Opinion Regarding Tiger Woods

[Boethius]

Two years from now, this will be nothing more than a blip in Tiger's career, if he behaves. 

Kobe Bryant raped a girl, was unrepentant, and his jersey is the #1 seller in the NBA today.

[XMan]

I find the entire hero worship thing a bit strange -- actors, sports figures, singers, etc. 

That having been said, why is it big news that a sports figure is a scoundrel? 
If it were a neighbor, an acquaintance, etc., unless it was something truly horrific, no one would care. 
Yet somehow people both care and are "surprised" about his actions. 

Kobe Bryant raped a girl, was unrepentant, and his jersey is the #1 seller in the NBA today.

And Pete Rose got banned for life for betting on baseball? 
It's a crazy world.

[GQBlues]

C'mon Tiger! I could've birdied that second hole       Quit choking...I didn't stay home today to watch a Sunday hack. Take lessons from KJ/Freddie if you must...sheeesh, unbelievable!

[Faux Pas]

C'mon Tiger! I could've birdied that second hole       Quit choking...I didn't stay home today to watch a Sunday hack. Take lessons from KJ/Freddie if you must...sheeesh, unbelievable!

Heh heh, you are watching the Master's I hope and not some pirated porn flick 

[GQBlues]

Heh heh, you are watching the Master's I hope and not some pirated porn flick 

LOL. He is the best there is in sticking it into the hole, yes? But yes, the Masters. I was getting real po'd I actually folded up my wife's laundry and got it all put away. Thank goodness he had an eagle / birdie before the turn to make things a bit more interesting. KJ's been pretty steely so far. Good show right now.

[Faux Pas]

LOL. He is the best there is in sticking it into the hole, yes? But yes, the Masters. I was getting real po'd I actually folded up my wife's laundry and got it all put away. Thank goodness he had an eagle / birdie before the turn to make things a bit more interesting. KJ's been pretty steely so far. Good show right now.

I think he's  proven that   If he could putt he could probably salvage a decent round.

[GQBlues]

Jimeney. When the day started, there were 2 Englishmen, 4 California boys, 3 Socal - 1 Norcal - and 1 Socal resident that were in the top 10 contending for the Masters. When it was over, Norcal boy played exactly like a Norcal boy and fell out of the top 10 only to be replaced by another Norcal Boy in Nick Watney.

If Mickelson isn't such a nerd, I'd be a fan as only he and Anthony Kim actually came out to play today like a Socal boy can. Tiger was simply unTiger-esque. Yet he still shot under par all 4 days and finished at -11. He'd be -13 if he didn't give up and 3-putted from 4 silly feet on 15 and traded a birdie for a bogey. Still, I wish I can hack that nicely. He simply need to start laying his wood on the right bush from now on.

Congrats Phil! #!@$! Props to Socal adopted son Freddie and also to KJ and Lee.

[Boethius]

I was getting real po'd I actually folded up my wife's laundry and got it all put away.

You're invited over the next time you watch the Masters.  I'll have our laundry and my vacuum ready

[kievstar]

Tiger Woods has never won a major when trailing after 54 holes.  Tiger Woods in the 14 major's he has won never has had his best round in the 4th round.  Tiger's strength is leading after 3rd round and staying around par watching everybody else crumbling in the 4th.  The Masters did not tighten up the course and it prevented Tiger from watching the others fall apart.

Tiger played as good as he normally does but the rest of the field has stepped up.  If Tiger Woods does not win a major this year he and Jack will be tied with 14 majors at the age of 35.  Odds are Tiger will win more after 35 than Jack as Jack was not as focused on golf as he had all the records he wanted.   But Tiger is not as strong as he was back in 2002 physically.  Since October 2002 he has a 6 major to 4 major lead over Phil.  Phil's game will not decrease as he ages as much as Tiger as Phil was never in shape.  The youngsters who watched Tiger growing up are starting to join the tour.  2010 to 2012 will determine Tiger's ability to catch Jack. 

[Lily]

Dears, I wonder how is Tiger Woods related to the men who search Russian Woman?

I realize that he might be a big star in the U.S., but a number of people, especially in Russia, have no idea about what he is, not to say cannot tell a word about him and his relationships...

