Posted on 08/13/2007 7:16:07 AM PDT by PurpleMan
Tiger won his 13th major. All of these notable active players only have 13 victories (or less). Amazing
Mark Calcavecchia - 13 David Duval - 13 Jim Furyk - 13 Paul Azinger - 12 David Toms - 12 John Cook - 11 Scott Hoch - 11 Steve Elkington - 10 David Frost - 10 Justin Leonard - 10 Jay Haas - 9 Kenny Perry - 9
A list of everyone is here (from the Golf Channel) http://146.145.120.3/default.asp?c=thegolfchannel&page=golf-m/stat/alltime-pga-winners.htm
And he did it in how many years versus theirs?.......
It was great golf. I was very happy that Tiger won.
I LOVE to see someone who is the best at what they do triumph; proving their talent. Tiger is a phenom- and he’s a helluva good looking guy to boot! Right attitude, gorgeous smile,he is a force to be reckoned with and he lives up to his name.
Bravo Tiger- another smackdown!
Tiger also has all of the majors (Masters, British and U.S. Open and PGA) in those 13 victories...those others don’t. Of the majors the U.S. is probably the most coveted but the Masters stands out as the real crown jewel of golf and, by the time he’s finished, Tiger will have more Green Jackets in his closet than Jack, Arnie and Gary combined!
Then again, Tiger didn't have to play against Palmer, Trevino, Watson, Player, Watson, and Miller on a regular basis. Those legends are far superior to Singh, Mickelson, Els, Furyk, and Duval. .....by a wide margin.
The great part about Tiger’s playing is every day he seems to actually enjoy it, something that can’t be said about other players.
....oops, mentioned Watson twice.
Not to diminish Tiger’s accomplishments, but I heard something from a local sports talker that got me thinking.
I always thought today’s golfers are the best, and Tiger dominates those golfers. Tiger wilts whoever he plays with on the final day.
The local sports talker had a different take. Today’s golfers are pampered babies. When things go wrong, they have tons of excuses and whines. Back in the day, they played on rough courses, bumpy greens, with persimmon woods and steel shafted irons, for lots less money. Point being, the golfers of the previous era, Palmer, Nicklaus, Player, were, as a group, tougher than today’s golfers.
Interesting, and impossible to prove one way or the other. But, I think I agree.
But, I still think Tiger is the best ever. I used to root against him, I rejected the hype. Now I love to watch him play.
But I do have a beef. Tiger... cut the bad language. Golf is a gentleman’s game. It’s not just Tiger, today’s golfers are really letting go with the bad language. I think the PGA needs to address this. The players are getting worse and worse. I caught a “damn it” and a “G damn it” from Tiger yesterday. A 2 stroke penatly would fix the problem in a hurry.
Note to golf pros: SHUT UP!!!
Steven Ames: Before their first-round matchup 18 months ago, Ames noted Woods was having troubles off the tee and said, “Anything can happen, especially where he is hitting the ball.” At the PGA, Ames collapsed like a cheap suitcase; Tiger shoots 7 strokes better
And of course Rory: Tiger is as beatable as ever and Tiger c-r-u-s-h-e-s him at Firestone; Nine strokes better.
Vanity, indeed. Calvecki-who? Fury-who? David Frost- Famous poet? Big Lib media type? Certainly puts Woodsy’s 13th in perspective for me. What was it Limbaugh said about McNabb, that the NFL and the media needed a well-behaved, black hero for their highlight reels and headlines?
“...heard something from a local sports talker...”
Should have sent up all of the red flags. Sports talker = gasbag.
He’s probably one who’d accuse Tiger of steriod use, too.
“He’s probably one who’d accuse Tiger of steriod use, too.”
Nope. He is a golfer that does a local talk show. Pretty knowledgable. It wasn’t a knock on Tiger, it was a knock on his competition. No one can hang with Tiger. It’s not just Tiger’s ability, it’s his intimidation factor. Tiger has intimidated the other pros. Amazing, but, is it more than just Tiger? Is it that the other pros just can’t handle the heat?
Equipment, training etc... all make today’s era of golfer a different animal. Just like in all sports, one era cannot be compared to another. The what if game is a special conversation between sports lover’s. Was Magic in his prime better than Oscar Robertson in his prime? Is Clemens better than Koufax? One can debate these questions forever, and never know the answer. Tiger hits remarkable shot after remarkable shot. Hitting the fairway with his driver is not his strong point. But if I could take a 3 iron and hit it 280, I would take that off the box everytime. The dude hit an 8 iron 208 yards yesterday. Nickaus et.al. would never even pull that club out of the bag from that distance.
“I can’t stand Sabbatini.”
Something that might make you reconsider:
Sabbatini has been a big supporter of the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund since 2005. ...
http://www.fallenheroesfund.org/fallenheroes/press_room/item.php?id=5
Golf is a different game. The real question should be, can Tiger play the course better that X golfer? It is portrayed as a player against another player, and yes wathing the leader board does have an effect. It does put presssure on another player to do things they might not otherwise do. The question still remains the same though. Can Tiger play this course better than the others. In many cases, the answer is yes.
And my point still stands -- a professional golfer being asked "do you think Tiger is beatable?" is put in a no-win position, and the journalists that repeated ask that question know it. ...and revel in it.
Best just to give a non-answer -- "I'll do my best."
Nope. Woody didn't wilt, neither did Els. Nor did Bob May. To be sure Mickelson and many others wilt when Tiger walks in the room but there are still a few golfers that clank though for the most part they just aren't the best golfers.
Pretty rarified air:
Sam Snead - 82
Jack Nicklaus - 73
Ben Hogan - 64
Arnold Palmer - 62
Tiger Woods - 59
Byron Nelson - 52
Billy Casper - 51
Walter Hagen - 44
Cary Middlecoff - 40
Gene Sarazen - 39
Tom Watson - 39
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.