MASTERS Posbang!

I have learned not to trust Rory in majors the last few years.  The engine revs but he has been missing that "next gear" that it looked like he had five years ago. 

Give me Adam Scott, flagstick in.

Tiger?  Makes a couple of putts....  /squints.  Longshot.

Others I would favor this week are Ricky Fowler (it's going to happen at some point), Bubba Watson, and Tommy Fleetwood. 

Kuchar is a good selection as well, though I fear that Kuchar is going to be one of the better players in a long time not to win a major.

Go anyone but Tiger. Hope he misses the cut. Give me Rory or Speith 

I somewhat agree. I am more inclined to root for him now that he seems to have been humbled. Before two years ago he was completely unlikeable in my opinion. He was rude to fans including little kids and never seemed genuine (his cheating and infidelity obviously proved that to be true). He is the greatest golfer of this generation, but will never be the best because he will never pass Nicklaus in majors. The media keeps him relevant. 

First, I think it is very likely he will win another major.  He is back to being a very good player.  This is not a retirement tour.  He is ranked 13th in the world, won last year and finished second at the PGA.

Next, all of the athletes that people "adore" or root for have different shades.  They are all flawed people.  Tiger's flaws became very public and were more significant than most, so he deserved the public flogging that he received for nearly five years.  But he did receive it.  He took it.  He did not minimize his transgressions, he did not try to give himself an out.  He did not disappear. He faced them and has tried to overcome them. 

If you have not figured it out yet, the guy was an addict, probably for a long time before his DUI arrest.  It is not an excuse, but it is what it is.  He went a good ways down the rabbit hole and is trying to recover and do the right thing right now.  To a person everybody who has seen Tiger play live since his latest "comeback" has said he is far more approachable, far more considerate, and seems to genuinely want to help the game with his presence. 

I don't see the need to treat somebody as permanently disgraced for mistakes they have made.  The guy is an electric, iconic athlete and is incredible to watch.  He made some mistakes.  He isn't perfect.  I think it is time for people to get over it. 

I really don't see why people are so sure he will never win another major. It gets less likely every year, but he had a good chance in the last 2 majors last year in his first full season back. 

I think before all his dirty laundry was aired out in public, people rooted for him because people like winners and when he was in his prime and on his game, he was almost untouchable. The most dominate golfer of all time. He drew so many people to golf because he was doing stuff weekly on the course that other pros would never do in their career. The TV ratings were bigger, the crowds were bigger, the tournament purse was bigger. Thus, he because main stream. He was selling Nike, Gatorade, Gillette, Rolex, EA Sports. He became bigger than the game itself. Much like Michael Jordan did.

Now people root for him either for nostalgic reasons or because they like a comeback story. 

I don't really like him because he is the reason I started golfing as a teenager. Because of him, I have a lifetime of frustration and sinking money into a game I suck at.

People root for Tiger because for a long time he was the best golfer to ever pick up a set of clubs.

Also, a significant number of people don't care that he's a "scumbag."  I personally don't know why people care. I mean, tons of athletes that people root for were/are total scumbags.  Likely some you have or do root for.  

Examples include:  Kobe Bryant, Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, Lenny Dykstra, Jason Kidd, A-Rod, Adrian Peterson, Ray Lewis, Ryan Lochte, Jameis Winston, Dez Bryant, Miguel Cabrera, Brett Favre, Floyd Mayweather, Mike Vick, Mike Tyson, Allen Iverson, Brandon Marshall, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Leonard Little, Lance Armstrong, Daryl Strawberry, most of the entire Dallas Cowboys team from the 90s ..... the list goes on and on and on and on.

And this isn't a new thing either.  See:  Ty Cobb, Jim Brown, Babe Ruth

Because he's the best to ever play the game and I don't stand in judgment of others from a billion miles away. I never rooted for him because he maintained a great marriage, so I didn't give a shit when he screwed it all up. He's the most cold-blooded assassin of an athlete I've ever seen and I can't wait to watch his next victory.

As for "the guy is toast" - A statement like that requires such a voluntary, head-in-the-sand, lack of golf knowledge wrapped in a burrito of spite that I'm struggling to understand why I responded to you in the first place. 

Hope this helped.

I don’t understand why people like yourself say he’s toast. He was in contention at the Open last year, won at East Lake, and has overall played extremely well. He’s 13th in the world right now...why is it unlikely he’ll win another major? 

As far as cheering for him? I like to see greatness. I could ask the same question about a whole host of great professional athletes, not the least of which is Michael Jordan. Why would you ever root for him?  Because he’s great and entertaining. Tiger appears to have atoned for his past and I hope to see him back at the top...and he’s nearly there now. 

Thanks everyone for the comments/feedback.  Very helpful!

Without replying to everyone, my overall assessment as to why people still root for him revolve around:

1. They loved him when we was at his greatest

2. Hoping for a comeback of sorts (i.e. thinking that he can win another major)

3. Disregard/rationalize his scumbag behavior in the past

4. Like a good redemption story

BTW. I'm an avid golfer.  My first job was being a caddy and before I got married I had a pretty good handicap (around 11).  And I've golfed some of the best courses in the world. 

My thoughts on Tiger is that I've always respected his game - he is the best golfer to play the game.  However, his off the course antics were really bad - something I just can't look past as "simple mistake".  He admitted to having over 100 affairs while married and apparently slept with a 21-year-old daughter of a neighbor as part of this.  This is borderline sociopathic.

There's one family though that is refusing to sell their home. Hilarious.

I drove by Augusta National one time way back in the 80's.  The brief glimpses I saw were magnificent, but were so brief as to see nothing.  The entire perimeter is walled with 10' high shrubbery you simply cannot get through.  It's so very clear that the world inside the shrubs is totally different than the (more or less) run down area on the outside.  I'm not surprised in the least that the club is buying up surround parcels.  I am a little surprised it took them this long to do it.  Augusta National is one of the few remaining strong holds of private, unambiguously self-righteous, white privileged institutions in the world.  It gets a total pass, just like Duke bball!

That said, it hosts one of the best golf courses and tournaments in the entire world...

The process of buying up properties has gone on for years.  The footprint of the course has expanded -- new driving range/practice area, a lot more on site parking, etc.  And even though they won't say so some of the additional land could be used to make the course longer.