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I have reached my final decision about Tiger Woods.

cypressperch

Well-Known Member
Jun 24, 2006
681
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Toledo Bend Lake, Louisiana
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United States United States
I doubt anyone gives a hoot about this, but I have been confused about how to assess the position of Tiger Woods in the history of golf. I feel pretty good about my final conclusion which I have never heard or seen written before, so let me apologize in advance if it is not original.

First, Tiger Woods is the greatest golfer of all time.
Second, Tiger Woods is the most over-rated player of all time.

Tiger's skills and record make him the greatest. The media and those who eat up all that the media cranks out, through no fault of Tiger, have made him the most over-rated.

I have always been confused by the mixed emotions I have had about Tiger Woods. This paradox that I have come up with seems to clear up that confusion, at least to my satisfaction.

Just thinking out loud. Sincerely, Cypressperch
 

Sandpiper3

Golf Course Designer
Aug 9, 2006
5,058
2
Completely agree. You expect him to make every putt because he has done so many rediculous things and media makes you think he cannot miss.

He is better than everyone else, but cant make EVERY putt. I think watching this right now with him not coming out on the winning side of it is almost as fun to watch as him coming out on top.
 

kwcsports

Well-Known Member
Supporting Member
Dec 12, 2006
596
0
I completely agree. I sit on my couch and expect him to make every 20 footer. I think we all forget that he is just a man who happens to be a super talented golfer, but at the end of the day, he is only human.
 

BigJim13

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Moderator
Aug 13, 2006
11,840
3,154
I agree to some extent that the media has overhyped Tiger big time.

Consider this though, Paul Goydos-known as a straight shooter in my mind-said Tiger was the most underated golfer in the game now. His reasoning was that it's so hard to win on the PGA Tour, let alone win consistently and frequently that nobody realizes just HOW good Tiger is. He wins more than anybody and has made us expect him to win. That's impressive...
 

Clugnut

Gimme some roombas!
Aug 13, 2006
3,423
1
Consider this though, Paul Goydos-known as a straight shooter in my mind-said Tiger was the most underated golfer in the game now. His reasoning was that it's so hard to win on the PGA Tour, let alone win consistently and frequently that nobody realizes just HOW good Tiger is. He wins more than anybody and has made us expect him to win. That's impressive...

This point is about as hard to make as the one I try to make, that Tiger is the most grossly underpaid athlete in sports today. That one makes people's heads explode, but if you look at his value, how many people watch solely for him, wear the clothes, buy the clubs, etc....

+1 on the OP. I think you have summed up my feelings as well. I want to like Tiger for how good he is, but its hard because of all the annoying people who talk about how great he is.
 

TheTrueReview

"Playing it straight"
Supporting Member
Jan 8, 2009
8,204
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...

Tiger's skills and record make him the greatest. The media and those who eat up all that the media cranks out.....

....

I remember Mohammad Ali when I was growing up & it was similar with him. Fawning media, fawning devotees. He could do very little wrong in most people's eyes. Whenever he fought, the commentators would call the fight like there was only one person in the ring. Same with Tiger. You'd think he was the only person on the golf course.

... and by the way ... Mohammad Ali was the greatest also.
 

halifax_golfer

Well-Known Member
Jun 26, 2006
472
0
I have to disagree. I think Tiger is rated the best, because time after time he has proven that he is the best. what is it a about him that is over rated? His putting is absolutly amazing when its on, and as good as any other pga player when its at it's worst, Everyone rates his driving as a bit un-acurate; which is true, so I dont believe he is over-rated in that sense. How can you "overrate" someone who has proven to be the best golfer of all time? he's almost beyond the rating system as what's better then #1?.

He did however prove that he is human last sunday though. I still can't believe that he missed that putt on 18 at the barclays, and Heath Slocum made it. Argggghh, I was really hoping for a playoff. Would have been interesting.

I think he is over-hyped, rather then over rated as IMO it's hard to over rate someone who time after time seems to do the impossible and exceed expectations.

