Tiger Woods 2017 Season Predictions

[nevets88]

While we're all focusing on Woods' predilection for injury, recall that Jason Day recently had some issues with his back and he said he would shorten his backswing. McIlroy is just recovering too. Pretty much all these guys have issues. It's the nature of the modern game, the distance they need thus the torque and power required, and the strain on the body, plus they've been at it since they were wee kids. It would have been great if Woods were competitive but secretly I'm glad he's not teeing off and then feeling his back afterwards or ending the round early, withdrawing. Small steps. Just stay healthy for now, see where it goes.

[Jmdmbike]

I voted Not Bad, but I hope he does better than that - I am a fan.  I just think he has a long road ahead to get back to the kind of all round consistency he'll need. Plus, he doesn't have a power advantage over the field and I don't think he intimidates the younger guys, so guys paired up with him these days aren't likely going to have a problem with it. 

[nevets88]

Reddit said it right:

Another thing - if I heard correctly, his current max swing speed for driver is 115ish? Looking at this chart, considering he's still recovering from an injury, rusty, tooling with his swing, that's not bad. He can definitely win with that speed, no? He wasn't too far back from Day and DJ.

[k-troop]

My prediction for Tiger hasn't changed.

Tiger spent all of 2016 recovering from and rehabbing his injuries.  Let's assume that he followed a very strict, medically driven plan.  Let's further assume he took the entire year because he didn't want to rush any training faster than what would permit a full medical recovery.  He was 40 in 2016; there is no reason to assume he couldn't fully recover from a microdiscectomy after a year of focused rehab.  Get the spine healthy, then bring the training back until the body is strong and capable.

Tiger should be free (from injury) in 2017 to get his game back in shape.  He'll need time to sharpen his shots, get used to competing again, and learn how to finish.  I expect he'll start out inconsistently.  As he progresses the frequency of sub-70 rounds will increase, and the frequency of 75+ rounds will decrease.  Every cut made and every Sunday in contention will feed his competitive spirit until he is back to being as good as Tiger can be.

How good is that?  My answer wasn't listed specifically in the poll.  I think by mid-Summer we'll see Tiger consistently making cuts and in contention.  He will come close to winning a few times, and will probably win one by the end of the year.  He'll make the playoffs.

I think in 2018 Tiger could be as dominant as anyone has been since Tiger.  Tiger will be 42 for the 2018 season.  That's not old.  Jack won 3 majors after age 40; Phil had one right before his 40th and one at 43.  If Tiger wins 5 times in 2018, including a major, he'll tie both Speith and Day for the most dominant season in the post-Tiger era.  I think that's quite possible.

[skydog]

I don't think TWs health is as binary as most on here seem to believe- i.e. healthy or not healthy. When you have the nerve and other issues he has, it has become a chronic condition to manage. I simply don't believe his body will allow him to practice/play to the extent needed to try to find his game.

Because of this I voted "Not Great". I hope I'm wrong though.

[Jay G]

I voted "Good".  Could be more wishful thinking on my part than anything else.  I would really love to see him do some contending but he definitely has a long way to go.  Will his body hold up?  We will find out, but I think if it does, he will be playing on the weekends more often than not.

[golfnz34me]

It's foolish wishful thinking to expect Tiger to play anywhere near his earlier peak form.  He's 41 years old with the deteriorating (albeit physically fit) body of a 51 year old.  He's had to adjust his swing to try to take stress off of his knees and lower back.  Because of this, his swing will never be as powerful or repeatable as it once was.

His chipping and putting appear to be back, so I could see him contending in tournaments.  He may garner a top-10 finish here or there, but his days of winning are done.  

Plus, right now the competition is much better than he had early in his career.  Rory, Jason, Jordan, Phil, Dustin, Henrik, Rose, Thomas, Watson.  If any of these guys go off Tiger will be left eating dust.

[nevets88]

I would happy to see him do it just one time, put together four solid rounds by the end of the year, whether he wins or not, that would be icing on the cake. Right now it's wait and see how the back holds up.

[Scotsclaff]

He'll be in hospital again if he doesn't stop playing.

[k-troop]

Well, shoot.  I don't buy the "not the same back issues" doublespeak, as the PR drill has always been to minimize any potential long-term speculation whenever Tiger withdraws from an event.  Tiger took an entire year to heal his back.  If that hasn't worked (and we don't know for sure, but this new development looks really, really bad) then he is probably done.  He'll never be able to practice and play enough to get "back" if he can't play events in consecutive weeks.  (And really, it was only 3 rounds.)