[GQBlues]

You're invited over the next time you watch the Masters.  I'll have our laundry and my vacuum ready

Yeah. Actually wifey cleaned up the house (less the kitchen) yesterday while I went and played golf. So today I cleaned the kitchen, did the laundry, and cleared up the garage while she spent the day with her friends at the Promenade and likely shared gossips with one another. BTW, don't ever think I never root for Mike Weir. Likely the nicest guy on tour!

Dears, I wonder how is Tiger Woods related to the men who search Russian Woman?

LOL. If Maria Verchenova can earn her LPGA tour card, instead of being stuck in the Euro-tour, it won't be long before Tiger becomes a household name in Russia. She can pair up with Anna Rawson on any given Sunday and I'm bailing on the PGA...

But seriously, I believe the original intent of the thread was a solicitaion of FSUW's opinion about Tiger's, eherm... Transgressions. According to my wife, chances are men in Russia will likely applaud Tiger like they did Slick Willy. Most folks in Russia, from what I came to understand, didn't quite understood what the fuzz was about when Monica came to visit the White House to mop up.

But maybe it's time to put a lock on this thing...

Kievstar -

You know, methinks Tiger will win at least 2 Majors this year. Phil won not because he played great. He won because Tiger played crappy. Yesterday Phil had to have eagle/eagle/birdie at Amen's corner just to get a shop up on Tiger for Sunday. Then he only shot two better than him today despite both days Tiger technically never had control of his shots. That is bad news for everyone if Tiger can somehow figure his swing up.

[Mir]

Kobe Bryant raped a girl, was unrepentant, and his jersey is the #1 seller in the NBA today.

On July 15, three days before Bryant was charged with sexual assault, Faber allegedly bragged about having sex with Bryant at a party, and gave a graphic description of the NBA star's penis. Steve Evancho told NBC News that he was surprised when Faber showed up at his house party. “She was bragging about the whole thing," Evancho said, adding that the woman seemed "happy. She was having fun." And answered a question about his penis “with a gesture and a description

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobe_Bryant_sexual_assault_case

????

[Makkin]

Hi,


  My avatar is old but my man wins again.

[kievstar]

GQ, I would agree I think Phil is a gambler and usually it fails.  Only 3 scores have ever been better than minus 16 in history of that course - Tiger has best at minus 18, Jack and Ray Floyd the other minus 17 scores.

Guy I like is A Kim this year - he talks and thinks like Tiger but has a better build for golf than Tiger has (Tiger has such long arms and range that he has to have his swing perfect).  He is the guy Tiger needs to watchout for.  Tiger could easily win 3 majors in a row or never win one again.  Would not suprise me either which way as Tiger's body is falling apart.  Phil will never play like he did this past weekend again.  If Phil had folded I bet Tiger would have won as Westwood and A Kim would have felt pressure. 

The next three majors will be interesting for Tiger as the competition this year is the greatest it has been since Tiger has been alive but the majors are on courses Tiger loves.  I am a Jack fan so love watching Tiger fall apart.  My favorite golfer is John Daly as I usually play golf loaded as well. I have broken par only one time in my life and I was drunk.  My normal game is 100 so you can tell what vodka can do in October Michgian weather.  I was still 5 shots worse than the course record held by Ben Hogan.  I play with 1982 year clubs as well. 

[Faux Pas]

GQ, I would agree I think Phil is a gambler and usually it fails.  Only 3 scores have ever been better than minus 16 in history of that course - Tiger has best at minus 18, Jack and Ray Floyd the other minus 17 scores.

I wouldn't call Mickelson a gambler. I think he just chokes. Numerous times he was clearly the better golfer and playing better golf only to blow a good lead and the tournament. I like Phil and always have. I had the opportunity to meet him once and he is a very approachable guy.

[Gator]

Best Masters ever even without closing drama.  Fantastic shots and sequences.

Look at the leaderboard - the cream rose to the top.

In our club draw, I selected 15th and Lee Westwood was still available.  So I jumped all over him.  There was money for best round each day and big money if he won.  Each day except Thursday he had a lead.  Each day he came in second.  No money for second.  Oh well. 

Lee has not done well in the majors on the final day.  However, he remains a gentleman.  Did you notice on Friday how he was distracted on the 18th tee by the crowd?  He turned to look at the crowd, yet he said nothing.  Tiger would have cursed and screamed at them.

Lilly, you asked:

I wonder how is Tiger Woods related to the men who search Russian Woman?

