StealthTrader

Dominating the game means consistently winning golf tournaments. The reason Tiger, dominated is because he'd win a Major in conjunction with 5-7 wins that same year. He did not simply pop-up on a streak and win a few Majors. He won 79 times on the PGA Tour and he has the highest win percentage relative to total starts than anybody ever has - including 18 WGCs - a number so impressive that even Brandel, refuses to talk about it much. That's dominance. When Rory, reaches Major win Number 9 or 10, then it will be time to seriously sit down and start discussing how much longer he'll be able to remain dominant in the game. Right now, he's accomplished a mere 28.5% of what Tiger, has accomplished in Majors. Give it time. He can't possibly "dominate" anything right now, when the world's best of the best is still on tour. When Jack and Tiger, were on the same tour together, there was absolutely zero doubt in my mind about who was the dominant player. Jack Nicklaus, with 18 Majors, regardless of what Tiger, was doing at the time, made him the most dominant player in the game - bar none. However, when Jack, left the tour it was Tiger, who stepped into that void and filled it with becoming the fasted man alive to 79 PGA Tour wins, 18 WGC Championships and 14 Majors and that's not including all of the major stats records that still stand as all time historical events in the game of professional golf. People may not like Tiger, personally because of the mistakes he made in his personal life. However, nobody, regardless of how badly they want to see Tiger, fail to reach Jack's all-time record of 18 Major wins, can take away one ounce of what Tiger, has accomplished thus far in his career. And, until somebody steps up and wins at least 14 Majors, there cannot possibly be anyone on par or even remotely in the same Galaxy with Tiger Woods. It is like this: - Jack, is sitting out there on the edge of the Milky Way Galaxy all by himself with 18 Majors. - Tiger, is riding along side the NASA Kepler Probe, discovering new worlds as it approaches the edge of the Milky Way. - Rory, with today's victory has basically placed himself slightly beyond Saturn, but well within our own solar system. In other words, before Rory, starts "dominating" anything, he's got to get out of our solar system which is something both Jack and Tiger, have done a very long time ago. When Rory, reaches number 10, we can "begin" the conversation about his "dominance."

Quite frankly, I think it is idiotic for Brandel, a player who never even sniffed a Major win during his entire career and thus; a player who knows nothing about what goes on in the mind of another player who has won such events 14 times no less; to feign standing in judgement of a guy who is and was many light years ahead in terms of skill, mental focus, raw talent and the desire to win. When I hear Brandel, ripping on Tiger, I get the distinct impression that he's jealous - pure and simple. Jealous that he never had the kind of ability that Tiger has and jealous that he never amounted to anything in the game of golf over the course of his career. I did not even know Brandel's name, until the Golf Channel hired him. Furthermore, from a purely technical standpoint, Brandel, could not be more WRONG! Tiger, got "steeper" in his golf swing precisely to relieve pressure on his back and lower body - which was taking a pounding with his old swing. Tiger, is steeper, but so was Jack, when he put on some age and so do most PGA Tour Players when they put on some years. Why? Because, they don't hit it as long as the younger players could behind them and they need to keep up. How do you keep up? You lag the club longer and compress the ball more by coming in steeper. Brandel, should know this, if he was the "expert" that he comes off as on the Golf Channel. Tiger, talked about this MANY years ago with Peter Kessler, during a one-on-one sit down with the former Golf Channel legend. Tiger, said that he could hit the ball even farther, if he lagged more and flipped the club. But, he said that his accuracy would not be as good, if he did that. Tiger, knew how to increase distance many years when he was blowing it past everyone on tour, but because he was already long enough and his body was healthy, he never had to resort to lagging the club that much. Did Brandel, tell you this? No, of course not. Brandel, is only interested in stoking fires for the Golf Channel - but he looks ridiculous to those that have been paying attention each time he does it. Nobilo, had it spot on and it should not take a rocket scientist to figure it out. Tiger, is "not healthy." That sums it up in a nutshell. You can play football injured. You can play baseball injured. You can play basketball injured. You can play hockey inured. You can't last for very long trying to swing a golf club with a serious back injury and Brandel, should know better. Golf requires a sound Mind, Body and Soul. Tiger, is still working on the Body. He's always had the Mind and his Soul is at peace in a new personal life with his children and Lindsey. His Body needs to catch up with his Mind and Soul. But, that will ot happen until he takes the necessary time off to heal properly. He's got just five (5) more tournament to win. Five more Majors and he probably has 6-8 years remaining tops with 4-5 really good competitive years. That is 16-20 shots at winning five (5) more championships. At that point, he's the greatest to ever lace up a pair of spike. Period. Right now, there is no one even remotely close to achieving what Tiger, is set-up to achieve in his career thus far. That much should be abundantly clear to even the biggest Tiger Haters on the planet. Phil Mickelson, is the closest and as much as I really like Phil, that ain't saying much. Rory, has a long, long, long way to go before he becomes the consistently dominant player in the game, as Tiger, has proven himself to be over the course of almost 20 years now. People need to wake up and put the present into proper context by looking at history and figuring out who actually has done what and for how long. Jack is Number #1. Tiger is Number #2. Everybody else is a distant 3rd right now. Everybody else.

That's cute. Or, is it insanity? - Fasted man alive to 79 PGA Tour Wins - Record for Lowest Scoring Average in PGA Tour History - Highest purse in PGA Tour History - Youngest Career Slam in PGA Tour History - Only player on the planet to have won all four (4) Majors in a row - Record holder for number of consecutive cuts made - Longest continuous reign as World Number #1 in PGA Tour History - 18 WGC Championships - 2nd longest winning streak in PGA Tour History Oh, I almost forgot: - 14 Major Championships Wake me up when somebody else wins at least 10 of them in the Tiger Era.

