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1) How good is Tiger Woods?
The best golfer ever. Period.
2) Better than Jack Nicklaus?
Yes. It’s not even really close. If Tiger retried tomorrow, he would go down in history as the best ever. But he’s not going to retire tomorrow. Before he’s done, he’ll likely obliterate all of Jack’s records.
3) But didn’t Jack dominate similar to the way Tiger does now?
Not really. Jack was clearly the best player of his era, but he had a couple of contemporaries who had his number. Lee Trevino was inside Jack’s head when both were in their prime (something that continued even when they were players on the Senior Tour) and Tom Watson won all of his famous duels with Nicklaus.
4) What’s the secret to Tiger’s success?
This is actually what makes him such a compelling figure – the secret to his success is what’s between his ears. When Nicklaus first arrived on the scene, he was truly a Ruthian figure. Bombing his drives dozens of yards past all of his competitors, he was playing a different game.
Common perceptions aside, it’s never been that way with Tiger. I remember talking golf several years ago with my brother-in-law who said that he heard it took the guy Woods was playing with two shots to get his ball as far as Tiger’s was in one. In truth, there are several guys on Tour who hit the ball as far or farther than Tiger does.
What’s special about Tiger is the way he stands up to the maddening game of golf. That’s why serious golfers almost uniformly love Tiger – he refuses to bend to the games disappointments and various sundry cruelties. Golf aficionados appreciate this, and are consistently astonished by it.
5) Give me an example?
In yesterday’s round, Tiger was paired with Luke Donald. Donald came out with high hopes for the day – if he could best Tiger, he’d enter the history books. After a rough beginning, Donald’s shoulders visibly slumped and he never mounted a serious charge. He allowed the disappointments that are inherently part of a serious golf round to get the best of him. Every true golfer watching at home empathized – we’ve all been there.
There’s only one guy who’s never been there and his name is Tiger Woods. Regardless of what’s happening, Tiger never stops grinding, never gives in and almost always finds a way to post a good number.
6) Are you giving his physical talents short shrift?
Not intentionally. He’s got the best game out there, no question. But what’s most remarkable isn’t his ball striking (there are several players on tour who strike the ball better than Tiger, including Sergio Garcia) but his short game which he has honed to be perhaps the best ever.
7) What else is special about Tiger’s mental approach?
Tiger has a relentless drive to improve. Yesterday, I was playing with a friend of mine and we were talking about a couple of members at our club who are relatively athletic, who play about eight days a week and who pound about a thousand range balls a day. And yet they both stink, and have stunk for years.
The reason they stink is that for some reason, they won’t take a lesson. They refuse to receive instructions, and instead choose to hone the swings that have made them awful golfers for time immemorial.
We compared this pair to Tiger Woods. For a decade, Tiger has been the world’s best player and yet he has maintained an insatiable hunger for improvement. He takes lessons constantly, and yet many 18 handicaps consider such an activity beneath them.
This is actually another area where he differs from Nicklaus. Over the course of his career, other players improved and caught up to Jack. Tiger keeps improving himself, so he maintains a comfortable cushion between himself and whoever may be the second best player in the world.
8) When will Tiger break Nicklaus’ record for winning 18 majors?
Jack was 46 when he won his 18th and 40 when he won his 16th and 17th. Tiger is now 30 years old and has won 12. He’s also at the peak of his skills, and the chasm between him and world’s other best players has never been wider. I’m predicting some time in 2010.
9) Okay, you’ve written about a thousand words on Tiger Woods and haven’t said a word about the Red Sox since you’ve been here. What gives?
If I were to say a word about the Red Sox, the word would be inappropriate for a family blog such as this one.
10) But at least they’re better than the Cleveland Indians, right?
Thin consolation, my friend. Thin indeed.
Compliments? Complaints? Contact me at Soxblog@aol.com
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