Tiger Woods' obsession with smashing the ball is hurting his scoring and limiting his potential to win majors.
Tonight....You said 07/21, 04:39 PM
the brittish open is a perfect example. He's only -1 after three rounds and he's been spraying drives left and right getting in the rough and making it really hard to score on holes because he's always having to compensate for the mistake he made off the tee.
He's been doing this for years. He thinks that he needs to crush the ball off the tee all the time and he hits poor drives way too much.
If he would just take it easy, maybe club down, and just play the straight shot rather than the long ball, he'd put himself in a better position to win every single tournament.
he had the same problem at the masters. He's way too caught up in seeing how far he can hit the ball and he's sacrificing his accuracy all for the vanity of having a long drive, which doesn't get you anywhere if you don't hit it straight.
Ombudsman Cooz said 07/21, 05:14 PM
The American is having a great round. He's shooting 1-under in a Major, despite cold temperatures and typical breezy British wind. He's looking at a pretty decent tournament overall.
He's Rich Beem. And he's got the same score after three rounds as Tiger Woods.
Is Tiger held to a higher standard than Beem? Absolutely. Does that make Tiger's "problems" at the British a question of shot selection, or his lower-than-usual fareways-in-regulation percentage a problem with his desire to Let The Big Dog Eat?
That theory is as shaky as some of the mentally-blocked drives he's had.
This is the same question that comes up each time Tiger doesn't win a Major, and it???s only caused by the simple fact he registers a pulse and pays his taxes.
He's a human being. It's a mental issue. Even Tiger gets those. It's not his clubs, it's not the unsettled situation in the Middle East. It's that he isn't as locked in as he normally is.
Tonight....You said 07/21, 10:10 PM
The very fact that he's not locked in as you say, is the reason he needs to go to a 3 wood or some club that he always hits straight, but still far. For one thing, the lower the loft, the less forgiving the club is. At Carnoustie, the rough is deep, a lot deeper than most of the courses we all play at.
and he's having an ok tournament, but Sergio is hitting them straight down the middle every time and he's winning. Stricker just set the open course record and he's not spraying his drives. Neither Sergio or Steve Stricker hit the ball all that far.
Ombudsman Cooz said 07/21, 10:49 PM
I hope you're not suggesting Tiger should be following Sergio's lead when he comes to...well, anything golf-related. Surely anyone can learn from a pro, but considering Tiger has been kicking Sergio's Swoosh all over every fairway they've been on this year, I don't think one tournament lead going into Sunday really changes anything.
Perhaps Tiger should ask Benjamin Franklin for help. Tiger has given 51,000 green pieces of paper with Franklin's picture on them this year to the bank of his choice. Maybe he can figure out why Tiger is slumping as bad as you're suggesting.
In fact, maybe it's all the cash that Tiger's winning that's the problem. It's not his new coach, it's not the fact his driving distance has gone down under that new coach while his putts have gone down. He must just be too tired from trying to kill the ball like you are saying, combined with the fatigue that sets in from the $5 million he???s earned this year.
Tonight....You said 07/22, 09:54 PM
it's always money with you. TO has 21 million reasons to be happy as well.
I didn't realize so many people in here mistook Tiger for Zeus. Believe it or not, he isn't completely infallible. How come he only hit 43 of 64 GIR's in the Masters?
As of July 15th this season, he was 20th in distance and 162nd in accuracy, hitting only 57% of his fairways.
57% fairways hit. 162nd in the PGA. Now he is right up there in GIR's at like 3rd in the league.
Imagine how many strokes hes twirked off by spraying his drives. Hes trying to bash the ball and its biting him in the ****. 57% in the fairway. If he could just get to 75% in the fairway, I bet it would EASILY knock off at least 2 or 3 strokes per round.
Say what you want, but any real golfer fully knows that the key to scoring is keeping your ball in the fairway off your drive.
Tiger would probably tell you the same thing.
Ombudsman Cooz said 07/22, 10:13 PM
If comparing what TO's moron publicist said to my argument that Tiger doesn't need to change his club selection is the best you have, then you already lost.