It has everything to do with his new shaft position just before impact. He's always had patches where he would spray the golf ball off the tee with his driver. The difference now is that those exact same shots will be amplified off the tee - because the compression is so much better. It just makes sense. Put more force behind the ball - ball go far. - Get too far out in front of the ball with your hands when you are actually trying to hold a longer L-Position - ball go BIG TIME left. - Get caught too far behind the ball with your hands when you are trying to hold a longer L-Position - ball go BIG TIME right. - Get the hands in-sync with the hip rotation when you are trying to hold a longer L-Position - ball go exactly where you want it to. If Tiger, can work this out with Sean, you will see a lot more fairways hit and a lot more shots into greens like you say on the 18th today. The rest will be putting and when he starts getting a higher number of realistic birdie puts, more of them will start to fall and it will be off the races again in search of Jack's 18 Majors. If he cannot work out this new compression issue - its going to be very tough for him to get pin high enough times during a tournament, to give him enough looks at birdie. If you go back and look at when Tiger, was dominating the Tour, he was always doing two things: a) Landing the golf ball pin high from the fairway. b) Landing the golf ball under 14-17 feet on a consistent basis. He's has never been the kind of player who needed to time the unhinging of his left wrist. Holding a longer L-Position, now forces anybody who has never had that swing before (it does not matter who you are) to inject timing into the unhinging of his left wrist. That move is new to him and he is admittedly struggling with normalizing that action. Go look at Sean's motions as he models what he wants Tiger, to do on the practice range. He's modeling an exaggerated delay in releasing the left wrist. That's a timing issue by definition. Tiger, used to call it "flipping the club" back when he used to describe what he did not have to do with the golf club. Today, in order to relieve some pressure from the left side of his body (protecting the left knee and ankle), he's swinging more slowly/deliberately. To get the ball to travel the same distance as it used to with a slower and more deliberate swing, he has to maintain the wrist-cock and allow the club to "whip" at the bottom more than he ever has before. That's why you see more iron shots landing either too long or too short on the green and that is why you see T-shots either being pulled further left, or pushed further right - than ever before. They will figure something out eventually. But, it has to be something that he feels comfortable with on the course and in the heat of battle. It is NOT an easy fix. Try implementing the same move into your own swing and prove it to yourself. I've tried it and I can hit the ball a lot further - but I'm all over the place off the tee-box and I'm either too long or too short into greens from the fairway. I've never been a "flicker" or "timer" of the club. So, that move is a difficult one for me to get used to. Forcing a longer L-Position is a "trust" issue. You simply have to trust it. And, that's not easy when the shot matters and you are still not fully comfortable with it.

Quote: Originally Posted by mvmac In case you guys didn't see it, Bubba Watson goes "Happy Gilmore" on the first tee Bubba, had an outstanding day today and I'm glad he played consistently. I just hope the consistency remains throughout the week - that was my only problem with him being on the Team this year. Bubba's oscillations between good and poor golf is one of the widest channels of performance on tour. When he's on - he's really on. But, when he's off, he's almost comical. Contrast that to Rory. When Rory, is off - he's just missing it, but he's missing it very consistently. But, when he's on - he's won't be too far away from his game when he was off. It is the wide channel of volatility in Bubba, that I thought would hamper the Team a bit. I hope he holds it together for three days. If he does, he can't be anything but a huge asset.

It is fairly straight forward as you can see - just as long as the players follow their "trajectory" coming into the tournament. That's what I look for. The question is always: What's a players true trajectory coming into an event. My call on the majority of the players was pretty much accurate. The true exceptions were Tiger and Colsaerts - only two players and that combination (if you cared to notice) was the very combination of players that made the difference in my overall call for the U.S. being "Up 3" at the end of Friday. So, in the final analysis, the very two players that did not follow their incoming trajectory, were the very same two players that ended up making the difference in the final score. Coincidence? No. Coin toss? Not quite. The more stable the inputs to a predictive algorithm, the higher the probability for seeing an expected result. It depends on what your algorithm looks like - that's all.

- Rory and GMac, did what was expected in the morning, but faltered in the afternoon. One of the biggest surprises for me on Friday. - Phil and Bradley, did what was expected both in the morning and the afternoon - no surprises for me. - Dufner and Zach, played solid in the morning and contributed as expected. - Tiger and Stricker, have to be the biggest disappointment for Friday, although Tiger, tried a patented comeback near the end of the afternoon session. Overall, the picks were fairly on target with the exception of Tiger/Stricker. So, at the end of the day, the U.S. is up by 2, not 3. I'll take the 2 Up any Friday, for a good start. If I can get the player slots for Saturday, then I can call those as well.

Yeah, and he even held a share of the lead at -6 under when play got suspended due to "darkness" today. The whole Lee Janzen thing blows my mind. Its a bit like the whole David Duval thing - which also blew my mind. Which was nothing like the John Daly thing, which never really blew my mind at all. I honestly expected Lee Janzen, to have five (5) majors and 40+ wins by now - including one (1) player of the year and maybe one (1) FedEx Cup. Where did I go wrong. I liked everything about Lee, and still do. I wish him all the best.

Hmmmm. Rory and GMac are going to be very tough to beat. Phil and Bradley should be able to take Luke and Sergio. Dufner and Zach is the easiest pick of all. Tiger and Stricker will have very little trouble with their opposition. I've got the U.S. Up 3 after Friday. Any takers?

Funny. I thought it translated to "Sexy Looking Golf Course." Learn something new everyday, I guess. I would love to have a "City" like that sitting in my back yard. I'd play her every single day. Courses that look like that, just inspire you to want to go out and play some Golf. It looks like one of those "feel good" courses.

- North Americans - South Americans - Central Americans - Canadian Americans. Canada, is part of the "New World" and thus considered part of the Americas. - Brazilian Americans, if you include part of the North Western portions of Brazil, which is also considered part of the Americas. It means a lot to be an American. We are a very diverse people.

