Rory McIlroy

[jimmy40]

This kid is good.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

He did what Tiger use to do...

Get a slight lead and then proceed to "spank" the field.

Just an amazing final round.

Tiger again teases and I dunno... He just can't close any more.

 

[Doomsday]

He played amazing golf this weekend.

 

[Doomsday101]

Rory is a great player no question about it and will see many more major wins in his career.

 

[Doomsday101]

He did what Tiger use to do...

Get a slight lead and then proceed to "spank" the field.

Just an amazing final round.

Tiger again teases and I dunno... He just can't close any more.

Tiger is a big enough competitor he will do what he has to do to challenge for the Majors. Fact is the 3 events he has won this year were big events with only the top players in the world playing. So I don't think Tiger is done yet leaving his mark on the game

 

[CanadianCowboysFan]

Tiger is a big enough competitor he will do what he has to do to challenge for the Majors. Fact is the 3 events he has won this year were big events with only the top players in the world playing. So I don't think Tiger is done yet leaving his mark on the game

People have been claiming Eldrick is back for a couple of years but he can't win when it counts anymore.

No one cares when Eldrick wins irrelevant tournaments, he is judged solely by how he does in four tournaments and so far this year, NOTHING.

It looks good on him.

 

[Doomsday101]

People have been claiming Eldrick is back for a couple of years but he can't win when it counts anymore.

No one cares when Eldrick wins irrelevant tournaments, he is judged solely by how he does in four tournaments and so far this year, NOTHING.

It looks good on him.

The 3 he won which by the way is more than any other this year were top tournaments not just avg events.

I agree the majors are important but the events he won were top events with the world’s best playing.

You can belittle him all you want it is well know you don't like him and that is fine but in terms of his ability he is still one of the tops on tour and I think he is far from done in terms of majors.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

People have been claiming Eldrick is back for a couple of years but he can't win when it counts anymore.

No one cares when Eldrick wins irrelevant tournaments, he is judged solely by how he does in four tournaments and so far this year, NOTHING.

It looks good on him.

The Memorial, AT&T National and Bay Hill are not irrelevant. Those are big tournaments by Tour standards. And it's not like he's done nothing in the Majors.

Majors are hard to win, period. Luke Donald was the #1 player in the world, dominated the PGA and European Tour in the same year...couldn't win a major.

Why?

They are extremely difficult to win.

I think part of the problem for him is that players are no longer intimidated by him. No more of the 3 guys in contention going into the last day and all 3 shooting high scores while Tiger shoots 69 and wins with ease.

I also think we are seeing less of those outrageously great shots that gives him momentum. He's more steady than anything else. I did see him hit a few bombs off the tee, like the end of his 3rd round where he blasted one on #18 70 yards past Vijay. But he doesn't really stick those irons to less than a foot or make some ridiculous putter or pitch shot.








YR

 

[MichaelWinicki]

I think part of the problem for him is that players are no longer intimidated by him. No more of the 3 guys in contention going into the last day and all 3 shooting high scores while Tiger shoots 69 and wins with ease.

I also think we are seeing less of those outrageously great shots that gives him momentum. He's more steady than anything else. I did see him hit a few bombs off the tee, like the end of his 3rd round where he blasted one on #18 70 yards past Vijay. But he doesn't really stick those irons to less than a foot or make some ridiculous putter or pitch shot.


YR

Pretty well said.

Tiger is still very good... Just not the same guy as when he won the 14 majors.

Phil's another who's not the same guy.

 

[Doomsday101]

Pretty well said.

Tiger is still very good... Just not the same guy as when he won the 14 majors.

Phil's another who's not the same guy.

I agree. I will say his new swing is coming into form and if anything cost him it has been his putting. He had so many oppertunity to put together a great round but still having issues putting.

Given the nature of Tiger I think he will get his game close to his standards and will win majors down the road he is still in his 30's (36) and while he may never have run like he did early on in fairness how many have ever had a run like his?

I think Tiger still has some good golf left in him

 

[jimmy40]

We you wrap your whole career around winning majors and breaking Jack's record like Tiger has done to himself then all other tournaments are irrelevant.

 

[Blake]

I haven't posted...since who knows but this thread caught my interest.

There is no doubt that Tiger still has alot of good golf in him, however now he's just a really solid/good golfer as opposed to the dominating force that he used to be. Also, as someone said above...I likewise agree that other golfers just aren't intimidated by him anymore. Others realize that he has lost a step or two and while we'll still be treated to flashes of his former superiority from time to time...I don't believe he'll ever regain the presence he once held early on in his career. I still believe he'll nab a few more majors on his way to retirement, but my guess is they won't be in such dominating fasion.

I am curious as to whether the competition in the PGA has also stiffened as a result of the Tiger mania that occurred in the late 90's into the early-mid 00's. I know without a doubt that Tiger's early success put a spark in the game of golf around the world. Naturally, this would of led to many more taking interest in the game...and producing more committed athletes who would have hoped to one day be able to emulate Tiger. I believe that might be the other part of the equation that is missing. Tiger is still great, but now these kids that grew up watching and admiring his success have entered into his ranks and are playing just as good or better then him.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

We you wrap your whole career around winning majors and breaking Jack's record like Tiger has done to himself then all other tournaments are irrelevant.

In essence that's true.

For Tiger and flowing down to his fans and his detractors it's been all about the majors.

He could have won 10 tournaments this year and if none are majors– it's perceived as a failing year.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

I haven't posted...since who knows but this thread caught my interest.

There is no doubt that Tiger still has alot of good golf in him, however now he's just a really solid/good golfer as opposed to the dominating force that he used to be. Also, as someone said above...I likewise agree that other golfers just aren't intimidated by him anymore. Others realize that he has lost a step or two and while we'll still be treated to flashes of his former superiority from time to time...I don't believe he'll ever regain the presence he once held early on in his career. I still believe he'll nab a few more majors on his way to retirement, but my guess is they won't be in such dominating fasion.

I am curious as to whether the competition in the PGA has also stiffened as a result of the Tiger mania that occurred in the late 90's into the early-mid 00's. I know without a doubt that Tiger's early success put a spark in the game of golf around the world. Naturally, this would of led to many more taking interest in the game...and producing more committed athletes who would have hoped to one day be able to emulate Tiger. I believe that might be the other part of the equation that is missing. Tiger is still great, but now these kids that grew up watching and admiring his success have entered into his ranks and are playing just as good or better then him.

Great post Blake.

I liken Tiger's influence to what Babe Ruth brought to home-runs.

For example, initially Ruth was out-homering (by himself) all other teams in baseball and then we started having other guys seeing what Ruth was doing and thought, "OK the bar use to be here for home runs and now it's here."

And then we started seeing other folks starting to emulate Ruth... Guys like Jimmie Foxx and Lou Gerhig.

When Tiger entered the picture you had a kid who was playing at say a "9" level, when everyone else was playing at a "7".

Then you had young kids think, "OK, for me to compete with Tiger, I need to be at a 9.5."

And that's what you're seeing now. It's how competition works over time. Tiger becomes a victim of his own success because others know they have to be as good as Tiger in order to have a chance. They can't be as good as say the Jim Furyks (not meaning to disrespect Mr. Furyk) of the world, because they won't win anything.

 

[CanadianCowboysFan]

In essence that's true.

For Tiger and flowing down to his fans and his detractors it's been all about the majors.

He could have won 10 tournaments this year and if none are majors– it's perceived as a failing year.

That's the thing, Eldrick isn't back until he wins another major. Until then, he is JAG