Tiger is Improving

His victory at AT&T was nothing to sneeze at.

Yes, it’s true: Tiger Woods is no longer the dominator that he used to be.

His driving distance has fallen considerably since his knee surgery, and he’s not the threat off the tee that he once was. His short game is getting there, but he is no longer his old formidable self: he struggles more to get up and down than he once did. Those eagle-birdie putts are becoming birdie-par putts. If he makes a bogey, he is finding it harder to make up that stroke or two down the stretch.

Making matters worse, his competition no longer fears him like they once did.

Critics would also be correct to point out that Tiger Woods has not done well in the major tournaments.

His play was lackluster at the Masters and the U.S. Open. He has also struggled to put together four solid rounds of golf.

Still, if you can win three tournaments in a season, that is a good sign. The fields are always competitive, and he has gone out and won three times.

While three wins at smaller events are not the same as winning majors, it is also true that if one can win in a regular Tour event, one can win a major.

Tiger has been there enough times, so he knows what it takes to win. He is starting to remember what victory tastes like. His mental toughness is coming back.

He may not dominate the way he used to, but he can still go out and win a few more majors.

Will he overtake Nicklaus? That remains to be seen. While he has had his health problems, keep in mind that he is still one of the fittest players on the Tour.

He may have to adjust his strategy as his body experiences the vagaries of the aging process. But there is no reason why he can’t be a threat for a very long time.

As for the upcoming British Open, it is notorious for nasty rough, difficult winds, and tough greens.

But those will be tough on everyone.

It will take mental toughness and good strategy to win.

Tiger Woods can win this one if he keeps his head and plays respectably.

8 thoughts on “Tiger is Improving

  1. i couldnt possibly root for this pompous, arrogant, spoiled-brat, entitled amerikan asshole

    instead of concentrating on the frivolities of golf tournaments, he should try growing a pair of balls (instead of hitting them with a stick, which all non-paraplegics can manage)

    mebbe before he’s dead he’ll make some attempt at being an actual man

    until then, let him stew in his own lies, cowardice, greed, and superficial phoniness

    p.s. to Woodie: you might want to visit someone other than pal Obie if you want man-lessons

    God knows you need them

    • My assessment of Tiger here is restricted to his golf game, not his character. The Apostle Paul–in scolding the Corinthians, who were tolerating a professed believer who was sleeping with his stepmom–said he did not pass judgment on those outside the Church. (1 Corinthians 5:12)

      OTOH: I was more outraged and saddened at Julius Erving’s sexcapades. He had been a very outspoken Christian, all as he was a serial adulterer. He has been so honorable in so many areas of his life, but failed on the family front. He probably wishes he had made some better decisions in that department.

      In contrast, Tiger Woods is a Buddhist and makes no claim to Christian faith. He is a non-Christian who has made a lot of bad personal choices. Those have cost him dearly, and have impacted him in ways that he had not anticipated.

      So, while I would take significant umbrage with aspects of his lifestyle–just as I would with Martina Navratilova’s lifestyle–I’m going to keep character judgments to a minimum in his case.

      With that in mind, I’d say he has suffered plenty for his scandals.

      Sin has a tendency to do that: it will cost you more than you ever expected to pay, and take you places you never planned on going, and will take you deep into an abyss you never considered. Christian or not, Tiger has paid quite the price here.

      As for whether he has future success as a golfer, I’m ambivalent. I neither root for–nor against–him.

      • “Sin has a tendency to do that: it will cost you more than you ever expected to pay, and take you places you never planned on going, and will take you deep into an abyss you never considered.”

        needs to be preached and ingrained into Believers.

        i tell people all the time … divorce takes you to a level of hell you didn’t know existed, regardless of whether or not it’s your fault.

      • The Apostle Paul–in scolding the Corinthians, who were tolerating a professed believer who was sleeping with his stepmom–said he did not pass judgment on those outside the Church.

        did i sentence him to hell? or heaven?

        i evaluated and described him, and if i need to find some bible verses to support my authority to do that we can go that route

        OTOH: I was more outraged and saddened at Julius Erving’s sexcapades. He had been a very outspoken Christian, all as he was a serial adulterer.

        bothered me v little, the temptations are pretty great in his spot, and we all have weaknesses, and that is the prototypical male weakness (see that bible you mentioned)

        doc j’s a good guy, tho the endless sexing is, agreed, a bit sad

        but “outraged”? huh? i’d love to hear what about this outraged you (tho i suspect i know the real answer)

        dr j was never in the “church,” he was a “general christian” as was common w/men in the fifties and sixties

        With that in mind, I’d say he has suffered plenty for his scandals.

        but it’s not you who decides if or when tiger’s suffered enough (or at all)

        arent you the person who just quoted the tax collector about judging?

        tiger left millions of guys hanging when he wimped out, covering up for the domestic violence of his mentally unstable swedish meatball

        thats why he’s been in trouble, and thats probly why he’ll stay there absent a bit of truthtelling — so other, innocent men dont have to pay the frieght of abuse for his cowardice and deceit

        tiger hurt a lot more people in his action than dr j, not that i advocate sex outside marriage

        • Being from the Philadelphia area, and having seen–firsthand–Dr. J’s witness for Christ–his sexcapades are more tragic than those of Tiger, in the same way that King David’s scandals were more tragic than those of, say, Nebuchadnezzar.