I think you are right and for some of the same reasons why I would have selected Hunter, over Bubba. Lee's a great player, no doubt. But, if you look at his overall demeanor this year - especially during the FedEx Cup, he seemed very tired and very lethargic - just not very much into golf, really. He seemed a bit aloof during post round interviews and somewhat distracted. I just thought he was worn out at the end of a long season, after not playing particularly very well heading into the FedEx Cup. On the other hand, Paddy, always seems engaged and connected to everything around him. He would have brought some energy to the European Team, at a time when it will need it, having to play on U.S. soil. His quality of play can be very high under the right conditions and I think that putting him inside a team environment, just might have been the thing required to light his fire and spark some good game out of him. I really think that the Westwood pick is going to be one (1) of the reasons why the Europeans loose this year. There will be many other reasons, but I just don't think Westwood, has very much more to give this season. He looks like he needs a long vacation in the off-season.

My only problem with Bubby, as opposed to Hunter, is the stability required for Team Golf. I'm sure no one on the U.S. is outwardly complaining about Bubby, and in fact probably all believe that he's a good fit for the team. I just believe that Hunter would have been a bit more stable and has the level of play that would help the U.S. Team. Hunter, may not have had the stats that Bubba, had this year - but Hunter also demonstrated that he was starting to me in the right direction during the FedEx Cup. At one point during the FedEx Cup Points Season, Hunter Mahan, was at the very top of that leader board, and Bubba, was behind him in the number two spot. I think that when you consider Hunter's earlier play during the season, coupled with Bubba's inconsistency at all times during the season, Hunter brings a bit more stability to a Team environment. When building a "Team" - you have to look at more structural components than just individual play during the regular season. Hunter, would have provide some additional structure to that kind of environment.

True, but while liking Tiger Woods, as much as I do, I'm not at all impressed with his performance in the Ryder Cup. His Number #1 dominance will never be replicated in my lifetime, no doubt. I agree with you on that score - it has been one heck of a Number #1 ride with Tiger! However, his performance during the the Ryder, leave much to be desired. Had he not won as many times as he did this year, I'd be saying that he should not even be on the Ryder Cup Team. Of course, you can't keep the best of the best down for very long and that's why he has multiple wins this year, yet again for the umpteenth time in his career. I think the problem in the past with Tiger, and the Ryder Cup, has been the fact that it come late in the year. Tiger, had to have spent an enormous amount of energy winning 74 times on the PGA Tour over the years, including 14 majors and 16 WGC events and those years where he won 5/6/7 times a year for multiple years. All of that has to take an emotional toll at the end of the golf season, when really - winning on Tour is the most important thing on your annual agenda. Then comes the Ryder Cup, at the very end - after you have spent all that energy beating up on everybody in sight earlier that same year. It must have been somewhat melodramatic for Tiger, over the years. Maybe even something on the level of an NFL Pro Bowl for Tiger, the Ryder Cup (maybe). Nobody expects to see any real big hits in Hawaii, during the Pro Bowl. In fact, they way they play the game today, they basically Red-Shirt everybody on the field during most of the game and the fans know it. The fans are basically there just to see all of their favorite players on the field at the same time. Nobody expects big hits anymore, or all out play. That does not make Tiger, a non-team player. It is just the reality of giving your all over an extremely long golf season and then reaching what amounts to an "All Star Golf Tournament" for the Europeans and the United States. However, having said that ---------- I think the "Fans" have turned up the heat AND the expectations for the players in the Ryder Cup, over the decades, making it a very heated contest. With Tiger, exploding onto the scene back in 1997, with his dramatic history making win in the Masters, he began to introduce the game of Golf to people all around the world, given the television coverage and the changes in satellite television networks. People from all over the world, were able to see his star rising and that got millions of people around the planet interested in playing and watching golf on a level had not been seen before, given the technology in use. Now, the Ryder Cup, gets a visit from Celebrities from outside the world of Golf and a level of television coverage world wide that it never had before. Couple that to the Fan/Amateur golfer now buying billions of dollars in golf equipment each and every year, the global reality of having two teams from two different continents and it brings something of an Olympic flair to it. Its no Super Bowl, by any stretch of the imagination - but its growing bigger each and every year. When you put a hot player like Rory, on one side and a perennial Hall of Fame Titan like Tiger, on the other - you spark something special that people want to see. Having it played on a course that looks downright Sexy, like Medinah, looks today - and you unleash a firestorm of interest. A Side note: I've never seen Medinah, look this darn sexy. That course looks good enough to EAT!

Two Players that I don't think should have made either Ryder Cup this year: - Bubba Watson - US Team - Lee Westwood - European Team Neither of them have played impressive golf this year, and both of them are on a downward slope currently. I would have preferred to see Hunter Mahan , instead of Bubba Watson. I think when comparing the two, Hunter, would have brought more "stability" and less "frantic" play to the team event - which is what you will need to win. I think the remainder of the U.S. Team is pretty solid this year. On the European side, I don't see Francesco Molinari, adding much to fuel the Europeans to victory at Medinah, either. In 2010, they tried to put Molinari, up against Zack Johnson/ Hunter Mahan (foursomes), Cink/Kuchar (fourballs) and Woods (singles) - and he ended up 0-2-1 . Instead of Bubba, I would have put a more stable Mahan, up against Molinary, as much as possible - just to remind Molinary, of 2010. A psychological advantage that might matter in the points spread. We'll see.

How does one quantify and measure that reality exactly? Everybody who plays on the U.S. Team with Tiger, seems to think different - at least you hear and see them saying so during interviews and press conferences, even in the informal interviews and press conferences.

