Golfers as athletes - Tiger BS?

[barrybridges]

In relation to Tiger pulling out of Sawgrass...

I see a lot of people posting (here and in other forums) saying how he was clearly carrying an injury and hadn't recovered properly.

What I don't understand - and maybe I'm an idiot - is surely TW had actually hit some balls between the masters and today? In which case, how much of a co-incidence is it that the injury flared up today of all days?

I'm not saying it's made up, but golf isn't like other sports. In athletics - for example - a marathon runner might aggravate an existing injury because their event - the marathon - is much tougher than their training for that event.

With golf, surely there's no difference between a player hitting a ball on the course during competition vs hitting a ball on a course for practice?

Do you see what I'm saying? If this was a genuine flare-up of an existing injury, why did it happen today and not in practice previously? Surely he would have known that he wasn't recovered?

I'm pretty cynical - I can't see how one of the world's top athletes would enter a competition knowing they weren't fully recovered. Presumably he has practiced recently and got through that practice just fine. In which case, it's a massive co-incidence that the problem appears today just as he shoots a bad 1/2 round...?

Or am I too cynical?

 

[USER1999]

Tiger would have been pressured into going by his sole remaining sponsor, Nike, he will have made comittments to the PGA tour, and the organisers to go to the tourney, the fans would expect to see him, and so he went.

His knee is absolutely knacked, and really, he should think about giving up golf if he wants to walk for the next 50 years.

 

[barrybridges]

Tiger would have been pressured into going by his sole remaining sponsor, Nike, he will have made comittments to the PGA tour, and the organisers to go to the tourney, the fans would expect to see him, and so he went.

His knee is absolutely knacked, and really, he should think about giving up golf if he wants to walk for the next 50 years.

But really? I would have thought that Nike would understand the negative impact on their brand that would inevitably occur if their sponsored star pulls out after a really disappointing performance and 'injury'. The brand damage is surely much worse as a result?

I'm sure his knee is whacked, but my point is that he surely must have known it was whacked before he teed off?

 

[fundy]

Theres talk he renijured his achilles on his first tee shot, how true that is I dont know but doesnt look like he shouldve even tried to play this week

 

[Simbo]

iv no idea what even happened with tiger but why is golf different from other sports regarding an existing injury??

almost all pro athletes are playing ith some kind of niggle that makes them not fully fit.

remember lee westwood played when he had a calf injury- no reason why he couldnt have hit 2 sho9ts and his calf exploded!

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I think Nike still get a huge amount of associated publicity via the Woods name irrespective of his fall down the rankings. He is still the most iconic golfer of his generation and lots of US youngsters still aspire to be as good a golfer as he is/was and that can shift a lot of Nike golf gear.

If he was injured he wouldn't put himself through the pain of the US Open a few years back just for the TPC event as it isn't a major and so won't help him overhaul Nicklaus. Its like anything though, these can spring up at anytime. How many on here have hurt themselves through slepping awkwardly, getting up funny, getting in or out of the bath (done that more than once) just felt a twinge for no reason etc. It could be he was fine in the practice session and just tweaked something hitting the last few balls before going out. We'll never know

 

[Swinger]

He has the knee of someone 20 years older