          King David was an ambassador for the God of Israel. When confronting David, the prophet Nathan called attention to that in 2 Samuel 12.

          Ditto for Erving. While both Dr. J and Tiger were subject to the common temptations that high-profile athletes face, Erving was a very outspoken Christian. He, Bobby Jones, and the then-general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers (Pat Williams) were highly-regarded for their faith.

          What made it even more difficult was that,

          (1) When the news of Erving’s paternity of tennis player Alexandra Stevenson first broke, he initially denied it. He compounded his failure by lying about it. This further undermined his integrity. It also does not speak well to see him initially denying the daughter that he helped bring into the world. All of this while she was making an otherwise impressive run at Wimbledon.

          (2) This would not be his last affair. He would eventually father yet another child with another woman; this ultimately led to a divorce from his wife, Turquoise, who was also very respected in the Philadelphia community.

          I’m not saying any of this to pile on Erving, but rather to indicate the reasons why I would suggest that his indiscretions were more tragic–from a Christian standpoint–than Tiger’s.

          But even with respect to Erving, I have no desire to root against him in life.

          Ditto for Tiger. When I said that “he’s suffered enough”, I was speaking more to the temptation that others have to pile on him so they can feel good about themselves. Not aiming at you, just toward the general sentiments that I’ve seen out there.

          • Being from the Philadelphia area, and having seen–firsthand–Dr. J’s witness for Christ–his sexcapades are more tragic than those of Tiger, in the same way that King David’s scandals were more tragic than those of, say, Nebuchadnezzar.

            i v much disagree, for the reasons i’ve summarized above

            despite David’s weaknesses, which you compare to Dr J, God will raise David’s spirit up to rule under Christ in the kingdom

            how about Nebuchadnezzar?

            not

            think about that, and why

            “I’m not saying any of this to pile on Erving, but rather to indicate the reasons why I would suggest that his indiscretions were more tragic–from a Christian standpoint–than Tiger’s.”

            that is to see only the Hand that’s directly in front of you

            tiger’s action supported feminism across-the-globe, by reinforcing the ability of western females to commit violence upon males (either directly or by proxy of other “men”) without being held accountable

            the neg repercussions from this were VAST, and the incident helped drive the west, and esp the United Sisterhood of Amerika, ever deeper into female supremacism w/o any accountability for female evil, no matter how violent (as long as the violence is committed upon a mere male)

            doc j’s actions, while regrettable, are a “drop in the collective bucket” by comparative impact

            further, tiger met with his “advisors” soon after precisely to devise a plan to exonerate the perpetrator, and to cover her evil, b/c the Team didnt want to jeopardize endorsement contracts that they deemed (correctly) would tank if pussycat boy told the truth

            his lie still affected those contracts, of course, but at a much reduced level (the US public/corporations will accept drunken philandering by a man, but will NOT accept a man who informs the public that his wife is abusive and mentally ill) — b/c that threatens the delusions of western women, and “men,” concerning the true nature of females

            same reason little boys believe their mommies to be w/o fault

            But even with respect to Erving, I have no desire to root against him in life.

            glad to hear this, neither do i

            but as for tiger, my prayer — feeble as it is — remains against him

  2. In terms of total victories, Tiger Woods passed Jack Nicklaus with his victory this past weekend. He now trails only Sam Snead in that department. Whether Tiger Woods will ever catch up to Jack Nicklaus in terms of majors remains to be seen, especially given the state of his back and legs.

    His victory is even more remarkable considering the deterioration of course conditions thanks to the line of severe thunderstorms which devastated the Washington, DC area Friday night. A large tree fell across the 14th fairway, and other damage to the course led PGA officials to ban spectators and volunteers from the course on Saturday. (Yours truly, by the way, was without power for about 36 hours, but that’s short compared with a lot of other folks. A friend of mine didn’t have her power restored until earlier this afternoon.)

    • He passed Nicklaus in total victories. Whether he passes Nicklaus in total major championships is a different ballgame.

      As has been shown, those tournaments are extra-competitive.

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