Yeah, I know golf. My point never has been that Tiger should simply grip it and rip it. My point is his consistency in hitting fairways has gone down simply because he hasn't been on top of his game. Should I bring up his child? His father's death? I don't want to go all Rick Reilly on everyone, but seriously...how long can Tiger expected to be top five in fairways in regulation as well as drive accuracy?
I only brought up money to show you that while you think he's been driving all over the country (he only gored one lady in the British), he's actually been winning quite a bit. His problems in the box right now are real, but they aren't drastic enough to suggest taking away what has made him the dominant competitor he has been his whole career.
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Comments (33)
I've never heard anyone give Tiger Woods a golf lesson from their computer chair. Now I've seen it all.
chalklounge #10 | 07/21/07, 05:18 PM
Report Offensive CommentLOL I think you should have taken this TD, Chalk, just to use that line in an argument.
Ombudsman Cooz | 07/21/07, 05:20 PM
Report Offensive CommentIron + Curtain= Iron Curtain
Coletrain | 07/21/07, 05:55 PM
Report Offensive CommentThat ego of tigers... whoa boy. It sure has killed his earning potential... tell me again- where did he rank in overall earnings last year? How bout the year before that? How bout this year? THATS RIGHT FIRST!!!!!!! He is the highest earning athlete on the PLANET by a METRIC TON!!!
mikesteelnation1 | 07/21/07, 06:02 PM
Report Offensive CommentI really hate it when a guy gets all caught up with crushing the ball and ONLY makes $100 million a year....
mikesteelnation1 | 07/21/07, 06:04 PM
Report Offensive CommentIron Curtain logic...stone cold...
Ombudsman Cooz | 07/21/07, 06:06 PM
Report Offensive Commentcooz- do the speech!!!!!!!! NOW!!!!!!!!! lol
mikesteelnation1 | 07/21/07, 06:13 PM
Report Offensive CommentPLLEEEAAASSSSEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Coletrain | 07/21/07, 06:14 PM
Report Offensive Commentother people play golf besides tiger?
LUVJUGS | 07/21/07, 06:16 PM
Report Offensive CommentYeah...that Rich Beem guy! It's true, I looked it up!
Ombudsman Cooz | 07/21/07, 06:17 PM
Report Offensive CommentIf what you said was the truth, Tiger, a better golf mind than you, would of clubbed down long ago. Golf is a difficult game even for the greatest. Hats off to Nickelson and his 18 major wins. You cant put up low number week to week in this game or go on an extended hot streak beyond a couple of tournaments at a time. Tiger will get his grove back when he gets back in the groove, not because he 1-irons par 5s.
-Cass
Cassidy's House: Smoke>Fire | 07/21/07, 06:32 PM
Report Offensive Commenti don't know what this speech is, but i can't wait for it to happen, Coletran and mike are obviously excited, i guess i should be too then
Nomarfan5 | 07/21/07, 06:38 PM
Report Offensive Commentnomarfan8- it's an inside joke between me and cooz... he won't actually be doing any speech. (i hope not anyway- cooz knows what I mean)
mikesteelnation1 | 07/21/07, 06:55 PM
Report Offensive Commentthats funny because he only hit his driver 3 times on the first day so what his killing him is is long irons. Thats what he is using from the Tee more.
Korvyn | 07/21/07, 07:12 PM
Report Offensive Commentno one is perfcet !!
lallousse28 | 07/21/07, 07:34 PM
Report Offensive CommentDefinitely no speech, Mike...I'm not in Minnesota. Odds are much better for non-speech-worthy encounters.
Ombudsman Cooz | 07/21/07, 07:42 PM
Report Offensive CommentOk, what the h*ll? Is Johnny No. 5 going to make another argument or not?
Ombudsman Cooz | 07/21/07, 08:02 PM
Report Offensive Commentmy whole point is that he's throwing strokes away every single time he sprays a drive.
Anybody that really golfs in here knows that you NEED to keep your drive in the fairway to score well.
Tonight....You | 07/21/07, 10:13 PM
Report Offensive CommentYeah, we know that's the case. He's hit fairways in the past by staying long. It's not like he's lost the ability to do that.
Ombudsman Cooz | 07/21/07, 10:46 PM
Report Offensive CommentI love how whenever he doesn't win a tournament people automatically asume that he's in a slump. Kind of like the yankees.....
Your Leader....WOW | 07/21/07, 11:45 PM
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