Great question!!!

Tiger is selfish, scripted and egotistical.  He feels entitled.  He was born with incredible athletic talent and high intelligence.  Although well educated at one of America's best universities, he does more thinking with his little head (maybe his little head is not so little considering that one of his dalliances, a pornstar, said he has the largest penis that she has even seen).  Add this up:  incredible talent, intelligent, huge penis .....who claims that God is always fair.

Now contrast Tiger with the winner, Phil Michelson.  The difference is stark.  Phil is a devoted family man.  His wife was diagnosed with breast cancer a year ago.  While her prognosis is good, the treatment is horrendous.  Phil has stood beside her all this time (unlike Democrat Edwards and his ill wife).  Phil's mother also has breast cancer.  And the evening before the final round, Phil's daughter broke her wrist.  Phil stopped everything to attend to her.

Is Phil perfect?  Far from it.  He is an avid gambler on and off the course.  He supposedly had huge gambling debts a few years ago.  His gambling spirit manifested itself on the 13th hole.  His ball came to rest  behind a tree and  on slippery pine straw.  With a 2-shot lead,  98% of the PGA golfers would have laid up.  Instead, he went for the green with all of us assuming  he would again blow another lead on the final holes of a major.  He hit an incredible shot (how could he miss that putt)!

So Lily, I leave it to you to decide.  Some AM chasing RW are like Tiger, some are like Phil.  We are all different, just like the RW we pursue.

P. S.  The best part of the Masters was Freddie.  Ambling around the course in a 50-yo body with all the cool in the world, and hitting the ball as far as the young kids.  I have got to get me some skateboarding golf shoes like Freddie's.  Come on Ecco, release them to the public.

[Gator]

Final thought.

I have always been a big fan of Tiger and indifferent to Phil.  Given everything, I am now a Phil fan.

[GQBlues]

Based on both the Golden Bear and the King's opinion, add the current PGA players - bar none they all agree, strictly based on the game of golf, Tiger is tops. Beyond that, obviously not. The single biggest difference between Tiger and many of the other world renowned athletes out there today is, Tiger got caught.

Payne Stewart was a player's gentleman, but the late night stories of parties and gallery birdies Freddie recounted in their PGA days (Payne's married) hardly makes Tiger's story unique. Michael Jordan was not immune to this neither was Magic Johnson, Agassi, Connors, and so many others that came before Tiger. Does that make his acts excusable? Of course not, but it is his golfing talent and skill I've learned to appreciate.

Manny Pacquiao, pound for pound the very best fighter arguably ever...gives out more than half his earnings back to the entire community/city/country he hailed from - YET - even he was fragile enough to succumb to the temptation of flesh. It doesn't diminish his boxing skills and prowess, and his pilantrophic nature hardly excuses his ethical disposition. He's still a great boxer.

It didn't make David Letterman any less funny, Jack Nicholson never lost his screen magic and America and the world still loves Slick Willy Clinton, right?

There's a great segment in the recent movie with George Clooney, titled: "Up In The Air", that touched on this very subject. Cool flick and great perspective to these modern day athletes' sense of entitlements and disposition.

[BillyB]

he does more thinking with his little

Has therapy transformed him into a family man? If his desire for a variety of women is stronger than settling down with one woman, he will be miserable. I don't think his current sex life with his wife is going to blossom anytime soon and Tiger has manly needs to fulfill. I think he's suffering.

Final thought.

I have always been a big fan of Tiger and indifferent to Phil.  Given everything, I am now a Phil fan.

You and millions of other people are less impressed with Tiger. It's no surprise many companies quit doing business or are holding back from doing business with him. Overall, I'd say his affairs is going to cost him hundreds of millions of dollars. He should have understood his physical needs better and stayed single.

[GQBlues]

Guy I like is A Kim this year

I agree. Anthony need to make sure he doesn't lose focus simply because he's won. This is arguably the single biggest pitfall from these players. They win a tourney and next thing you know, they fall of the charts. It happened to Stenson, Cink, Villegas, Furyk, etc...

Anthony was asked which course he would choose if he only had to play one course for the rest of his life, after playing these courses on the tour; he answered 'Woodley Lakes'. A local city course in San Fernando valley where he used to play everyday in. It has fairways and greens as big and wide as China, LOL.

add: IMO, Westwood will never win a Major. He lacks both the luck and fortitude on every given Sunday. Plus he can't really shape his shots. Vital to finish and play these courses today. At least not nearly as well as the rest of the top 5-10 players today.

