OT - PGA Championship Final Round Open Thread

Submitted by ijohnb on

If these early groups are any indication there are going to be some good scores out there for the gettin this afternoon.  It is really weird watching Tiger in majors right now.  I feel like I am watching Mike Tyson post-jail.  You know what he is capable of he just does not have it mentally.  I am actually staring to think he may just not care that much any more.  For the first time I am now thinking that he may never get it back (or really may not want it back).  Rory storming back would be glorious but I think he may just be a little too far back.  Furyk is a tough front runner to rattle.  This could be a shoot-out or it could be a Furyk bore-fest.  I will be watching either way.

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BallZDeeP210

August 11th, 2013 at 12:39 PM ^

I think Tiger is stressing the Majors too much. He sees that his chances are dwindling, although he's still ahead of pace, and if he doesn't pass the record for Major victories then his whole career is a failure to him. I know that's hard to understand from our perspective but he is so competitive and has always stated that his biggest goal was to capture that record. Golf is such a mental game and that's why we get the awesome Tiger in the other tournaments (5 wins this year) and then whoever this guy is for the Majors.

Yes I capitolized Majors like Michigan does Championships

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ijohnb

August 11th, 2013 at 12:50 PM ^

only plays tracks he completely owns and that fit his game almost perfectly.  Those are tournaments that he can win in his sleep.  It is no surprise he wins those tournaments because they take little mental energy.  To continue the Mike Tyson analogy, sure he can kick the shit out of Bruce Seldon but he is not invested enough in the outcome of fights to give Evander Holyfield the attention necessary to win.  What I am saying is that it really doesn't seem like he is pressing at all to the point that I think it is a problem.  He takes no chances whatsover and really makes no effort to become more aggressive when he needs to go low.  He needs to press a little.  At first this laid back attitude toward majors looked like a new mental strategy, "letting the game come to him."  What it is starting to look like to me is that it is not a intentionally even keel disposition toward majors that he is actively trying to promote, but that he simply is not as interested as he used to be.  It is to the point where it does not look like he cares.  That intense devotion to greatness is not something that last forever.  Tiger appears to be kind of "over it" to me.

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Newbs

August 11th, 2013 at 12:49 PM ^

Tiger is closer than people think. Looking at last week he is still capable of beating the best in the world by wide margins and Oak Hill isn't exactly his favorite course. I think all it will take is a course like Augusta that he loves to finally break through and once he does... Watch out. That being said, today I'm picking Jason Dufner. And watch out for Steve Stricker and Henrik Stenson.

Joined: 10/15/2012

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ijohnb

August 11th, 2013 at 12:54 PM ^

truly great players don't win majors on courses they "love."  All the courses these guys are playing in majors are gigantic shit sandwiches that really fit nobody's game by design.  I think Tiger's commentary regarding every course he plays is becoming tiresome.  These course are impossible but they are impossible for everybody.  And you look out for Rory good sir.  He has the game to go flat out silly low and I think today could be the day.

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Tater

August 11th, 2013 at 12:52 PM ^

Five victories this year, and Tiger is "Mike Tyson post-jail."   Gee, I wonder how  much further Tiger would have "fallen" if there wasn't a TPC and two WGC events in those five?

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ijohnb

August 11th, 2013 at 12:58 PM ^

Any attempt to cover Tiger's ass by pointing to those victories is a blatant devil's advocate position.  More than ever golf is Majors.  The rest of the stops (TPC included which is not the "fifth major" but instead a tourney that players hate played on a tricked out gimmicky course).  I can guarantee that Tiger would tell you that those wins mean less than shit.

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natesezgoblue

August 11th, 2013 at 1:01 PM ^

Wasn't he top 10 in the first three majors this year? The unlucky shot where he hit the pin in Augusta cost him the tournament. If that shot doesn't bounce into the water he's top 2. It's not like everyone else wasn't trying to win the TPC. It has the highest purse of the year.

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ijohnb

August 11th, 2013 at 1:06 PM ^

he was T-32 at the US Open.  Look I am not saying he sucks.  That is not what I am saying.  He is may favorite golfer of all time.  What I am saying is that it does not look like he can reach deep and find that energy and emotional devotion necessary to win majors.  It is a fact that if he is not reasonable in contention he is completely mailing in the weekend.  That is not indicative of feirce devotion but instead somebody who is checking out.  Not a positive sign,

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Mr. Rager

August 11th, 2013 at 1:10 PM ^

tiger cares about majors. he hasn't won one in five years. he was arguably the most dominant golfer of all time and now he's just.... I don't know. Simmons wrote a piece back when tiger got clubbed by Elin, comparing his comeback to Ali's. that would have been appropriate three or four years ago. but now? we're nearing Tyson's fall, for sure.

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mgowill

August 11th, 2013 at 1:22 PM ^

Over his career Tiger has a higher rate of major wins per year than Nicklaus (TW 0.875 majors per year versus JN 0.750 majors per year).  Nicklaus won his final major at the age of 46 at the Masters.  Tiger is currently 37 years old which leaves him plenty of time to win a few more.

 

Nicklaus was dominant from '62 to '78 winning 15 of his 18 career majors during that span.

 

Tiger won 14 over an 11 year span '97 to '08.  However, he has not won since '08  and that has people waiting for him to pop the bubble.  I think once he does that, he has a couple more majors in him.  

 

Tiger from '97 to '08 was hands down the best golf has ever seen.  Tiger from '08 to '13 has been pretty darn mediocre.

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ijohnb

August 11th, 2013 at 1:26 PM ^

will win more majors, he is good enough to win one by accident for god sake.  I just don't think he has 5 left in him.  And yes Jack won at 46 but it had been quite a while before that.  If Tiger is looking to break the record he needs to get cooking. 1 next year is an absolute necessity and 2 would certainly do a lot for his cause. 

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mgowill

August 11th, 2013 at 1:33 PM ^

I don't think he will win 5 more either.  I think his legacy will be his career from '97 to '08.  That span was him taking the golf world by storm, the golf world catching up to him for a couple years, and then him going back to dominating the competition.  It was a fun era in golf to watch the "who can stop Tiger show."

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State Street

August 11th, 2013 at 3:44 PM ^

Anyone else think we're seeing the downfall of a doper, with regards to Tiger?  He's an A-Rod esque sociopath and actually has been tied to the same doctor (Galea) that was connected to some shady treatments that A-Rod cooked up.  

I'm not saying steroids necessarily, there are a lot of other illicit substances (methamphetamines and the like) that could be useful in a game of immense concentration like golf.  

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WolverineFanatic6

August 11th, 2013 at 4:12 PM ^

I live in Rochester, NY and I had a phenomenal weekend. Rich golfers + lack of parking = 150.00$ day parking or 300.00 for the weekend on my lawn. Needless to say I made out like a bandit.

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