You can make an Elephant fly coast-to-coast with statistics in a vacuum. An "essay" on "How Professional Golf Players Optimize Their Game," might be what many people need, in order to understand why their posts are so far off the mark. Using periods where Tiger's scoring average was historically low (for him) and then juxtaposing that to the number of wins he had then -vs- now, is an interesting exercise but it certainly does not explain Rory, as the factor for why Tiger, is not winning as much now. Rory, beat Tiger, two weeks in a row? Are you serious? Two weeks! I thought you were going to tell me that Rory, has been beating Tiger, ever since Rory, came on Tour - like Tiger, was beating Phil, Vjay, Love III, Daly and Duval, etc. Two weeks does not make one the "Next Guy." Heck, two years won't make Rory, the "Next Guy" in reality. Tiger, has such an enormous body of work and accomplishment, that we are going to have to wait a long time before raising the name of Rory, into the rarefied air of Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead and Bobby Jones - for goodness sakes. We are talking 18 and 14 majors respectively here - remember? And, in Tiger's case we are also talking about 74 PGA Tour wins and 38 wins in Europe . Not to mention 16 WGC victories. How many wins does Rory, have in Europe? So, how on earth can you claim that Tiger, has played consistently with his "A" game subsequent to 2010? He's shown flashes of his "A" game subsequent to 2010. That's not the same as playing consistently with his "B" to "A" game, however. From the end of 2009, through 2010 and up to now - Tiger, has consistently played with his C+/B- (sometimes as low as C-/D+) game the vast majority of the time, and STILL managed to capture about 4 wins at that level of golf and was only four (4) shots off the lead in one Masters during that period and really should have won at Olympic in the U.S. Open this year, in a patented come-from-behind victory - had it not been for the loss of trajectory control from the fairway with his irons, which put him into too much putting trouble on the greens, or forced a chipping condition from a bad green side location. He was on a typical, very steady come-back trajectory for winning this years U.S. Open, until the speed of his swing fell out of place. To the contrary - we have not seen Tiger's consistent "A" game in a while now. However, once he gets the trajectory issue grooved in the way its going to be and allows himself the benefit of taking his slower practice range tempo onto the course for four (4) full days - THEN - you will see his consistent "A" game again and far more birdie opportunities from within 20 feet pin high .

Hard facts? Not currently at Rory's level? Previous level of forum? What - are you another Golf Comedian? Are you joking? Are you puling my leg? The "Next Great Thing?" Maybe - and that's where you really need to understand the game of golf. Maybe you missed my other post, but Rory, has accomplished less than 50% of what Tiger, had accomplished at the same age. Tiger, has twice the number of wins AND two majors at the same time. Tiger, also did not merely win the Masters, he won the Masters with a margin of victory has had never been seen before. He was Player of the Year (multiple years), held the Number #1 World Ranking and held Number #1 on the Money List - all at the same age Rory, is right now. So, when you talk about "facts" - exactly what "facts" are you referring to? Rory, is the Number #1 Player in the World for one reason and one reason only: Tiger, changed his swing yet again. Only this time, his swing changes were made to protect and extend his playing career, by lessening some of the torque and pressure off the left side of his body. In return, he's picked-up more yardage both off the tee and from the fairway with his irons. The downside to these changes have been a NEW trajectory in his ball flight from the fairway into greens. This is why Tiger, is experiencing so many puts outside of 24 feet and from angles that do not give him decent looks at birdie. Thus, he has scored less because he's made fewer puts and as a direct results, has not won as many tournaments. Go take a very close look at the tournaments Tiger, won this year and last year. When he's won, what did you notice about his second shots into greens? Answer: There were plenty of them that were pin high and within 24 feet of the hole. - He's won driving the ball into the Concession Stands. - He's won driving the ball into the next fairway third cut of rough. - He's won driving the ball into the trees, behind boulders, behind the Empire State Building, etc. But, he simply does not win very much when he's hitting second shots on Par 4's either too far above or too far below the hole - outside of 24 feet. He's never won a massive number of tournaments hitting second shots like that. This new ball compression over time ratio/function that the new swing has given him, was the ONLY thing separating him from winning the U.S. Open at Olympic and wining this years FedEx Cup outright. He had the U.S. Open won in a patented Come-From-Behind style when his trajectory was under control from the fairway. He then began having trajectory problems and that is when his steady roll up the leader board fell apart and he began forcing shots in a race against the clock as the number of holes available for a comeback ran out. This years FedEx Cup - same exact thing. He starts out with blazing accuracy from the fairway BECAUSE his trajectory matched the pace of his swing. Once the pace increased, the compression on the ball increased and you began seeing balls fly above the hole on misses into the green. He then tried to make an on-the-course adjustment to reduce the pace, but that ended up in seeing more balls [b]fall too short of the hole underneath. Thus, his puts were consistently outside of 24 feet. You've got to understand how this game works for professionals. These guys are so finely tuned for [b]their own shot patterns[/b] that any degree of variance, will upset their shots into greens. Tiger, is NOT immune to this and given the number of massive swing changes that he's made with Sean, it is crystal clear (when you pay attention) what the problem with Tiger, is right now. He's only had this new (stronger) compression on the ball for less than two years. During the first year of the change, he was simply learning how to make contact with the ball and a flush/square club face. Back then - his shots were sporadic because the tempo of the swing had slowed down. He's holding a longer L-Position before impact and that has the feel of a longer golf swing at the bottom in the contact zone. THAT is why you constantly saw him rehearsing golf swings after bad shots in the middle of the fairway using that exaggerated slicing move. It was NOT a "slicing move" as Brandel Chamblee, stated incorrectly. It was his way of exaggerating a more sustained L-Position through impact. This is what places greater compression on the back of the ball. Today, you don't see Tiger, practicing that exaggerated "slicing move" nearly as much anymore and that is because he is now comfortable with his balls striking. The only remaining problem that he's trying to correct right now, is the consistency of holding the new L-Position. To prove that to yourself, go watch the Golf Channel's review of both Sean and Tiger, working on the practice green today at the Ryder Cup. You will see about five (5) minutes of footage, where Sean, exaggerates the L-Position by holding-off his left-wrist through impact. Tiger, then steps up to the ball and models that image before hitting his ball on the range. He then rehearses the extended L-Position after impact for the feeling of where he wants his wrists after the ball is gone. Once he tweaks this feeling to point where he can then visually calculate where the new trajectory should be for that feeling, THEN you will start to see more birdie puts from inside of 20 feet. At that point, he re-takes the Number # 1 Player in the World again, and goes on to win five (5) more majors over the next 10 years. Nobody, can play with Tiger, when he's controlling his trajectory from the fairway. Nobody. Right now, the new compression function is the only thing standing his way - not Rory, not Phil, and not Vjay.

