Tiger was the most hyped golfer of all time. He lived up to the hype from the moment he first played a tourney against kids 6 years older.
First of all, TWs amateur record is simply mathematically impossible. 6 straight Junior Am / US Am titles. To be so clutch at such a young age was shocking. Sure his power was hard to fathom (he routinely hit it over 310 even as a young teenager), and his ability to spin wedge shots and hit towering long irons was a sight to behold. But it was his putting that then and forever will define tiger woods. To win 36 matches in a row from 14-20 (I believe) against some of the best golfers in the world is mind boggling. It took a 6 hole comeback against Steve Scott where tiger made a 40 Footer left to right to tie the match after looking dead in the water for 20 holes.
Even tiger would admit the 1997 Masters was one of the those times in sports where one person so dominated - Tiger won by 12 shots and shot a tourney record -18 - and in such a fashion that you immediately have to place that person among the GOAT lists. Tiger was able to drive the ball 345 back then (25 yards longer than the second longest in the field that week !!) with a steel shafted driver and a ball that would be mocked today.
He wad admittedly not in total control of his overall game yet but again his putting and Short game were just marvelous. Woods was even for the week on par 3s, -5 on par 4s and -13 on par 5s, with ZERO three putts at Augusta. His wedges were not yet what they would become in a few years but he was so deadly off the tee and so good at converting 5-8 footers it didn’t matter. Key putt after key putt followed massive drive after massive drive. Augusta literally had to change its course makeup because of tiger, as woods longest club hit into a par 4 that week was a 7 iron.
1999-2005 - probably the greatest stretch of golf ever played. Tiger sacrificed distance for control (although he was still top 10 in the field in driving distance) while also perfecting his iron game to a level we will probably never see again.
In the 2000 US open, Woods forever set the standard for what golf looks like in its most perfect form. Tiger was precise. He was aggressive when it called for it (eating up the par 5s and short par 4s), while shrewdly navigating the difficult holes as only one of the games best could - but in flashy tiger fashion. The Wikipedia can do it more justice / https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000_U.S._Open_(golf) ***just a highlight of the dominance Woods displayed in this tourney for those too lazy to read the link: Woods finished -12, the next closest competitor was +3. Yes 15 shot victory, the largest margin of victory in a major ever. Woods shot -4 on Sunday, bogey free, in one of the most smooth and controlled final rounds you'll ever see, birdieing 3 holes in a row on the back 9 before showing off world class scrambling skills to close out the round without a square on the card. He also had a triple bogey that week!
2008 - US Open - say what you will about Tiger, but he's a crazy, competitive SOB. His knee was a mess, the cartilage basically gone and his doctor, Hank Haney, and some close friends said he should get surgery and try to get back for the Masters the next year. Tiger said he was going to win. Tiger has an amazing record at Torrey Pines, and his performance was the stuff of legend ... Woods hacked it all over the place, grimacing in pain and several times falling to one knee. He made several double bogeys but he managed to get to the 18th hole on Sunday needing a birdie to get into a playoff. He pulled his driver, flailed his bunker recovery shot, but managed to hack a sand wedge to 15 feet above the hole, leaving this putt:
Tiger briefly popped up to win player of the year in 2013 but his body fell apart and his personal life was kind of a mess.
But some folks never gave up hope - flash forward to 2018. It helps tiger is a genetic freak and workout-aholic and once he was able to swing the club at 80% speed he realized he might have a chance to comeback. His fused spine is holding up but he’s also adjusted his game some to support his back. He’s still hitting it far but his caddie said they settled on a shorter higher lofted driver because “he’s 10 yards shorter off the tee but he’s in the fairway and he’s the best iron player in the world”. Woods made slow but steady gains in his game last year and that culminated in woods making a run at the British Open and PGA championship. In the tour championship, woods won again and did so in impressive fashion. He was a birdie machine and his putter again became a weapon.
