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Tiger Woods Comeback

Tadashi70 said:
He came close at the British and in Tampa. I think the five drought has dulled his winning senses. I think once he puts three opening rounds together he will get that feeling. I also think he needs to play more like he did on Saturday at the British. Stop playing safe and get after it.

This thread will be a distant memory once he starts winning. It takes time to get that killer instinct back.
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Freddie with the bold prediction! I like it. Not saying it will be true, but I like the confidence.
 
JB said:
It does feel weird. Similar to Tampa. Each tournament 1 round is off and the generation winning right now is of a different mindset. The galleries are the differentiator and how they will react when dealing with that, but the statistics say he is further away then us as fans of the game do.
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Or one could look at the only stat that really matters: scoring average. He is 12th on Tour this season. Only 3 guys above him in that stat this year haven't won on Tour, Fowler, Stenson and Fleetwood (and Fleetwood won in Europe this year).

He's in the upper echelon of performers this year based on that. For me, the comeback this year will be a success if he can play the entire year without a health issue. Then put in a normal off-season and the expectations will rise next year.
 
I think the difference is the players around him. He was never great off the tee, but he is not as good of a putter which when he struggles has him with that round of 73 like we saw saturday when in the past his putter would give him a 69 or 70. And the talent you have to put up 4 good rounds or 1 mediocre, 1 EXCELLENT round and 2 good rounds to have a chance to win.

Also think that with how most courses have adapted, or Tiger proofed their courses he NEEDS to hit driver now when he used to be able to hit long irons off the tee. Now he needs to hammer driver (except for at the Open).

I think maybe he pulls together a win here or there, but realistically he is a very good pro at this point in his career, but not a top 10 or even top 25 overall player.
 
arydolphin said:
Or one could look at the only stat that really matters: scoring average. He is 12th on Tour this season. Only 3 guys above him in that stat this year haven't won on Tour, Fowler, Stenson and Fleetwood (and Fleetwood won in Europe this year).

He's in the upper echelon of performers this year based on that. For me, the comeback this year will be a success if he can play the entire year without a health issue. Then put in a normal off-season and the expectations will rise next year.
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So if next year rolls around and he does not win, you will believe he is done winning? Is it even possible the expectations rise?
He has said he feels better than he has in years, so I am curious.

Fowler is a good parallel. Better scoring average and isn't winning. I do believe that winning on tour now is harder than it has ever been.
 
MSB256 said:
Freddie with the bold prediction! I like it. Not saying it will be true, but I like the confidence.
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I look at like this, he was the greatest and lost his form due to injury. He’s finally healthy, 5 years removed from his last win. It’s not like DD or any other top tier player that lost it mentally.

We are also getting to see him perform with this new frame in full health. He is on the edge of solving this puzzle.

My feelings have betrayed me in the past but this looks, sounds and feels different.
 
I think he's finally starting to open up to New technology which might be good but might be bad for him. The putter seems to be helping but often equipment changes mask the real problem and give a temporary confidence bump. His confidence doesn't appear to be back, nor the killer mentality. He used to believe he could make par from anywhere and often give himself a birdie chance even when out of position. If he can regain that confidence I believe he has a chance to start stringing wins together.

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JB said:
How long do you think that takes?
We past 10 years since his last major win, right? I get the injuries and I understand that it can take time. I question the idea that he is close, because not a lot of measurables are saying that. I said before that I believe he will win again, and I honestly still believe that. But as each week passes, I am questioning myself.
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I get the point about measurables as stats might help you identify problems areas. But, would you not call a T6 finish only three back of the leader at a major "close?"
 
If @JB taught me anything it's that stats can be misleading and used in many different ways to prove points.

30th in driving distance
44th in putting
33rd in scrambling
12th scoring average

While not Tiger Woods good enough it's right there with other top players. He's shown flashes at times but doesn't seem to be able to keep it going for a full round. I'm actually amazed at what he's done so far with the time that was taken off. Going to be an interesting back half part of the season for him to see if he can do anything to try and spring board him into 2019. I think he's a lock for a Captain's pick right now.
 
