I thought I would devote this latest entry to examining what
some believe is a changing of the guard given the recent performances of Tiger
Woods coming off his back surgery. This
is certainly a hot topic these days and it seems everyone has an opinion one
way or another. I have also found that those opinions tend to coincide with
whether people are or are not Tiger fans. Let’s make no mistake about it… most
of us who live and breathe golf have our opinion about Tiger Woods and I think
it is fair to say there isn’t a lot of middle ground…you either really like him
or you really don’t and with that said I am going to try my best not to turn
this entry into an “I love him or hat him” article because that’s not what this
is about. Personal feelings aside, I’d like to focus more on the title of this
blog which is about whether Tiger will continue to stand tall as the current
guard or are we bearing witness to a change that will inevitably come, it’s
just a matter of when.
Many are quick to write Tiger off based on the performances
we have seen since his recent return from back surgery. My first question would
be, is that fair or accurate? Any golfer who plays at that level and is forced
to take time off to recover from a surgery is entitled to a grace period upon
his/her return which is why I believe it is too early to determine the future
of TW and his impact on tour week in and week out.
With all that said the current young talent that is out
there every week, guys like Jordan Speith, Rickie Fowler, Adam Scott, Rory
Mcllroy etc. are not going to make it easy, that’s for sure. But as we know
golf is about battling the golf course and yourself, after all you can’t
control what the other guys are doing. So I believe part of the question will
be answered by how Tiger handles this adversity. I think another question that
could be asked is…what (if any) changes are being made to his swing as a result
of his surgery? Swing changes take some time before they truly take hold
especially under tournament condition and pressure, so again another missing
piece to this story.
I believe the answer to the title of this blog entry will
be answered sooner rather than later. If TW wins a tournament between now and
the first quarter of the 2015 season the guard will be unchanged for a few more
years. However, if Tiger fails to win at least one event prior to that same
time frame, then yes the days of Tiger domination will slowly fade into history.
That’s not to say he will never win again, we are talking about a changing of
the Golf Guard, a shift in power. If I were a betting man (or a weather man)
here would be my 5 year outlook in percentages:
YES
NO
- Win another tournament 99% 1%
- Win another major 50% 50%
- Break Jack’s record 15% 85%
- Win 2 or more tournaments in a season 45% 55%
So there you have it, just another point of view regarding
the Tiger saga. One thing is for certain people tune in to see what will
happen. If you’re a TW fan you watch in hopes that he wins. If not a fan you
watch in hopes that he falters. When viewership is up that’s good for the game!
Blog written
by Vince-Director of Instruction at VJF Golf Academy