Posting rounds in the 60's don't always speak to the game that got you there. Tiger, has not even had his B- game over the past two years in the aggregate. He's been playing for a while time with a developmental game designed to take pressure off his lower extremities in order to prolong his playing career - a smart move. This has lead to output of no more than C+ to B-, most of the time and only flashing spurts up to what might be called a Tiger A- game. He has not played his A, or A+ golf in nearly two years. Too many boogies on the score card in places where you never saw that many of them before. Flashes of brilliance being separated by more developmental swing changes and a new putter that simply needs to be put into the waste can, coupled with a revived relationship with his old putter. Rory, is a very good player, he's not great yet - he's working on that. Rory, has caught Tiger, at a point in time in his career, where changes are taking longer to set into place and one bad strategic decision (the move to the new putter) has caused an opening where challenging Tiger, during his period of lower output in performance is more plausible than it was before. This should not however, be mistaken for some kind of new paradigm shift in professional golf, where Tiger, simply fades into the sunset. As I said, trajectory control is Tiger's number one fix-it-ticket for now, followed by a much needed re-union with his older, time and battle tested putter. Once those two things are rectified, you will start to see a more consistent ball flight that resembles his older B+ to A game, which will be good for up to 5 to 8 regular wins per year, including 0-2 majors per year. That will put him back on track for reaching Jack's record well before retirement age. We won't be seeing Tiger Woods, on the Champions Tour. That much is for certain. He's got about 10 years remaining to win essentially five (5) more Majors. Something that statistically is very likely to happen, regardless of who is in the field.

What happens if Rory, does not meet such a lofty expectation? Look at what they have done with Tiger, in their setting of wild expectations. They have every golfing novice out there actually believing that Tiger, should or would win every time he tees it up and that's simply not fair. You can't lay that kind of expectation on anyone Player's shoulders because it is a load that no one can possibly carry. They are building up Rory, far too quickly and far to greatly. Six (6) wins tour, even if two (2) of them are Majors - is not a regular tour tournament to major even ratio that anyone will ever be able to maintain forever and you would think that these people would understand that. That's an effective 33% kill ratio. So, for every six (6) tournament wins, these guys are setting him up to win two (2) majors. Nine (9) wins next year, should equate to three (3) majors. If he wins twelve (12) PGA Tour events next year, then by their own new definition of what it means to be "The Man on Tour," he'll have to win the Grand Slam of Golf. Only Jack and Tiger, have done that respectively in a single 365 day period. Lastly, when they say to the world that "This is the Best Golfer on the Planet," when the man with 103 professional wins and 14 major victories (I said 103 PGA Tour wins last time, that was in error) is sitting in the same room (figuratively speaking) then yes indeed, they are attempting to diminish what that man has accomplished. However, they do it very foolishly - as the record speaks volumes for itself. I knew this was going to happen. After Tiger's personal life became front page news, there have been industry forces at play attempting to "replace" the face of golf. I knew that if anybody were to simple have a back-to-back victory and one or two major wins in a single season (I did not care who it was when originally said this would happen two years ago), that they would use that Player as the air-apparent to Tiger Woods, regardless of how under qualified that Player's resume might be in the aggregate. The fact that this Player just happened to be the new young gun that many people like and who is very talented, only made their decision to run with the storyline that much more likely. I knew this would happen two years ago and I'm watching it unfold right now. The only problem for these people is that Tiger...... well.... he's still Tiger and he still (I believe) wants to win Majors. So, let's get this show on the road. I can't wait for the Ryder Cup, when they put Tiger and Rory, together. But, more importantly, I can't wait for the Masters next year even more. I'm getting the distinct feeling that Tiger's game will be nicely tuned for Augusta, come 2013. I don't know that Tiger, will ever win another British, given the course set-ups and his new swing. However, his new swing set's up well for the Masters, PGA Championship and the U.S. Open, on just about any given course. And, I would not at all be surprised if Championship #19 came at the Masters - and what a fitting moment that would be - tying it all together were it all began in 1997. He's got a flare for the dramatic, so we shall see. I don't expect much more strategic dominance that we've seen in the past. But, I do expect to see a more tactical display of victories in critical tournaments. That last U.S. Open at The Olympic Club in San Francisco.... there was no reason why Tiger, could not have won that event. His putter let him down big time and that needs to be addressed. Quite frankly, I would like to be the one to get Tiger, to consider making a move BACK to his game winning putter. He never putted better and he never putted more smoothly. He's having too much difficulty fighting with this new putting and keeping in online. As far as his driving goes, he's driving either as good or better than he ever has. He's never been the most accurate driver for any consistent stretch of time, but he's always had the best second shots into greens from any distance and any lie, than anyone in the modern game, followed by some of the best putting by anyone in the modern game. That's what won all those Major Tournaments. The problem as I see it, is his new approach to lagging the club head behind his hands before impact. His bowing of the left wrist is what's causing even more compressing of the golf ball, but it is also causing problems with distance control. Tiger, has always concluded that trajectory controls distance . He always used to say that, in nearly every interview he gave when he was asked about his iron play. He's lacking trajectory control right now and that is because of the new approach to the down-swing. He's compressing the ball better and thus hitting the ball greater distances with his irons, but the control factor in the flight of the ball, is missing something critical and that causes these shot we now see to either come up far too short of the whole, or too far beyond the hole . Something we never used to see from Tiger, in years past. He used to talk about how difficult it was to "flick the wrist" with consistent accuracy. Yet that's closer to what he's doing right now, than where he was with Butch Harmon. That bowing action, which allows for a longer sustained "L-Position" before impact, is the thing that is causing him difficulty right now. Try it at home. Go out to the range an intentionally hold-off the unhinging of your wrist-cock to extend the duration of the L-Position before impact. Once you learn how to hit the golf ball that way, it will send your ball further in the air naturally. However, you will also notice difficult with Distance Control . Then, leave the range and go out and try to play with that same delayed L-Position before impact and take note how wild your distance control will be into greens. This is one of the most critical elements in his swing changes that he's trying to negotiate to a resolution right now with his body. With that kind of swing, you do hit the ball further, but you also have to have near perfect timing in releasing your club head and allowing your wrists to roll over through the contact zone. He's Tiger Woods, so if he decides to stick with this new swing, he will figure out a method that he can use in tournament play. This will put him closer to the hole on average (within 25 feet) and give him more realistic looks at birdie more often. That one thing alone will put him back on top of the leader board in most tournaments he enters. But, to win outright by multiple stroke like he used to, he's going to have to make final decision about his putter. And, quite frankly, I do not like this new putter. I contacts the ball higher on the equator than his last putter and that is causing inconsistency in speed modulation . He's not modulating his speed anywhere near as consistently as he used to, when his putter made contact with the equator of the ball at a lower position. That meant that he was putting either level with the equator, or fractionally up and through the ball from below the equator. Today, he's either putting at the equator, or down and through the ball, which is causing the variations in ball speed through the spin rate. Its like pitching a knuckleball in baseball - the initial spin rate is different, and therefore the speed to the target is different . No doubt, he knows all about these problems and is working on a solution. No different than any Engineer, who knows about key technical problems in their design and seeks a solution to fix them. Second shots into greens (using trajectory to control distance given the more acute L-Postion before impact) and putting speed (getting the putter lower on the equator to control spin rate). That's all he needs to fix with the new swing. Once that is done, hello 19th Major.

