Not only is he a favorite golfer for a lot of people but he's arguably the best golfer ever and if he's playing there is buzz.

He's old enough and at the point in his career that the chances of seeing him play are dwindling and people are gonna want to jump at the chance at seeing him play.

I think his fall from the top has made die hard fans and general golf fans realize they shouldn't take him for granted. Yes there are great golfers in the game now who deserve a great amount of attention, but the chance to watch and see Tiger play will be highly sought after from now until he calls it quits.

I understand what you're trying to say, but this isn't 2015 where he was never really in serious contention. Him not playing well could be contributed to his health during that time.

Until he has another injury, withdraws, or struggles to break par, the buzz will be there. He's already shown that this is different than 2015-2017. I'm not saying he's "back" , but he's in MUCH better position than he was during that span.

Also, I think maybe some fans took for granted how good he actually was from 2000-2009, and maybe they want to believe that he can be good again this time around.

Damn you YE Yang.

_lefraud_ said:

---

Until he has another injury, withdraws, or struggles to break par, the buzz will be there. He's already shown that this is different than 2015-2017. I'm not saying he's "back" , but he's in MUCH better position than he was during that span.

,

---

This is where I'm at, you could tell all the other times the "I'm back" was BS. He looks controlled, confident, and dialing it in like any other top 20 guy who needs a little repetition and tournament pressure through the season. Will be fun to watch.

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/tiger-confidential-what-pros-really-say-about-tigers-chances-at-the-masters

Gotta wade thru the BS but some of that was a pretty interesting read to me.

And loooong.

Still a lot of haters. Gotta think most of that was written before last week even though it was just published yesterday.

I'm watching countless hours of Tiger Highlights on YouTube

Yeah it was definitely all written before last week. I would love to see that exact same article done now. I guarantee you it would be different.

Was 3 under thru 9 starting on the back half. Hit one wayyyyy right for OB and double his 12th hole (3rd), but got one back at the 4th and is currently 2 under, 2 back

Tiger is now the Vegas favorite to win the Masters. That's absolutely nuts considering he was 100-1 two months ago

Just made a 71 foot bomb to take solo first

UNREAL

Part of me wonders if it's possible that prescription meds were getting in the way in the past. It may very well have just been injuries, but he looks much healthier and upbeat now, more reminiscent of the old Tiger. And we do know that he went to rehab. This is not meant to be an insult as I have seen addiction up close and personal like many others have...just something that has crossed my mind.

I've heard others say that they think maybe the meds had a lot to do with it.

Like maybe while on them he wasn't sharp, slow, muscle reflexes weren't where they needed to be and now he's firing on all cylinders since he's clean.

It's not a far fetched take.

Ag_07 said:

---

I've heard others say that they think maybe the meds had a lot to do with it.

Like maybe while on them he wasn't sharp, slow, muscle reflexes weren't where they needed to be and now he's firing on all cylinders since he's clean.

It's not a far fetched take.

---

Yeah I remember seeing him in a few interviews during his hiatus and his speech seemed a bit off to me. he was almost slurring in one interview, I think just after Arnie passed. Now he seems sharp as a tack and much more alert, lively and focused...not just in the way he plays.

El Tigre needs to stop swinging so damn hard.there is no way his back holds out if he keeps driving 323yds all the time.

The broadcast had several quotes in that article. He is British or Irish or somebody doing a convincing job of pretending.

People can get annoyed with the hype, and Sunday may have been a let down . . . but consecutive top 5s. He's exceeded my wildest expectations at this point. Rounding in to form way sooner than expected.

lol yeah if people are disappointed at top 5s at this point they're crazy.

He is gonna be lapping people when he finally starts to control the driver consistently.

And I don't mean perfectly, just closer to his career average.

I'm not sure how much of a let down Sunday was - Rory just took that ***** 5 birdies in the last 6 holes was awesome.

Tiger played well enough to beat 5 and move from 10 to 5. Would've been more if he wasn't playing so aggressive on 16 trying to make eagle.

PJYoung said:

---

lol yeah if people are disappointed at top 5s at this point they're crazy.

He is gonna be lapping people when he finally starts to control the driver consistently.

And I don't mean perfectly, just closer to his career average.

---

Sure seems like this. I wonder if he'd gain some accuracy ratcheting the swing down just a notch? Either way, I've been impressed with hit iron play and putting. When he starts hitting more fairways look out.

He is made for the majors. It will be wildly exciting to see him compete in those.

I still don't want to believe that he will be healthy enough all year to be 100% in those. Too good to be true.

AggieC07 said:

---

" There are 20 guys who, at their best, play like Tiger did in 2000. At least physically."

I'd like to hear these 20 guys - he's referring to.

