If Sean happens to be one of the “Top” teachers in the world, why can’t he recognize that Tiger’s driver, 3 wood and 5 wood is nothing but junk and is hurting him?
Rick doesn’t need luck. He stepped up to the birdie buffet in the Middle East and India. He wins the Masters. Book it.
I’ll take Jason Day… 
BTW, who’s Rick?
Ranger Rick Aka Eldrick Aka Tiger
I miss the Tiger of old. I got into the game in 2001, so I saw sooooo many highlights of tiger’s 2000 season on golf channel. Really brought me into the game.
I’ll never forget that feeling of KNOWING he was going to make a clutch putt because he just always delivered. He doesn’t have that same clutchness on the greens I feel.
Yeah, I agree, and hope Jason Day gets that first major soon, looks like he’s close.
Last fall, when the Tour came to town at Conway Farms, a friend of mine (good player) told me he was going and I asked him to take a look at Tiger on the range and follow him for a few holes to see what’s up. He said Tiger was absolutely sublime with his ballstriking before the round. Every shot flighted perfectly, even driver.
He walks with him to the first tee and Tiger proceeds to wipe driver into the next county. The next five or six holes, the same, the driver all over the place. What my friend reported and noticed immediately was that Tiger’s tempo, esp with the driver had sped up considerably from the range. Huge uptick and quite a mess. I wonder if this tells me he’s not fully committed to Foley’s advice? Tiger lately seems like a case study in extremism.
Do I think he’s going to win the Masters? I guess I’m hoping he overrides whatever isn’t working and finds something. He said recently he finally found his feels. I hope some of them are pre-Foley.
Good observation… Tiger has always done that… I’ve seen him several times up close even when he used the 975D… Nice pretty tempo on the range then thrashes at it on the course… If Tiger had the stats he did off the tee in 2000, he’d be the best driver of the ball on the planet and would have surpassed Nicklaus’ record by now… As the new drivers came out he got progressively worse from the tee… He’s trying to make his iron swing with his driver but the equipment won’t allow it to happen which leads to a mental case of the driver flip/ yips (the 3 wood sometimes as well)… If he went back to steel, smaller/flatter head, and shorter shaft he wouldn’t lose a yard off the tee and be aggressive like he always was… His heart and his will to win is downright amazing though and is still my favorite player… I just don’t see him getting better off the tee unless he changes his equipment and that’s what hurts him in the majors…
I agree with the equipment issues; Tiger probably wishes he could chuck the driver and play something different. I thought going to a heavier shaft was going to help. Thought McIlroy had that Nike driver figured out until that hook on the back nine yesterday which reminded me of that shot on the back nine on Sunday at that tournament in Georgia.
I see where Jack Nicklaus is being a gentleman and saying he still believes Tiger will break his record. This isn’t helping. He needs to say the opposite and see if this gets Tiger back on track. Or maybe that’s his plan…
Tiger’s back issues aren’t helping either. Other tour players that have had chronic back problems have had problems winning tournaments, much less winning majors.
This may seem counterintuitive, but does anyone think that the lighter equipment helps lead to the back problems and/or other injuries? I think about Duval as another player who has gone through this transition of heavy to light equipment. His injuries were ridiculous.
I think you are right. The heavier equipment demands that you use it a certain way…there is a balance created…the light stuff can be overpowered…there is no balance between the tool and the player.
I think it can vary depending on the player.
I think for stronger people heavier equipment can help avoid injuries because you can have some resistance to the firing of the larger muscles, but I have also read about older players that struggle with arthritis or other issues that have been able to play with less pain using lighter equipment.
It would be interesting to see if there is any research or good information on the correlation between gear and injuries. I haven’t searched any out, but I am sure there has to be something.
As far as tiger, he has always struggled with his left knee, but it seems like he is falling apart in recent years.
A bit jarring when you see it laid out like this. An off the charts impressive considering his record. Any lesser man would have crumbled like blue cheese long ago.
I wonder if anybody even mentions to Tiger about how long and accurate he was in 2000 with the driver/3wood combo… It’s hard to even watch anymore… I do think equipment can be a culprit when it comes to injuries… Tiger has always had quite vertical shoulders through the ball, but even more so now because of the steeper angle on the downswing and the throw off down the target line (Butch taught him that move)… Maybe his contract states that he has to use the newest stuff they put out every year? Who knows?!! A heavier graphite shaft won’t do anything with a frying pan head, make you lose feel in the clubhead if he has any at all… Ah well… He just shot 4 over at Doral, I know it’s a new course now, but still…
I don’t think he was ever pipelining it in his earlier career. He was always a bit wild and got moreso as he got older. And of course he’s under contract so cant’ play anything and I doubt they just slapped the latest stock head onto his 95 gram shaft without tweaking the head weight. Guy’s a geek and has a lot of say-so when they’re making his clubs; I’ll bet he drives them crazy…‘nope feel is off here, there’. Someday when he is long retired, some ex-Nike gearhead in the know might write a book on his experiences with TW. That will be interesting…
75.88% fairways hit in 1999 and 293.1 yards Driving distance… 72% in 2000 at 298 yards… Shorter and more crooked today…
Yeah Tiger was an unreal driver for a time there. One of the longest and one of the straitest for a few years
Just look when he won at Bethpage… No fear… Now he swings like he’s hoping… I can say with 100% confidence it’s an equipment issue…
I would think injuries, and what they may have done to his swing and confidence, can’t be overlooked, on top of any and all equipment issues.