If you read my post carefully, you will conclude that mine was not the running down of Rory McIlroy. I specifically took time out to recognize his achievements since he turned pro on the PGA Tour. I then specifically stated that I like Rory McIlroy. I then added that I was one of the first people on the former Golf Channel Forum, to step up to the plate and give Rory, the pre-recognition BEFORE he won anything on the PGA Tour. That was years ago, and Rory, has done precisely what I knew he was capable of doing. So, I don't see any denigration of Rory McIlroy, in my post. What I do see, in my post is the realization that certain people in the world of Golf, have lost their natural mind. Whether they have lost their mind due to illegal drug use, or their pure hate of Tiger Woods, their minds have clearly been lost, because they are literally placing a man who has accomplished half of what another man has accomplished at the same age, in the outright position of being "The Worlds Best Player on The Planet," The Golf Channel, 19th Hole, September 13, 2012. I don't understand how such a question even emerges in the minds of some people. We are talking about a dude that won 103 times on the PGA Tour. I mean, just drop all the Majors entirely, and that would be enough to be considered the best professional golfer alive today. Add back the 14 Majors, 16 WGC Championships, 16 Vardon/Nelson honors, the longer run in the history of the galaxy as the World's Number #1 Ranked Player, the widest margin in the known universe in total PGA Tour Purse at over $100,000,000.00 and the various assorted mountain peak records and milestones that man has racked up over the past 16+ years, and you not only have the best man on the PGA Tour, but you have the best player on the planet - second only to Jack Nicklaus, himself. It would be like me attempting to state that Tiger Woods, has magically surpassed Jack, as the Best Golfer in the History of the Game. That would be equally as absurd. Tiger is Number #2. Jack, is Number #1. Period. That will never change until Tiger, wins Major #18. Why not Major #19? Because, Tiger Woods, has more PGA Tour Victories than Jack, more career wins in multiple tournaments than Jack, and he did it faster than Jack. So, Tiger, needs only to capture Major #18, in order to surpass Jack, as the Greatest Ever. Why? Because, the PGA Tour Pro is measured by the number of Major victories. Not his personal life, nor his alleged reputation with the "elite" in the game, nor his like-ability rating because he'd rather focus on the tournament at hand as opposed to signing autographs and lapping it up with the fans as he walks to the next tee box. Major Victories are all that really matters in this game. Go ask any NFL pro, current or retired, what single achievement they would relish the most in the career. If that Player is being honest that day, he will tell you that winning the Super Bowl, no matter how many times he's been awarded NFL Player of the year, or how many times he's been sent to the Pro-Bowl by the fans, or how quickly he got inducted into the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. When you ask any IRL Driver what their most cherished moment would be in their racing career, every driver to a Man and to a Woman, will tell that no matter how many times they have lead the league in point total, their most cherished prize of all would be winning the Indianapolis 500, on a hot Sunday afternoon, with a bottle of Milk being poured down their back while standing in the cockpit at the winners circle. Its all about the Championship in Professional Sports. That is why they compete. To be the best means being the Champion, and when you have won more Championships than anyone else around you, by definition - you have earned the right to be called the "Best." I like Rory. Don't get me wrong. If Tiger, is not in the field and Rory, is playing, hands down - I am pulling for Rory. If Tiger, is not in the field and both Rory and Phil, are in the tournament, then I'm split down the middle. If Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy and Phil Michelson, are all in the field and Tiger, is not in the tournament - then I'm split three (3) from Sunday. Clearly, I like a lot of other Players on Tour. But, what Tiger, has done for the game, sport and the business of Golf worldwide, is not something that in good conscious I cannot just easily shake off, as if I'm removing a dirty pair of socks after a round of golf. What Tiger, has done is nothing short of amazing and bewildering to many who play the game for a living. He could lose every single tournament for the remainder of his career and still be considered the best man in the game, until Rory, or somebody else (Dustin Johnson, is another great potential talent) steps up and accomplished at least 50% of what Tiger has accomplished. When that player gets to 75% of Tiger's accomplishments, then it think it would be appropriate to start the conversation about "passing the torch." I remember what Staff Writers were saying about Tiger, when he first came on Tour. They said right off the bat, right after his first few tournaments - that he "did not have the mental focus sufficient to ever win a Major Championship." They wrote the Tiger, "did not have enough driving consistency to ever win a Major Championship." They thought he was just another Jr. Golfing phenom, who would washout into the general population of the PGA Tour, never really being a "great golfer." Boy, were those Sport Writers dead wrong in 1997. And, boy - are they dead wrong in 2012, counting Tiger out once again. He's proven the critics wrong all his Professional Career, and he'll no doubt continue to do so. As for Rory, I only hope that he rises to the level of a Tiger. Two (2) Majors and four (4) total wins in a single year is an entire career for most PGA Tour Pros. He's clearly the 2nd best man on the planet right now. What he has done this year , is very Tiger-like. Yet, Tiger, has done this and a lot more, for 15 straight years. And, that is what keeps his name at the top of the "Man to beat on Tour" list. In fact, you can't even place Rory, ahead of either Phil, or Vjay, at this point. They each have accomplishments that simply outweigh anything that Rory, has done this far. Rory, needs more time under his belt. He needs to feel the weight of having to be Number #1 in the world month after month, year after year. He needs to feel what it means to have people expecting him to win every single time he tees it up (impossible). He needs to have to deal with the high intensity spotlight that probes every aspect of his life since birth. He needs to feel the same pressure that Tiger, has felt for his entire career on Tour. Then after having still won, Rory, will have earned the right to be called "The man to beat on Tour." Until such time, the media is simply looking to manufacture a rivalry and create controversy where absolutely none exists.