Who knows how long he’ll hold up but I think 2019 could be special. Woods could win at pebble Beach for sure.
First of all, TWs amateur record is simply mathematically impossible. 6 straight Junior Am / US Am titles. To be so clutch at such a young age was shocking. Sure his power was hard to fathom (he routinely hit it over 310 even as a young teenager), and his ability to spin wedge shots and hit towering long irons was a sight to behold. But it was his putting that then and forever will define tiger woods. To win 36 matches in a row from 14-20 (I believe) against some of the best golfers in the world is mind boggling. It took a 6 hole comeback against Steve Scott where tiger made a 40 Footer left to right to tie the match after looking dead in the water for 20 holes.
Even tiger would admit the 1997 Masters was one of the those times in sports where one person so dominated - Tiger won by 12 shots and shot a tourney record -18 - and in such a fashion that you immediately have to place that person among the GOAT lists. Tiger was able to drive the ball 345 back then (25 yards longer than the second longest in the field that week !!) with a steel shafted driver and a ball that would be mocked today.
He wad admittedly not in total control of his overall game yet but again his putting and Short game were just marvelous. Woods was even for the week on par 3s, -5 on par 4s and -13 on par 5s, with ZERO three putts at Augusta. His wedges were not yet what they would become in a few years but he was so deadly off the tee and so good at converting 5-8 footers it didn’t matter. Key putt after key putt followed massive drive after massive drive. Augusta literally had to change its course makeup because of tiger, as woods longest club hit into a par 4 that week was a 7 iron.
1999-2005 - probably the greatest stretch of golf ever played. Tiger sacrificed distance for control (although he was still top 10 in the field in driving distance) while also perfecting his iron game to a level we will probably never see again.
In the 2000 US open, Woods forever set the standard for what golf looks like in its most perfect form. Tiger was precise. He was aggressive when it called for it (eating up the par 5s and short par 4s), while shrewdly navigating the difficult holes as only one of the games best could - but in flashy tiger fashion. The Wikipedia can do it more justice / https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000_U.S._Open_(golf) ***just a highlight of the dominance Woods displayed in this tourney for those too lazy to read the link: Woods finished -12, the next closest competitor was +3. Yes 15 shot victory, the largest margin of victory in a major ever. Woods shot -4 on Sunday, bogey free, in one of the most smooth and controlled final rounds you'll ever see, birdieing 3 holes in a row on the back 9 before showing off world class scrambling skills to close out the round without a square on the card. He also had a triple bogey that week!
2008 - US Open - say what you will about Tiger, but he's a crazy, competitive SOB. His knee was a mess, the cartilage basically gone and his doctor, Hank Haney, and some close friends said he should get surgery and try to get back for the Masters the next year. Tiger said he was going to win. Tiger has an amazing record at Torrey Pines, and his performance was the stuff of legend ... Woods hacked it all over the place, grimacing in pain and several times falling to one knee. He made several double bogeys but he managed to get to the 18th hole on Sunday needing a birdie to get into a playoff. He pulled his driver, flailed his bunker recovery shot, but managed to hack a sand wedge to 15 feet above the hole, leaving this putt:
Tiger briefly popped up to win player of the year in 2013 but his body fell apart and his personal life was kind of a mess.
But some folks never gave up hope - flash forward to 2018. It helps tiger is a genetic freak and workout-aholic and once he was able to swing the club at 80% speed he realized he might have a chance to comeback. His fused spine is holding up but he’s also adjusted his game some to support his back. He’s still hitting it far but his caddie said they settled on a shorter higher lofted driver because “he’s 10 yards shorter off the tee but he’s in the fairway and he’s the best iron player in the world”. Woods made slow but steady gains in his game last year and that culminated in woods making a run at the British Open and PGA championship. In the tour championship, woods won again and did so in impressive fashion. He was a birdie machine and his putter again became a weapon.
Who knows how long he’ll hold up but I think 2019 could be special. Woods could win at pebble Beach for sure.
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