His career play clock is ticking in red numbers.  He doesn't have time to miss another season.  

http://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/18610837/tiger-woods-withdraws-omega-dubai-desert-classic

Quote

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Tiger Woods withdrew from the Omega Dubai Desert Classic on Friday morning before even beginning play due to a back spasm he began suffering following dinner on Thursday night.

Woods' agent Mark Steinberg said the problem is not related to the nerve issues that have plagued the 14-time major champion over the past few years and that have resulted in three surgeries, the last coming in August 2015.

"He says it's not the nerve pain that's kept him out for so long,'' Steinberg said at Emirates Golf Club, where Woods did not even start the second round.

 

[iacas]

18 minutes ago, k-troop said:

He'll never be able to practice and play enough to get "back" if he can't play events in consecutive weeks.  (And really, it was only 3 rounds.)

Five rounds if you count pro-am rounds but the point remains the same.

I don't believe that he was playing or practicing as much as he said he was. I also don't understand what other people are saying when they have said they can see glimpses of his former self. I haven't seen a single great shot since Bermuda. 

[k-troop]

2 hours ago, iacas said:

Five rounds if you count pro-am rounds but the point remains the same.

I don't believe that he was playing or practicing as much as he said he was. I also don't understand what other people are saying when they have said they can see glimpses of his former self. I haven't seen a single great shot since Bermuda. 

The swing doesn't look the same, for sure--but I don't know enough about the swing to look at his move and tell if he's still "great."  His swing in 2012-13 didn't look anything (to me) like the move in 2000-02, but both were good enough. 

You're not talking about his swing necessarily, but about shots.  I believe little of what Tiger and Steiny put out publicly, because their press releases have always been very shaped and/or parsed.

[iacas]

On 1/4/2017 at 6:35 PM, iacas said:

This all assumes he stays healthy all year.

Yeah, glad I put that in there.

[nevets88]

It's that blasted 666 ranking. 

Speculation and rumor? Hope it's not true, or he's being careful about it.

 

[Rainmaker]

As somebody with minor back problems . .and if I tried to a 10th of what Tiger does I'd probably die from it . . . 

I can't see how this is overcome.  When the back says "that's it" . . ."that's it".  It sounds like his back is saying "that's it".  

Edited February 3, 2017 by Rainmaker

[marcharing]

He can't get his hips through the ball and it looks like he's trying to make up with his shoulders. If he's doing that after so much time out I can't see him ever competing again. He might play but he won't compete. Hope I'm wrong though.

[chspeed]

5 hours ago, Rainmaker said:

 .I can't see how this is overcome.  When the back says "that's it" . . ."that's it".  It sounds like his back is saying "that's it".  

I'm inclined to agree with this.

Tiger, by his own admission, has never been very good at listening to his doctors about when to play injured and when to rest. He may have a very high tolerance for pain, or maybe it's just his never-quit attitude. Either way, I wonder if your "average" PGA tour pro (is there such a thing?) would have called it quits by now.

It would be interesting to know what his doctors have been advising him to do, though we'll most likely never know. In interviews, he's stated that there were times during his recovery when he didn't know if he'd even be able to play with his kids again, let alone golf competitively. If that's still a risk, I can't imagine it's a fate many people, even Tiger, want to tempt.

 

 

 

[Rainmaker]

8 minutes ago, chspeed said:

I'm inclined to agree with this.

Tiger, by his own admission, has never been very good at listening to his doctors about when to play injured and when to rest. He may have a very high tolerance for pain, or maybe it's just his never-quit attitude. Either way, I wonder if your "average" PGA tour pro (is there such a thing?) would have called it quits by now.

It would be interesting to know what his doctors have been advising him to do, though we'll most likely never know. In interviews, he's stated that there were times during his recovery when he didn't know if he'd even be able to play with his kids again, let alone golf competitively. If that's still a risk, I can't imagine it's a fate many people, even Tiger, want to tempt.

 

 

 

Yeah - he is definitely very driven/brave, imo.  I have had 2 back spasms over the last 3 years . . if I feel my back tweak or even hint at threatening to spasm . .I'm all done.  I routinely take 3-4 day breaks from practice just because of a minor soreness in my back . .if my back doesn't feel great . .I'm not swinging the club.  Not worth 2 days on the floor followed by 4 weeks of limping around followed by 4 weeks of being sidelined.   With his $$ . . he must really *want* to compete . . let's hope for the best.