I believe that someone has already said it. The FedEx Cup, is a great Season Ending Schedule Concept. It is awesome for the fans. They get one more shot at seeing many of the best players in the world, tee it up for several weeks at the end of a very long season for most of those guys, where the competition is still individual player against individual player. It is not a true "Play-Off Format" but it is probably the closest thing that you can get given the fact that it is not a team event, where you have only two entities competing over a series of events. When you have that many players competing at once, there has to be scoring sub-component added to the "play-off" like arrangement. It is as fair as they can make it. Will it, or should it overtake any Major Championship? Of course, not. The four (4) Majors are one of the most unique rationing of Championship events in professional sports. They are laid down throughout the middle of the regular season and strategically positioned to test each player while they are still fresh enough to give the tournament their all, both physically and mentally. And, at this stage in the life of professional golf, one has a hard time arguing that four (4) majors have not already earned their right as the most proper platforms for raising the winner to prominence and notoriety. When you go inside the tour and you talk to the players, each of them to a man will tell you that the most significant thing they could do in any given season, is to become a Major Champion. If you ask then what would be the second most significant thing they could ever do in a single year, each one to a man would tell you that becoming a multiple Major Champion ranks as number two on the list. If you were to ask them for number three on their list, they would tell you that winning the third Major Championship would be their dream. Of course, if you push the question even further, each of them, without question or hesitation, would tell you that their ultimate dream of all dreams, would be to win the Grand Slam of Professional Golf, at four (4) Major Championships for the year. Which brings you to the obvious question. If you asked each player on tour, whether they would rather win a Major Championship, or the FedEx Cup, there should be no doubt in anyone's mind that not one PGA Tour Player would suggest that winning just one Major, would be less desirable than all the money that comes from winning the Cup - in any given year. There is too much water under the bridge at this point in the history of Golf, to supplant any of the Major Championships with any season ending Grand Finale Cup Series. Having said that, if the FedEx Cup continues to have Leaderboards that look they way this years series does, it will continue to grow as a "Major" like favorite with the fans. You can't continue to stack the World's Number #1, #2, #3 and #4 together like that without drawing some attention nationwide. So, it is very good for doing that. However, actually being significant enough to replace a Major Championship? Not even close. Even the Players Championship is deemed more significant to the players, than the Cup. The Cup is huge purse and because of the scoring it will often times pull the best players. But, even the Players Championship carries more momentum and weight in the minds of the players, and it is not even a Major event! So, while I do wish the Cup all the best for becoming as significant as a Major, it has a very, very, very long way to go before that ever happens - both in the minds of the Fans and the Players. Again, the FedEx Cup is a great "Finishing Hole" to the season - before the "All-Star" event takes place with the Ryder Cup.

