knew about the AGE thing. I believe that part is true. I'd heard about the ages stuff decades ago. But I think he glossed over the "GOAT" and "18 <? 14" type of conversation.

 

2 hours ago, Pretzel said:

That was my same initial impression, with the goalpost shifting, but I didn't want to outright say he was lying since I haven't specifically read quotes of what his goals were (only heard about them). I like to avoid concrete statements unless I have concrete evidence.

The problem with the GOAT question is that, were he to provide a concrete answer, he would need to either admit (to himself and the world) that he views himself as a lesser golfer than Jack Nicklaus or he would come across as full of himself (in light of his recent performances, the media would tear into him like no other) if he said he thought he was a better golfer. It was a bit of a no-win question for Tiger but I think he handled it fairly well, just because answering either way could have potential repercussions. 

Didn't Jack shift the goals too when he knew he wasn't going to beat Snead's record?

[iacas]

3 hours ago, boogielicious said:

Didn't Jack shift the goals too when he knew he wasn't going to beat Snead's record?

Yes. IIRC. Ask @turtleback.

[Zeph]

11 hours ago, JKolya said:

Good read. For those questioning his authenticity, that perhap he is only focusing on his kids/personal life is because he knows he's done. I've always wondered the opposite that perhaps he has struggled, because he is focusing on his personal life and not putting unto tb4 game as much as he used too. I remember an interview from early 2013 where he mentioned his focus and time priorities had changed. I think this is why he has struggled more than anything (obviously along with injuries).  I'm one who has zero tolerance for cheating, but just as a player I support him, and hope he has some left in the tank to challenge Jack and Snead. 

I think it is more so the injuries and his inability to play golf for a long time that caused it. That has given him insight into the fact that he might have to put the clubs away sooner than he wanted, and has made him shift focus to the children. Maybe the children has dampened his drive to recover and become the best again, which seems like a natural thing to happen. If not, just the fact that he has the responsibility (with Elin) for two children, changes everything.

[brettfan]

How about him saying that his last practice round before the US Open in 2007 he played 9 holes and shot a 54.  And yet, he still went out and won.  I can't imaging Tiger (at that point) shooting a 54 on 9 holes playing with one club let alone his last tune-up before a major.

[turtleback]

15 hours ago, iacas said:

Yes. IIRC. Ask @turtleback.

[imsys0042]

On December 3, 2015 at 4:11:15 PM, iacas said:

They're not going to take notice. Most of their minds are made up.

I did, for the record.    I was never a huge Tiger fan but had huge respect for his ability and talent and I knew he was better than anyone out there.   But the past couple of years I've seen more of the person he is and that's made me like him a lot more.  

[nevets88]

Great inside baseball piece on the Time interview. Expecting to read more about Woods personally, got a great bit on "saving the shot" according to Woods. Good read.

Quote

You’ve probably heard Tiger talk about “saving” a shot as he comes into impact. You’d think it’s all but impossible, given how little time a golf shot takes, and the speed of the motion. But, Tiger said, “You can fix it, on the way down, or halfway down, or right before impact, you fix it.”

http://scoregolf.com/blog/lorne-rubenstein/the-goods-on-woods/

[iacas]

Quote

But, Tiger said, “You can fix it, on the way down, or halfway down, or right before impact, you fix it.”

Yeah, uhhh, no you can't. Not if you're defining it the way I am. Simply not enough time for your brain to send a signal to your muscles in time for them to react let alone react enough to cause a change.

[PEZGolf]

On 12/3/2015 at 8:46 AM, boogielicious said:

http://time.com/tiger/

Nice article with Tiger being reflective.

 

Very reflective. I have many reactions to what Tiger said, but I will state only a few for now:  1.  I have not been a Tiger fan because he and his Dad came across as being arrogant. Two cases in point are Earl's comments about Bob Hope and his statement that Tiger would transcend not only golf and not only the sports world, but the world itself. Earl was way wrong on both counts.   *******2. It was great to read that Tiger thinks his children are more important than ANYTHING, including golf.*****3.  He has owned up to his sins, and told his children that so they would hear it from him first.  *******4. He is "spot on" with his criticism of the media, and I will discuss that further in a separate Topic of my own.*********KUDOS to Tiger and Time!!!!

[PEZGolf]

On 12/4/2015 at 1:38 PM, brettfan said:

How about him saying that his last practice round before the US Open in 2007 he played 9 holes and shot a 54.  And yet, he still went out and won.  I can't imaging Tiger (at that point) shooting a 54 on 9 holes playing with one club let alone his last tune-up before a major.

Pretty amazing!