[Gator]

Tiger is tops.

Agree, and that explains why I was his fan.  No one could hit so many dramatic shots.  His talent was more than entertaining.

The single biggest difference between Tiger and many of the other world renowned athletes out there today is, Tiger got caught.

That is not why he is no longer my favorite modern era golfer.

1.  Golf is a game of integrity and grace.  This concept extends beyond the ropes, and there he failed miserably. 

2.  Golf is a gentleman's game.  He is no gentleman.

I will not criticize his tawdry affairs even though the huge number is not something that I find amusing.  Frankly, I would have been embarrassed if it were me (assuming I was capable).   

What got me at first is the hypocrisy of representing himself in his commercials as a decent guy.  What gets me even more is the recent revelation about his young neighbor.  He now sounds like a predator, and that is bad, real bad.  There must be one angry father in Orlando.

America is famous for giving people a second chance.  And the Masters' fans surely did.  Did he acknowledge that after completing Sunday's round?  No.  He talked only about his bad play.  He should have first  thanked the crowd and the fans.  I am sure his advisers coached him to do exactly that.  He did not because he is too competitive.  He came there totally focused on winning when instead his objective should have been contrition.  All these players are competitive, yet they respect the game enough to not let it control them.  Where's the grace that is part of the history of this game?

He had earlier announced his objective to control his emotions.  He failed at that too.  He had no terrible displays such as Tommy Bolt would have done, yet he did slip a couple of times.  So what did he say afterwards to address this?  instead of saying, "I got more work to do"  he said "People are making too big of a deal about this."

For the past few months I had given Tiger the benefit of the doubt, dismissing it as a personal choice.  After this weekend I will still follow Tiger, yet I will be rooting for the other guy most of the time.  Tiger has more work to do if he wants my fan support.  And I certainly would not buy a Nike shirt.

So Tiger, how will you play the "back nine" of your career?

[Gator]

A picture will stay in my mind a long time.  It is of Phil joyfully and compassionately hugging his cancer stricken wife after winning. 

And what crossed my mind was the fact there would have been no one for Tiger to hug if he had won. 

[tim 360]

A picture will stay in my mind a long time.  It is of Phil joyfully and compassionately hugging his cancer stricken wife after winning. 

And what crossed my mind was the fact there would have been no one for Tiger to hug if he had won. 

A pretty big difference Gator.  Tiger was staying alone at a rented mansion in Augusta and had another mansion for his staff.  It doesn't really matter how well or not he plays golf--the guy is just very light in the character department.  In some of the quick interviews he just comes off as a brat.  Probably he has some real personality problems aside from his other problems.  Golf has been a gentleman's game and Tiger is no Jack Nicklaus.

[Faux Pas]

Obviously Tiger's public persona and his personality behind the scenes were different and his private personality when he thought nobody was looking was yet something else altogether.

Gator, the man is a D-O-G dog. I don't have to admire or approve of his off the course antics to admire his game. I question whether he will ever be the Tiger of old on the course again. Kind of like Col. Tom Parker did with Elvis, Nike bought and paid for a squeaky clean image and surprisingly they are one of the few that didn't dump him. Tiger has been an ass to the fans and the media who praised him and then contributed to knocking him off that perch and well deserved.

I see his game falling as the younger guys come up and eat his lunch. He's good, he's still damn good but, he's no Palmer or Nicklas. On the course or off. I also somewhere inside me look forward to him failing. He's good for golf but he's also giving it a bad name. I've noticed you don't hear much comment from other guys on the tour. Apparently many of them don't want to turn any focus from Tiger onto themselves.

[CanadaMan]

Time for me to weigh in here with my opinions.

I was always a huge Tiger fan and was rooting for him yesterday. When it became apparent that he wasn't going to win I thought to myself, "Maybe it's best for him and his fans".

Does he really deserve to come back after a five month hiatus, with his attitude, what he's been through and win so easily?

I believe he will be able to catch Jack in the next few years.

Final thoughts.
If at or near the end of his career, for whatever reason, he hasn't managed to catch Jack, I'd put him on suicide watch.
He's the type of guy who would do it.