With all the coronation of Rory McIlroy, as "The Man" on the PGA Tour these days, I think people like Brandel Shameblee and organizations like NBC Sports, need to take a deep breath from their tireless blatant attempts at trying to diminish everything that Tiger, has accomplished while rushing to "replace" him as the face of golf on the PGA Tour. The facts can't be changed and neither can history. Rory, went Pro in 2007. This is now 2012. In just about five (5) years, this young man has won 6 times, including 2 Major Championships. That's 1.2 PGA Tour wins per year and 0.4 Major wins per year. Rory, has a total of 9 wins as a professional golfer. Based on this performance, NBC Sports has declared today that Rory McIlroy, is now "The best player on the PGA Tour, [u]by far[/u]." NBC Sports, has declared that now, Rory McIlroy, is "The Man," on the PGA Tour. Essentially, NBC Sports has "passed the torch" to Rory, and set him up as the best player on the planet - for all practical purposes. I've watched NBC Sports and CBS Sports try to do the same thing with Phil Michelson, several years ago and for several years running. I've watched NBC Sports and CBS Sports attempt to the same thing with Bubba Watson last season with his Major victory. I've seen this same theme happen before in relation to Tiger Woods, but I've never seen it so blatant than with NBC & CBS Sports respectively, than after Tiger's personal affairs were made public some two years ago. You also see it in the PGA Tour's Public Relations Marketing on television. The slogan "These Guys Are Good," prior to Tiger's personal live becoming public, has now given way to "It's Their Time Now," messages where they put up anybody that ever won a golf tournament, no matter what their historical record as a PGA Tour Player might look like. It has now become a sloganeering campaign of "It's Anybodies Game Now" as if to say that everybody on tour has the same level of skill, same level of talent and has achieved the same level of accomplishment. So, I am not surprised at all, that after 6 total wins on Tour in 5 years, including 2 Major Championships, that Rory McIlroy, is not the best thing that ever happened to the game and the sport of golf. The fact that Tiger, at the exact same age and [b]in half the time[/b] had already become: - Wins the Masters by the widest stroke victory in the history of the Championship - Becomes the youngest Masters Champion in the history of the Championship - Reaches Number #1 World Ranking less than 42 weeks after turning pro. - Wins PGA Player of the year and Athlete of the Year, 2 out of 3 years - Makes the cut in more than 95% of the tournaments played for three years in a row - Wins the PGA Championship by one stroke over Sergio Garcia - PGA Tour leading money winner for three years in a row - Wins a total of eight (8) PGA Tournaments from 1997 through 1999 In three (3) years, Tiger Woods, accomplished more than [b]twice as much[/b] as Rory McIlroy, yet Rory, is now being handed the torch from Tiger. I DO NOT condone the use of drugs. However, having said that, "if" I were a drug user, then I would absolutely, positively want to smoke the exact same thing that the guys over at NBC Sport, CBS Sports and what Brandel Shameblee, have been smoking for the past two years. One has to be as high as a kite, to conclude that the torch is ready to be passed. I think they all need to wake up and realize just how amazing Tiger's accomplishments are and how incredibly difficult it will be for anyone to come along and take the torch from him while he's still on the PGA Tour. Now, do I believe that Rory, has the potential to truly rival Tiger's achievements? Yes. He's the ONLY player that I have witnessed in 15 - 17 years, that *might* have the potential to do something similar to what Tiger has done. However, Rory, is already more than 50% [b]behind[/b] Tiger, at the exact same age, in terms of overall performance and accomplishment (by age 23). I said three (3) years ago on the Golf Channel Forum, that the only player that I saw who was capable of giving Tiger, a run for his money - was Rory McIlroy. So, I've always appreciated his talent and his desire to want to win tournaments. Rory, is proving that he has good talent. But, he's got a very long way to go before he will have proven himself to have great talent and that is what separates Tiger, from the rest of the PGA Tour. Labeling Rory, "The Man" today was a far too premature. How many times did Phil, get labeled the "The Next One," and then failed to follow through. After Rory, has won his 8th WGC Championship, earned his 4th Vardon Trophy, his 3rd Nelson Award, retained the Number #1 World Ranking for several years straight, reaches $50,000,000.00 in total winnings AND closes the deal on his 10th Major Championship - THEN, I will entertain the notion that Rory, might be ready to challenge Tiger, for the torch. But, until such time that Rory, achieves even HALF of what Tiger, has achieved - I think it is far too premature to be tossing around language like "This Guy Is Simply The Best There Is..." - Johnny Miller, NBC Sports. Personally, I have always loved it would somebody challenges Tiger, on the golf course. Maybe, Rory, is the one to do that going forward. But, to coronate him as "dominant" over the PGA Tour, is a bit malformed at best at this point and it slaps people like Vjay and Michelson, right in their face - given all of their work and accomplishment on tour. Calling Rory, "dominant" at this stage, is like calling Phil, Chopped Liver and that is just as insane, IMO. You may not like Tiger. You may even think you know that Rory, is a "good guy" (code for Tiger is [u]not[/u] a good guy), but no one will ever be able to re-write history and take from Tiger, what his hard work and amazing talent has net him in the profession of golf.

I believe the spirit of the rule was a stipulation on the "Building of a Stance," by bracing your club against your body - or something equivalent to that sentiment. You are not supposed to be able to use your club to anchor, support and/or build a stance against the ground, if I am not mistaken. When you use a belly putter and brace it against your stomach, or when you use the long stick and brace it against your chest, you are at the very least in violation of the spirit of the rule. How you define this building of a stance in technical terms is the problem for those wanting a ban. I think somebody already said it best somewhere earlier in this thread, that if any club comes in contact with the body for the express purpose of providing [b]stability (building a stance)[/b] for the player [b]prior to the initiation of the stroke[/b], then that should meet the technical requirement for a violation of the rule and thus should trigger the conversation about whether or not those using such equipment should be restricted from doing so. Stick'em was banned from the NFL and yet Lester Hayes, of the Oakland Raiders still went on to become one of the best (if not the best ever) Cornerbacks in the history of the game. Lester Hayes, established the prototype model for what later became the Cornerback of the modern era in professional football. Both Lester Hayes and Mike Haynes, were the best Corner tandem to every take the field at the same time. No Corner tandem has ever been as dominating and no Corner tandem has ever shut down the passing game as prolifically as Hayes & Haynes. So, banning the "stance improving" long stick won't hurt the game, the sport or the profession of golf. That's my two cents.