MSB256 said:
I get the point about measurables as stats might help you identify problems areas. But, would you not call a T6 finish only three back of the leader at a major "close?"
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You could say the same thing about tied for 3rd at Valspar. Close as in winning? Maybe, maybe not. I still see right now, 3 out of 4 rounds being good and one below average and that is exactly what plagues Fowler and he isn't winning and isn't expected to either.
 
Nate said:
If @JB taught me anything it's that stats can be misleading and used in many different ways to prove points.

30th in driving distance
44th in putting
33rd in scrambling
12th scoring average

While not Tiger Woods good enough it's right there with other top players. He's shown flashes at times but doesn't seem to be able to keep it going for a full round. I'm actually amazed at what he's done so far with the time that was taken off. Going to be an interesting back half part of the season for him to see if he can do anything to try and spring board him into 2019. I think he's a lock for a Captain's pick right now.
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That's a good point too. These were stats that were said on TV this morning.
My question is, is he further away than us as fans think he is?
Id love to see him pick up a W at a smaller event later this year.
 
I think Tiger is playing solid golf. He's had a few tournaments where he was up there on the list of most birdies made. He just has so many bogies and doubles that he takes himself out of contention. So I think if he can get out of his own way and stop making big numbers, he will start to win some tournaments, because he sure as heck has shown he can make birdies.
 
I am at that wait and see scenario.
He is showing some good signs, but to say he is back is a bit premature in my book.
 
I see him as still a work in progress at this time. Some flashes of brilliance but also a lot of flashes of mediocrity (for a tour pro). I want to see him back as much as anybody. If he builds upon his flashes of success for 4 consecutive rounds, I could see him winning a tournament or 2 next year. His days of dominance are in the past though imo.
 
JB said:
That's a good point too. These were stats that were said on TV this morning.
My question is, is he further away than us as fans think he is?
Id love to see him pick up a W at a smaller event later this year.
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I think he's pretty close. If you look at the open, what do-overs can you look at to get back those three strokes? The one he hit into the crowd. The lack of recovery after that? A missed putt? Three strokes and this thread potentially doesn't exist.
 
I saw on the broadcast last weekend that he’s lost about 5 mph of clubhead speed since his return and not just a one week loss, more of a steady decline maybe to gain accuracy? During that time has his driving accuracy gotten better or is he just losing a little as the season wears on? If he’s just losing speed and not gaining accuracy I think this may just be what we need to brace ourselves for. I want to see Tiger dominate a tournament again, but I’m not positive it’s gonna happen at this point. It’s a different climate on tour now, if Tigers in the lead after 54 it’s still far from being over now.
 
JB said:
That's a good point too. These were stats that were said on TV this morning.
My question is, is he further away than us as fans think he is?
Id love to see him pick up a W at a smaller event later this year.
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I think if you asked Tiger Woods that question without the camera's, reporters, fans, etc. he would say he's further away from where he thought/expected to be this year. Fans see the flashes and are almost trying to will him to the top of the leaderboards. My hope is that he does become a Captains pick and has a really good weekend, positive matches, timely putts and executes on shots that might do wonder for his overall confidence and give him a bit more spring in his step for 2019.
 
Nate said:
I think if you asked Tiger Woods that question without the camera's, reporters, fans, etc. he would say he's further away from where he thought/expected to be this year. Fans see the flashes and are almost trying to will him to the top of the leaderboards. My hope is that he does become a Captains pick and has a really good weekend, positive matches, timely putts and executes on shots that might do wonder for his overall confidence and give him a bit more spring in his step for 2019.
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This is kind of what I was getting at and making a poor attempt clearly.
 
