Tiger's back, just in time for the Masters

[Frobby]

I normally don't watch much golf, except checking out the weekend rounds of the four majors, but I did spend about 4 hours on Saturday/Sunday watching Tiger Woods win the Bay Hill tournament. There's no doubt that golf is more interesting when Tiger is a threat to win. The final round of this one seemed like one of those tournaments from "before the fall" where Tiger would play decently on Sunday, and his competition simply melted away. Tiger didn't really play that great, but won by 5 shots as everyone else fell back.

2012 just became a lot more interesting for us casual golf fans.

[ccbird]

I never doubted Tiger would win again. I do doubt how much he'll win at courses he doesn't "own". I expect him to be in contention pretty much every time he plays the Masters because he rarely finishes out of the top 10 there. It doesn't surprise me he won at Bay Hill where he's now won 7 times. The test will be when you get him away from Augusta, Torrey Pines, Bay Hill, St Andrews,etc.

[Frobby]

I never doubted Tiger would win again. I do doubt how much he'll win at courses he doesn't "own". I expect him to be in contention pretty much every time he plays the Masters because he rarely finishes out of the top 10 there. It doesn't surprise me he won at Bay Hill where he's now won 7 times. The test will be when you get him away from Augusta, Torrey Pines, Bay Hill, St Andrews,etc.

I agree that it remains to be seen how he'll do on other courses. However, I think this win allows him to relax instead of worrying about how long it has been since he's won. Getting in the right frame of mind is half the battle.

[Sports Guy]

The way he is driving the ball, its not going to matter where he plays.

Its all about the putting.

He played great this weekend.

Can't wait for the masters.

[glenn__davis]

I don't think you'll ever see him come totally back, if for no other reason than he's probably near the end of his prime years, but even if he gets back close it will be great for the sport.

Tiger vs. Rory could be a fantastic rivarly for a few years. The precocious youngster trying to take the place of the precocious veteran.

[Sports Guy]

I don't think you'll ever see him come totally back, if for no other reason than he's probably near the end of his prime years, but even if he gets back close it will be great for the sport.

Tiger vs. Rory could be a fantastic rivarly for a few years. The precocious youngster trying to take the place of the precocious veteran.

This has never made sense to me.

As long as he can still hit it far, then he should be able to be as good as he ever was.

The reason I don't see him being quite as good is that he just can't quite practice as much as he used to because of his kids.

[glenn__davis]

This has never made sense to me.

As long as he can still hit it far, then he should be able to be as good as he ever was.

You will see those numbers start to slowly come down at some point over the next few years. Even Tiger can't beat Father Time.

Regardless, older baseball players can still hit a ball on occasion as far as they could in their younger days. They just can't do it as often. Their body tires faster. This is even more important in golf where the slightest mistake in your swing can have awful results.

Now, he is a phenomenal athlete, so this will help him stay at his prime for longer than many. I am not saying he's done. I think he still has a few majors in him. But he'll never be at the level he was, IMO.

[Frobby]

This has never made sense to me.

As long as he can still hit it far, then he should be able to be as good as he ever was.

The reason I don't see him being quite as good is that he just can't quite practice as much as he used to because of his kids.

Putting is usually the first thing to go.

[Sports Guy]

Putting is usually the first thing to go.

Yea..because mentally, the golfer doesn't usually stay as sharp.

But at the end of the day, you should still be able to hit a lot of shots well if you are in your 40s.

I just don't buy the "prime" stuff as much...GD brought up baseball...Totally different. Hand/eye coordination makes that comp irrelevant.

In golf, the ball isn't moving.

Now, as you get older, you may suffer through some injuries and you may not be able to practice as much...because of those things, your game may get more "out of whack", as it did with Tiger/.

But if you are healthy and can practice enough, I don't see why a 40 y/o golfer can't be right there with a 22 y/o golfer.

Golf is probably the only sport I would say that about.

[glenn__davis]

I just don't buy the "prime" stuff as much...GD brought up baseball...Totally different. Hand/eye coordination makes that comp irrelevant.

In golf, the ball isn't moving.

What does that have to do with the ability to hit the ball the same amount of distance one time? My point was that just because he can hit the ball just as far on occasion doesn't mean that he's not beginning to feel the effects of age.

Those 3rd and 4th days of tournaments will begin to get more and more difficult, particularly when you have guys like Rory and Dustin Johnson and Luke Donald and a slew of others up on the leaderboard with you.

[Dipper9]

I am off for Thursday to start the Masters, Friday for Masters and Opening Day, and am off on weekends. Gonna be a great Easter weekend of sports!

[ccbird]

You will see those numbers start to slowly come down at some point over the next few years. Even Tiger can't beat Father Time.

Regardless, older baseball players can still hit a ball on occasion as far as they could in their younger days. They just can't do it as often. Their body tires faster. This is even more important in golf where the slightest mistake in your swing can have awful results.

Now, he is a phenomenal athlete, so this will help him stay at his prime for longer than many. I am not saying he's done. I think he still has a few majors in him. But he'll never be at the level he was, IMO.

Does anyone out there really believe he's going to be at the level he once was??? I think he can get back to being a top 3-4 golfer in the world. I wouldn't bet on #1, though it's possible. But still, even if he hits #1 he's never going to be as dominant as he once was. I think the comparisions between he and Federer continue here. Fed is at the backend of his prime as well. He's aged gracefully and remained a top 3-4 player in the world but he's not dominating tennis nor has he won a major in over two years. Noiw, I do think Tiger has a better chance of winning a major than Fed but that's more because you play the course in golf, not an opponent. He's always going to compete at Augusta and a few of the other courses in the Major rotation. Lets put it this way if you put the over under at 2 major titles not named the Masters I would happily take the under.

[Sports Guy]

I think Tiger can still have a dominant 2-3 year run if he stays healthy and is able to work on his game on a consistent basis.

[Dipper9]

Phil shot a (-7) 65 in the first round of the Shell Houston Open this morning. I'd like to see him take this tournament and go into the Masters strong!