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New #1

slickpitt

Well-Known Member
Aug 15, 2006
2,706
3
Martin Kaymer. I think this is well deserved... I really think Kaymer is the best player in the world right now. Great win for his first major and a great run ever since. Much more deserving the Westwood IMO.
 

xamilo

Right Curving Driver....
Supporting Member
Dec 22, 2007
2,924
301
Its 1,2,3,4 European players in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th spots. Who would have imagined though a year and a half ago?
Phil is close to Tiggy, but the rest are way too far behind. That's the only reason why I think Tiger is not flirting with any under 10th spot right now....
 

fisher

Well-Known Member
Nov 16, 2008
1,263
0
Agreed that Kymer is a much more legitimate #1. Westwood as #1 was a bad joke.

For a bit of balance go look up the carreer stats of everyone in the top 10. Look at Majors won, Tournaments Won, Top 10s and Top 25s. Its Shocking. No doubt at all who the best active golfer on the planet is no matter how much some people hate him.
 

TheTrueReview

"Playing it straight"
Supporting Member
Jan 8, 2009
8,204
6,042
Country
Australia Australia
Agreed that Kymer is a much more legitimate #1. Westwood as #1 was a bad joke.

For a bit of balance go look up the carreer stats of everyone in the top 10. ... No doubt at all who the best active golfer on the planet is no matter how much some people hate him.

Well Fisher, I don't think too many people around here actually hate Tiger Woods. Aspects of the man's behaviour may have been condemned but I don't think there is outright hatred of the man.

Me? I'm middle of the road. Neither love or hate the guy. I certainly don't think he's currently the world's No. 1 golfer. Mr Woods's game is in a shambles at the moment. Even Lee Westwood has won a tourney since December 2009.
 

xamilo

Right Curving Driver....
Supporting Member
Dec 22, 2007
2,924
301
Agreed that Kymer is a much more legitimate #1. Westwood as #1 was a bad joke.

For a bit of balance go look up the carreer stats of everyone in the top 10. Look at Majors won, Tournaments Won, Top 10s and Top 25s. Its Shocking. No doubt at all who the best active golfer on the planet is no matter how much some people hate him.

Seriously, you think a guy who didn't win a tournament in the whole last year should be considered the actual best golfer in the world? Kaymer won 5 tournaments and finished second in the Accenture last week. Woods won ZERO and got beaten by the last seed in his bracket in first round. Yes, he has won more tournaments and has made more top 10s than anybody in history, but that makes him a golf legend or the best golfer ever, but not the actual No 1. player in the world. Its like saying Favre was the best active QB last year because even though he sucked big time he had more records and more yards, and more TD passes in his career than any other QB. Doesn't make much sense really

Anyway discussing this with you is like discussing Gay Marriage with a Puritan Quaker Priest (or Minister or however they call them) or arguing with the Taylormade CEO that his companies product cycles might be a little bit too short, so don't even bother giving an answer mate...

Cheers
 

IrishGolfer

Fac ut gaudeam
Supporting Member
Sep 1, 2004
6,542
4,976
Fisher, I don't hate Woods, never have, never will. There is no argument as to who holds the records, won most majors etc. He has dominated the game over the past 10 years. He has single handedly changed the dimension of modern golf and brought it to new levels. But he has also tarnished both the game and himself. The squeaky clean Nike Poster Boy image is in tatters. The petulant tantrums, lack of personality has not gone unnoticed. And hence the shift in public opinion.

But you seem to find it difficult to accept the simple fact that Woods is firing the ball all over the place right now and hasn't won anything substantial in a long time. Because of this he is sliding down the rankings, making way for people who are winning, getting top 10s etc. The only reason he is still 5th is because of the latency effect of the ranking system. I would say on current form Woods couldn't justify a place in the top 50. Yes he is still the best golfer on the planet but only on past form.
Will he will bounce back? I hope so, I'd love to see him break Jack's record, but he has to earn it. As and when he performs his ranking will start heading North again, otherwise he will keep falling. He has no divine right to it. The ranking system doesn't take into consideration how good a player he WAS, but how good it is right NOW.

Maybe he is about to turn the corner, maybe a win is on the horizon. Maybe he will blow the field into touch at Augusta. But then maybe he won't. There are a bunch of players now on the scene for whom Woods no longer has that aura. That 2 shot advantage on the back nine that he used to have has worn thin right now.
I doubt we will ever see eye to eye on this Fisher. But that’s ok by me.
 

mddubya

Hybrid convert
Nov 6, 2007
6,029
2
Using your thought process Fisher, if Tiger is still deserving of a top 5 ranking, then shouldn't Jack and Arnie still be in the top 5 also? If we are basing the top ranking on PAST accomplishments, then surely they should still be up there to. What about Duval, he was great for a time also, maybe he should be 5th?