He's never gonna dominate again and he's playing better and staying healthier (body and mind) than I expected. I think he might win a few more tournaments if he can stay healthy. He's top 50 in the FedEx cup standings this year on a light schedule.
 
I think in some ways it shows just how good the other players are, and how hard it is to win, even against somewhat weaker fields. You need to put 4 very good rounds together in a row to get it done now, and Tiger just hasn't been able to do that yet. Honestly though, if he gets through this year healthy, I will consider this year a win. I'm interested to see what he can do next year with an "off-season" to really fine tune things, especially his driver. You simply can't win missing the fairways all the time.
 
Canadan said:
I feel like he just needs to be in the moment again. Dominant Tiger didn't have blinkers or a rear-view mirror. He just started rolling and didn't stop.

What I saw at the Open was pretty similar to a lot of other golfers out there. Get rolling, get in the moment, and then roll backwards a bit. If he can find that extra gear, I think we get Tiger back.
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^^^ This.....

I don't know if he will find that old Tiger gear though....I hope he does, but what if this is the new version of Tiger from now on? This version will contend often and maybe win one here and there, but won't be likely to be overly dominate for a long period of time. Is that ok? Damn right it is....because one of these times what we saw at the Open will turn into a W....and we'll all lose our freakin minds! I can't wait!
 
Puttin4Bird said:
^^^ This.....

I don't know if he will find that old Tiger gear though....I hope he does, but what if this is the new version of Tiger from now on? This version will contend often and maybe win one here and there, but won't be likely to be overly dominate for a long period of time. Is that ok? Damn right it is....because one of these times what we saw at the Open will turn into a W....and we'll all lose our freakin minds! I can't wait!
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This is what I am coming to. I do think he can win again. I think most of us thought before Augusta National that he would have at least 1 by now however. You could make the case (and I personally did) that heading into the Masters this year, he and Phil were the favorites.
 
JB said:
This is what I am coming to. I do think he can win again. I think most of us thought before Augusta National that he would have at least 1 by now however. You could make the case (and I personally did) that heading into the Masters this year, he and Phil were the favorites.
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You and me (and Vegas) all thought that he was considered a favorite. So based on the early expectations he put out there I'd have to say that despite the flashes of brilliance at times he has fallen short of what we all kind of thought we'd see.
 
I think he has returned as an above average tour golfer with the prestige he deserves, but will never be "back" in terms of his previous success or form in any capacity. expectations are obviously going to be there considering what he used to be, but that Tiger is dead. The plus for him, is I think he's back on par with Mickelson. Someone who COULD win any given week and has plenty of tools if they put it together, but on a given week most likely won't. I don't believe the Tiger hope will ever die, because people need/want to believe it...but even if he wins again, he's still not "back" IMO, because I don't think he has more than one or two in him.
 
I'll expand on this more later but to get in on the conversation, he is lacking the killer instinct. The Open Championship is a perfect example. That was his for the taking. I'm sure it's happened, or maybe it's hasn't, but when's the last time someone in his group besides him one in a major? Especially when they weren't in the final group? Not taking anything away from The Champion Golfer of the Year, but that performance would have never beat yes the old Tiger.

Sure there are a lot of stats that point to how poorly he's playing. There's also stats that point out to how well he is. Primarily he has one of the best stroke averages this year. He's almost always in top ten position. It'll click. He'll have a week where he drives it well and putts great. That doesn't concern me, and he'll win that week. What makes me think we won't see the dominant Tiger again is the lack of a killer instinct. He hasn't shown that at all.
 
I have been of the mindset that Tiger has never taken the comeback seriously. What I see is rust and a guy with talent thinking it is easy to get it back once you’ve done it before. I’ve been there with my game and for me I always think I don’t need to practice as hard because I have been able to do it in the past.

Him committing to playing Bridgestone, pga, and the two (possibly 4) fedex cup events is a big reversal.

I’ll gauge it after these next few weeks but it finally feels like he is serious about trying to win.


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