2009 PGA at Hazeltine

[NightmaresDad]

Even IF Tiger wins over 18 majors, he will never have as many second place finishes in majors as Jack and won't come close to Sneads all-time professional wins. Jack also played against players who weren't too chicken poop to really challenge him.

He's already close to Snead in all time wins. He only needs 12 more to tie him.

Agreed, Jack's level of competition was not as deep, but the top players were much "hungrier" and tougher. They were winners who didn't choke and didn't get intimidated.

Tiger was very good in the press conference after the round.
I remember when Bjorn Borg refused to be interviewed when McEnroe beat him at Wimbledon to stop Borg's streak at five in a row, and I don't remember anyone calling him an ass or classless or a sore loser.

To the victor goes the spoils - interview him.

 

[Steve19]

Comparing Nicklaus and Woods raises two issues.

Jack played against much tougher competition than Tiger Woods. Ask yourself, who is Woods' Arnold Palmer? Gary Player? Tom Watson? Billy Casper? Els has been his greatest nemesis, I am an Els supporter, but he is very fragile emotionally. Mickelson has been much less successful against Woods and also shows a lack of emotional strength.

Tiger folded yesterday. He was emotionally weaker than Yang and was nearly in tears for his last putt. He got a front row seat to the kind of arse-kicking that he has handed out so often himself.

Yang was very strong emotionally. He spoke afterward about working for years to control his emotions. Tiger tried to do all of his normal intimidating stuff. The arm pumping with his last birdie, standing in Yang's field of vision when he was putting on every one of the last seven holes (at least).

Woods' defeat yesterday will have shown other golfers what they need to do to take out Tiger Woods. Only time will tell if guys with the right mental control will emerge. Personally, I think it is too late for Els or Mickelson.

There is another thing to remember when comparing Woods to Nicklaus. Nicklaus also played with clubs and balls that gave him far less distance and control. The advantage is so high, when the two eras are compared, that I can drive longer and more accurately today than I did thirty years ago in my prime. I guess that is why they will remove some of the advances beginning next year, eh?

I don't want to turn this into a Tiger Woods hate-fest. I deeply respect what he has accomplished. My point is that his accomplishments must be seen in relation to the era and constraints in which Jack Nicklaus competed. Also, in a gentleman's game, both should be evaluated in the way they behaved on and off the course, when striking the ball and waiting for others to play their shots.

A golf champion is more than victories or stroke-count, as Mili said.

 

[BB73]

I remember when Bjorn Borg refused to be interviewed when McEnroe beat him at Wimbledon to stop Borg's streak at five in a row, and I don't remember anyone calling him an ass or classless or a sore loser.

To the victor goes the spoils - interview him.

Borg didn't act like a petulant child on the court during his matches, as McEnroe did. If he would have thrown rackets, cussed at linespeople and whined at officials like McEnroe often did, I'll bet he would have been taken to task for not talking to the media.

Acting with class during the competition can earn somebody a little slack. It will be interesting to see how much media criticism Tiger gets for his on-course behavior of swearing and tossing his clubs after poor shots.