---

There aren't 20 guys who play like 2018 Tiger, physically. He went after a recovery shot last weekend and I thought his back was going to disintegrate right there on camera.

New Tiger Book

Didn't know there was a new book about Tiger coming out. this is an excerpt from it about him and Bill Clinton. Intersting little tidbit but doesn't surprise me.

Makes me wonder how much of that got knocked out of him when he was on his knees in pain all of those years unable to play.

Fits in with other stories I've heard. His demeanor and attitude SEEM to be different this time around, but people don't change often.

Everything I've heard is that Tiger and his personality just aren't well-suited for being famous. His natural state is being a shy, dorky guy and he just isn't that charismatic of a person.

Contrast that to everything I've heard about Clinton, who (despite being a different brand of a-hole) is allegedly one of the most charming and charismatic people you could ever meet. I can see that they're probably like oil and water.

Well, post-Masters, where does Tiger stand? Will he be able to keep improving and regain his former glory, or is it a reality check that he is simply an average Tour pro? At 42, the window is really short for him. The sample is still small, but IMO he makes a more mistakes (and worse mistakes) than he used to, and he does not make as many 5-10 foot par saves in recovery. For the next couple seasons I lean toward moments of brilliance (few and far between) maybe contending for a major here and there, and top-end possibly crawling back into the Top 20 for a while before the window closes. Tiger will probably prove me wrong.

He is currently #88 in the OWGR. He has climbed almost 600 spots in only 6 events. His results are not that of an average tour pro. I think he is back in the top 20 by the end of this year, and will have at least one tournament win. He's got roughly 5 more seasons (assuming no injuries/setbacks). I suspect he will win maybe 10 more times, and adding a major or two in that span.

This isn't Tiger from 2013, but it's also not Tiger from 2014-2017. He is healthy, and if he stays that way, he will be capable of contending week in and week out. He won't be the Tiger of old, but I see him eventually winning a couple of tournaments each season.

98Ag mentions the new Tiger book. Chip Howard on KZNE had a great interview with one of the co-authors last week. Most surprising was Tigers people are contacting a small time talk show host in an effort to slam the book. Tiger has an image to worry about?

I think the first thing you have to keep in mind with Tiger is his health. He's in his 40's, with multiple back surgeries, and still has a tendency to swing in a manner that puts great stress on his back. The chance that he goes 5 seasons without tweaking something is somewhat low.

Second, he appears to be a top 20-30 type golfer, but definitely is missing the magic of the old Tiger. Too many inconsistencies in his game. If he doesn't find that magic, I agree he will win a few tournaments, but doubt he wins any majors.

As for the hate...............he will always be one of the best players of all time...............that can't be taken away from him. His personal life................well......................it's a mess. Some will hate him for being so good. Some will hate him for his personal life. People are judgmental.

The only thing I have issue with Tiger Woods is something I actually saw and heard at the Tour Championship one year at Champions Golf Club. After finishing a round and signing their card, the players had to walk down a roped off path to the clubhouse. The path was lined with fans, especially kids, wanting autographs. Most players stopped to sign but a couple didn't. Tiger took one look at the fans, stopped, and said to his entourage of security, "I don't want to walk through that. Can you take me a different way." I thought that was a ****ty thing to say in front of the kids. It has been very hard to like him after I saw that.

inozips said:

---

98Ag mentions the new Tiger book. Chip Howard on KZNE had a great interview with one of the co-authors last week. Most surprising was Tigers people are contacting a small time talk show host in an effort to slam the book. Tiger has an image to worry about?

---

Golf Digest had a follow up article on this New Tiger Book that disputes much of what the book said about that round of golf with Clinton. I tend to believe the account was way over blown when you hear Clinton's aide speak and see the pictures from that day.

Former presidential aide disputes book's account of 2006 golf round between Bill Clinton and Tiger Woods

Quote:

---

The authors then claim Tiger spent the day "mostly riding alone in a golf cart." Tiger and President Clinton shared a cart and were connected at the hip for most of the day. They also claim that Tiger was on his phone. Indeed, neither of which are true. I have dozens of pictures from that day and there is not one with Tiger on his phone or alone in his cart.

---

I think the only hope for Tiger to return to any real glory is if he makes significant strides with his irons in the next 3 tournaments he enters.

The strength of his game has been putting and chipping. He has only been practicing putting and chipping for any length of time because of his recovery.

If his iron game can round into the same form, then he can stop trying to make up for it with a crazy long tee game.

Basically, if we're seeing deficiencies in his mid, and long games because of lack of practice time and not any physical limitations, then we may have an interesting story on our hands.

If Tiger could have stayed out of the trees at Augusta, it would have been a much different story, but I feel like he's trying to mash the ball down there because he knows his iron game isn't polished enough to stick it close.