Tiger was amazing, maybe he will be again? But for the time being, he does NOT deserve to be #1.
 

fisher

Well-Known Member
Nov 16, 2008
1,263
0
Come on guys, the pitchforks come out at the mere mention of his name. Sometimes the pitchforks come out even without the mention of his name. Now everyone claims they don't hate the guy. I must be reading a different forum today.
 

LyleG

gear head
Aug 10, 2006
6,388
28
Country
Canada Canada
How someone feels about tiger doesnt change the facts

He hasnt won in over 18 months
his swing is horrible right now
his putting has gone to pot
his short game is gone to pot as well

Tiger 2 years ago was clearly the best player in the world, no doubt about it. The Tiger of today however is ranked 5th based on that past performance. When in reality, tiger at this very moment is most likely not a top 20 player in the world. No bias, no hatred, just fact.
 

mddubya

Hybrid convert
Nov 6, 2007
6,029
2
I've said it before, but once more will not hurt. I do NOT hate Tiger. What I do hate is how the powers that be, and the talking heads during televised golf coverage, and the writers in the magazines all but drop to their knees and slob on his knob. If he was in the lead, the cameras never came off him, do they do that with any other player? No they do not. And even now, as long as he is in the feild, the cameras follow him excessively, or they are comparing another golfer to Tiger. Such as showing a shot by whoever, then showing how Tiger performed the same shot years ago.

Before he bulked up, changed his swing a couple of times, got injured, and then destroyed his reputation, he was on track to become the greatest golfer ever. I will willingly concede that.

But............

He did bulk up, he did tinker with his swing too much, he did get injured, and he most certainly destroyed his reputation. Along the way he lost the intimidation factor, and apparently his self confidence. Will he ever regain his super powers? Only time will tell, but at this time, he is not a top 5 player, and certainly not numero uno.
 

xamilo

Right Curving Driver....
Supporting Member
Dec 22, 2007
2,924
301
Coming from the PGA Tour Official HOme Page:

Tiger Woods Stats:

Driving Distance 296.0 23rd
Driving Accuracy Percentage 44.64% 184th
Greens in Regulation Percentage 66.67% 87th
Putting Average 1.813 153rd
Birdie Average 3.25 156th
Scoring Average 71.40 102nd
Sand Save Percentage 54.55% 38th
Total Driving 1,998 185th
FedExCup Regular Season Points 47 143rd
Money Leaders $63,096 140th
Par Breakers 18.06% 163rd
Putts Per Round 29.50 116th
GIR Pct. - Fairway Bunker 33.3% 134th


Doesn't seem like the BEST PLAYER IN THE WORLD to me....
 
OP
slickpitt

slickpitt

Well-Known Member
Aug 15, 2006
2,706
3
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #14
I've said it before, but once more will not hurt. I do NOT hate Tiger. What I do hate is how the powers that be, and the talking heads during televised golf coverage, and the writers in the magazines all but drop to their knees and slob on his knob. If he was in the lead, the cameras never came off him, do they do that with any other player? No they do not. And even now, as long as he is in the feild, the cameras follow him excessively, or they are comparing another golfer to Tiger. Such as showing a shot by whoever, then showing how Tiger performed the same shot years ago.

Before he bulked up, changed his swing a couple of times, got injured, and then destroyed his reputation, he was on track to become the greatest golfer ever. I will willingly concede that.

But............

He did bulk up, he did tinker with his swing too much, he did get injured, and he most certainly destroyed his reputation. Along the way he lost the intimidation factor, and apparently his self confidence. Will he ever regain his super powers? Only time will tell, but at this time, he is not a top 5 player, and certainly not numero uno.


Good post and I do have to agree.

But I will say I think he'll be back at some point. May not even be this year... but he'll be back.

Right now I'd put money on Kaymer to thump his ass in any game with a golf club!
 

mddubya

Hybrid convert
Nov 6, 2007
6,029
2
A prime example of the Tiger coverage I hate. The last tournament Tiger was in before the WGC. I was listening to ESPN radio, the talking head said, when we come back from break a golf update. After the commercial they come on the air with, Tiger is currently in whatever place, 8 strokes off the lead. That was it, not who was in the lead, not even a partial leaderboard, just that Tiger was 8 strokes back. Now I suppose if you were a rabid Tiger fanatic, that was ideal coverage, but guess what, everyone isn't. In fact, everyone never was a Tiger fanatic, and even less are now.

That is a perfect example of the coverage that totally turned me against Tiger. I mean, I love Lassagna, but if someone made me eat it every day, over and over, guess what, I'd soon learn to hate it. And while I never loved Tiger, I was indifferent towards him other than enjoying watching him play some amazing golf. But after enough of the all Tiger, all the time coverage I got to the point I'd rather watch lead based paint dry, then peal it off and eat it, than listen to the announcers fawn all over Tiger.
 

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