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‘Tiger Woods Has the Cancer of Golf, the Yips’, Claims Golf Legend Gary Player
Gulf News ^ | February 4, 2017 | Euan Reedie

Posted on 02/05/2017 11:45:49 PM PST by nickcarraway

South African doubts whether struggling American, who withdrew from Dubai event with back spasm, can add to his 14-major haul

Ailing Tiger Woods is suffering from an affliction far more destructive than the back spasm that led to him withdrawing from the Dubai Desert Classic on Friday, golfing great Gary Player has claimed.

In an exclusive telephone interview with Gulf News, Player said he believes Woods is being plagued by “the cancer of golf, the yips” and thus doubts whether he will add to his 14-major haul.

The yips are involuntary wrist spasms known to interfere with putting, the cause and cure for which are unknown. It was coined by the late Scottish golfer Tommy Armour, who said it was a “brain spasm that impairs the short game”.

“The thing that concerns me about Tiger’s comeback, which nobody is saying much about, is when he was playing a little while ago, he had the yips very badly with the chipping,” said the nine-time major champion Player, ahead of his second annual Gary Player Invitational in the UAE at the Saadiyat Beach Golf Club in Abu Dhabi on Monday. “He was hitting a chip shot in front of him or hitting it over the green. I am so used to seeing him having a chip and he puts the ball two feet from the hole.

“To see him chipping the way he does, there’s no way he can win. No way at all.”

Woods has slumped to 666 in the world after only returning to action in December after 15 months out following two back operations.

The 41-year-old cut a dejected figure as he shot a five-over 77 in the first round in Dubai on Thursday. He then didn’t appear for his second round on Friday due to a back issue reported to media by his manager, Mark Steinberg.

Player believes Woods’ decline can be traced back to his relentless tinkering with his game after winning the US Open by an incredible 15 shots in 2000. The 81-year-old South African says since that career apogee, he has noticed numerous fault’s in the American great’s swing.

“If he’d never have had another lesson after winning the US Open by 15 shots, I firmly believe he would have gone on and broken every conceivable record in the game,” he said. “A man called Henry Longhurst, the greatest TV announcer that ever lived, said something interesting: “When you get the yips, you die with the yips.” Very few people recover from the yips. “If you look at Ernie Els, he had this beautiful golf swing, but he got the yips. Look at him in the past 40 tournaments. He’s really struggled to make the cut.

“The yips is a destroyer; it’s the cancer of golf. Everybody I know got it. Only Jack Nicklaus and I didn’t and I don’t know why. I can’t explain it.”

He added grimly: “I don’t think he’ll win another major, but I sincerely hope he does. Nothing would give me a greater thrill than Tiger winning another major, but it’s an awfully big task. He has a monumental challenge ahead.”

Player said his Gary Player Invitational “is more important than golf tournaments” given its philanthropic aim.

Held in conjunction with the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, the Saadiyat Beach Golf Club event raises funds for the Zayed Higher Organisation for Humanitarian Care & Special Needs, joining five other global events in a series that together has helped The Player Foundation raise more than $62 million (Dh227.7 million) for charities worldwide. Among the professional golfers confirmed to join are Europe’s 2016 Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke.

Celebrities and sporting icons also set to join the golf professionals are cricket greats Brian Lara and Ricky Ponting; Springbok rugby legend Victor Matfield; model, racing-car driver and television personality, Jodie Kidd; pop stars of the band BoyzLife, Keith Duffy and Brian McFadden; and Emirati comedian, Ali Al Sayed.

Along with the action, the event will include a gala dinner on February 5 at the five-star Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi, as well as a traditional South African braai (barbecue) for tournament participants after the golf competition.

Player will also perform a skills clinic before the competition gets under way, around 11am on Monday.


TOPICS: Sports
KEYWORDS: steroids
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To: nickcarraway

Player is younger than I thought. He’s only 81. I remember watching him play in the 60s, and he was already a star of the tour at that point.


21 posted on 02/06/2017 6:04:26 AM PST by PAR35
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To: dp0622
I know how you got the yips.

Does it have anything to do with needing glasses?

22 posted on 02/06/2017 6:26:27 AM PST by Pearls Before Swine
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To: dp0622

“I know how you got the yips.”

My parents told me it would make me go blind. They never mentioned the yips.


23 posted on 02/06/2017 7:44:34 AM PST by moovova
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To: nickcarraway

Karma


24 posted on 02/06/2017 8:31:38 AM PST by goodnesswins (Say hello to President Trump)
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To: Lou L; Timocrat

Sorry, it’s been a while now since I found the video and I don’t remember what it was called.

What I do remember is starting my search to try and figure out why I was hitting my irons so damn high all the time and not getting the proper distance with them. I searched google on the term “why am i hitting my irons too high” The answer came back that I was ‘flipping my wrist’ I found a video on youtube about it and sure enough, it showed me what I was doing wrong and showed how to fix the problem. I am now hitting my irons much much better. As far as chipping goes it was by far the worst part of my game and I had no confidence at all in it so that was the mental part. What a video on chipping showed me is alot like the fix for the wrist flipping, as I wasn’t swinging around my body and wasn’t turning my club face through my shots leaving it too square and causing the wrist to flip the ball high in the air. Doing that on little wedge chip shots is disaster and makes a completely unpredictable result.

I really have to say a few little videos on youtube and a little practice along with a new confidence has made me a very good player with all of my irons and it didn’t hurt my driving either.

Hope that helps a little. GLHF


25 posted on 02/06/2017 1:03:48 PM PST by Bullish (May as well just rename Hollywood---> Hypocrite city)
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To: Bullish

Thanks, Bullish. I’ve used YouTube for other “learning,” but for some reason, never for golf. I’ll give it a try!


26 posted on 02/06/2017 1:28:12 PM PST by Lou L (Health "insurance" is NOT the same as health "care")
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To: nickcarraway
Woods has slumped to 666 in the world

Not a comfortable place to be.

27 posted on 02/06/2017 1:33:05 PM PST by aposiopetic
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To: moovova

lol


28 posted on 02/06/2017 6:50:22 PM PST by dp0622 (The only thing an upper crust conservative hates more than a liberal is a middle class conservative)
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To: nickcarraway

Tiger Woods’ Net Worth: $740 Million In 2016 - Forbes

Get me the tiny violin please.


29 posted on 02/06/2017 6:54:34 PM PST by Rebelbase
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To: Rebelbase
Actually, that happens to everyone who takes injectable steroids or any other steroids. Of course, many people take them and they are not as harmful as someone can describe. So as for me everyone makes his choice
30 posted on 02/10/2017 11:38:06 AM PST by martyre
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