Tiger Woods is playing in the Safeway Open in October

[Buckeyebowman]

On 9/10/2016 at 11:52 AM, iacas said:

Two quick thoughts.

I think Tiger is not given enough credit for being strategic. He's demonstrated he's plenty strategic; that doesn't mean he should hit irons off every tee (which he's done in winning majors).

Second, Tiger plays best when par is a good score. Playing against "pedal to the metal" players is actually bad for him if he's looking to place highly. He's simply playing the tournaments available to him.

This is a point! In fact, your post reminded me of something I read in David Feherty's collection of essays titled An Idiot for All Seasons. This referred to Tiger's win at the Open Championship in 2000.

Since I can't possibly improve upon Feherty's prose, I will simply quote.

   "What a rare treat it was to see the Old Course play as it did. Bump and run, dunch and trundle, hop, skip, and jump. Players reading the fairways 50 yards short of the greens. Bunkers with gravitational pull, and the extraordinary beauty of the links at dusk, when the swales and hollows are cloaked in shadow, and mineshaft darkness fills the sandy craters. I adore St. Andrews. There are more spectacular courses in golf, but none has the enigmatic mystery, the sensual lure, or the hallowed graveyard aura of the first, and the greatest of them all. I remember every shot I ever hit there, and I hit quite a few.

Some will say that the scoring was too low, the course too easy for the modern game. But the truth is, Tiger didn't win by playing the modern game; he played the ancient game, along the ground, magically transforming himself into half man, half sheep, all brilliance. A great golf course is a canvas upon which the great player can display his artistry, and we are lucky enough to be witnessing a renaissance in our sport. If the golfing gods exist, surely the golf equivalent of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel will never be altered. Fortunately, the R&A seems to be of the same opinion."

David Feherty

We're Not Worthy

Golfonline.com  July 26, 2000

[ncates00]

17 hours ago, Aflighter said:

I dont hate him as much as I hate the way the analysts are all up his butt and nobody else matters. Golf is bigger than Tiger ever will be.Golf has been around long before him and will be after. Its sad that it takes Tiger Woods to get someone to play the game. Maybe its because I started playing long before Tiger showed up. Love the game not the player. Maybe its the media that caused me to dislike him.

It's sad?  Speaking as a person in their late 20's who watched Tiger growing up, I think I can speak on that.  I wasn't even exposed to the game by my parents.  I played the typical- basketball, football, baseball sports that kids play.  My parents NEVER took me to a golf course or encouraged me to play.  I don't blame my parents for that.  My dad did the same.  I suppose he did that so we could relate and do stuff together.  I was never exposed much to playing instruments either.  Nowadays, I play guitar in a band and at church as well.  

 

I say all that to simply say, that Tiger made golf cool for me.  I remember the first time I ever went to a golf course.  I was in high school in 2001 or 02.  My uncle (he worked at airline company in Charlotte) took me out to play golf.  I didn't want to go.  I cared more about basketball and girls.  Golf was uncool and played by rich, fat, white people.  Boy was I wrong.  I had a blast hitting the golf ball.  I had no idea what I was doing, but I was very happy I went.  I then checked out golf on TV and on the internet.  That's when I watched Tiger win all these tournaments.  I watched Tiger win at Bethpage in 02 and I truly began to appreciate the game and how the game was definitely not what I perceived.  

 

So again, Tiger was the inspiration for me.  Well, my uncle and Tiger.  People who talk on and on about golf being bigger than Tiger and all that- it's true.  You're right, but you're missing the point.  For many, myself included, Tiger exposed us to the game and opened our eyes up to the game of golf.  Seeing Tiger on ESPN or in Sports Illustrated wearing the SWOOSH really made golf a "cool" sport.  Tiger transformed the perception (whether real or not) of the sport.  He inspired young people, young athletes to try out the game.  Look no further than Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Adam Scott, Jason, or any of the countless young stars out there who point to Tiger being a huge influence on them taking up the game.

[zero]

Personally, I enjoy watching Tiger's game and his personal struggle. It makes him more relateable and interesting to follow than a perfect person/golfer. Same goes for Jason Day and others who overcome adversity, self-inflicted or not.