Who knows though, maybe he will start missing those 20footers more often to win/tie tourneys in the future.
 

Esox

Well-Known Member
Supporting Member
Aug 6, 2008
860
7
I'm starting to think he may be past his prime. I wonder if he'll ever win another major championship. He can't drive the ball worth a crap and has lost his putting stroke in pressure situations.

It's over. I hope he saved his money.

Kevin
 

nixdad

Well-Known Member
Mar 4, 2008
352
0
I'm starting to think he may be past his prime. I wonder if he'll ever win another major championship. He can't drive the ball worth a crap and has lost his putting stroke in pressure situations.

It's over. I hope he saved his money.

Kevin

Hmmm. Another Tiger lover?
 

IrishGolfer

Fac ut gaudeam
Supporting Member
Sep 1, 2004
6,542
4,976
This has all been done before by Nicklaus, Palmer, Hogan, Nelson, Sneed, Vardon, Morris (Sr and Jr). In their era they were all unbeatable.

Golf is a bigger sport now than ever, so commercially and media wise everyone round the world can watch and read about every Tiger shot ever hit.

I am a Tiger fan, I marvel as well. But in 50 years time, Woods will be in the hall of fame with all the others. Books will be written, legends created.

And the hype will move onto some other young buck.

BAck to CP's point. He is not yet the best until he breaks JN's major record, or Nelson's number of wins in a season.

And he is not the most over-rated until he under-delivers.

Both of those are some time in the future.
 

Sandpiper3

Golf Course Designer
Aug 9, 2006
5,058
2
I'm starting to think he may be past his prime. I wonder if he'll ever win another major championship. He can't drive the ball worth a crap and has lost his putting stroke in pressure situations.

It's over. I hope he saved his money.

Kevin


I will bet you 5000$ that you are wrong.
 

three puttz

Well-Known Member
Mar 30, 2009
133
0
I will bet you 5000$ that you are wrong.

I could be way off here, but when I read that post by esox it seemed a little tongue in cheek to me...

My 2 cents on Tiger... his talent is simply amazing - his will is on another level completely, but it's his demeanor that gets on my nerves. I know plenty of folks have and will continue to defend his antics, and that's fine... but for me personally, IMO he looks like an infantile idiot. I know he's not the only one (Steve Marino looked like a total TOOL on Sunday), but he loses his cool more often than most. To me and plenty of others, it's a big turn-off.

On a TW sidenote, could Jim Nantz possibly have a bigger crush on anyone no matter how hard he tried??? I swear if you gave him one night alone with Gulbis or Tiger, he'd pick Tiger hands down :D
 

BigJim13

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Moderator
Aug 13, 2006
11,840
3,154
I could be way off here, but when I read that post by esox it seemed a little tongue in cheek to me...

My 2 cents on Tiger... his talent is simply amazing - his will is on another level completely, but it's his demeanor that gets on my nerves. I know plenty of folks have and will continue to defend his antics, and that's fine... but for me personally, IMO he looks like an infantile idiot. I know he's not the only one (Steve Marino looked like a total TOOL on Sunday), but he loses his cool more often than most. To me and plenty of others, it's a big turn-off.

On a TW sidenote, could Jim Nantz possibly have a bigger crush on anyone no matter how hard he tried??? I swear if you gave him one night alone with Gulbis or Tiger, he'd pick Tiger hands down :D

Without beating a dead horse, I have to disagree that Tiger loses his cool more often than not. Most of the time you see him on the course or in public he is calm, cool and collected. Every now and then you see him go off, but I always make the argument that he may go off but I doubt its more than other greats ever did. This is an old argument and I don't want to threadjack...just had to give my 2 cents on that.

On another note, I want in on the $5k bet. Jack went 3 yrs without winning a major at one point, so Tiger going one season is no biggie. I still believe he will end with somewhere in the neighborhood of 20-22 majors.

I do agree with the argument that Tiger has less competition than the other all time greats though...but again that's another thread.
 

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