He who must (not) be named...

[toonarmy]

Quite a while ago, I dared to ask the question if we would miss Woods if he stopped playing.

Aside from some curious man-love comments, a fair number seemed to indicate that he would be a major loss.

Now, despite commentators feeling the need to mention his absence every third shot, and after two belting Majors, I just wonder what people's views are now?

I can honestly say that given the quality of golf, I haven't missed his presence one jot.

So, has he been missed?

 

[USER1999]

Yes, I do think he adds something. Knowing that he is the best player in the world at the moment, means that there is something missing if he isn't playing. Not that I want him to win all the time, but he is good to watch.

Got a bit annoyed with the coverage on Sunday though. Turned on at 5 ish, 1 hour after coverage started to see old footage of TW (lots), people getting out of cars in the car park, people on the range, practice green etc, while some idiot in the commentary box tells me there are some good golfers out on the course. WHY CAN'T I WATCH THE GOLF.

Rant over, sorry to hijack the thread, but it has some relevance in that they obviously needed to show some TW footage to keep the fans happy, even though he wasn't there.

 

[mrobbie]

More to the point, does anyone think Padraig should quit golf to give others a chance of winning something? Seems that everyone is playing for 2nd place in all honesty...

And in relation to the initial post, IMHO golf has not suffered without Woods. Crowds I would imagine have done as many turn up only to see him play. But the game has been just as good to watch without him.

 

[TonyN]

I like watching Tiger I really do but I have not missed him and I dont think the game has suffered one bit. Infact its good to see a mix of golfers on our screens instead of just one!

 

[viscount17]

either TalkSport is reading the forum or toon is secretly Durham (close enough geographically methinks!). Same subject on (again) last night.

I prefer watching golf without TW. There is no doubting that he is a fantastic golfer but with him there we see no-one else.

I do think it proves a (contentious) point though. With TW in the field (most of) the rest are satisfied with 2nd.

 

[Cernunnos]

At the end of the day even though some people would try & tell us different, T***r is not bigger than the game. No he's no loss for the season or the game. Yeah, T***r maybe a great player, but he's not the be all & end all as far as I'm concerned. Coverage when he's playing becomes boring as the director seems to forget there are other players out there who also have great tallent.

 

[GB72]

I find that golf without Tiger is like F1 with Schumaker. Suddenly the events are more exciting as there are more people in with a chance of winning, closer finishes etc. You get to see coverage of more of the field as well, especially if the pictures as coming from the US.

I can only imagine what it will be like when he comes back. The hype will be unbearable and as for seeing coverage of anyone else in the field, no chance.

 

[HTL]

Agrre with GB72, it has been so nice watching other golfers play recently and not hearing thousands of Tiger fans screaming stupid things at him. It will be nuts when he is back.

 

[OldWindy]

I've missed his moments of genius but it seems he's shared those with Harrington of late. The game's bigger than one person, no matter how much he's contributed.

 

[Parmo]

Its made betting a whole lot better.

 

[Cernunnos]

I find that golf without Tiger is like F1 with Schumaker. Suddenly the events are more exciting as there are more people in with a chance of winning, closer finishes etc. You get to see coverage of more of the field as well, especially if the pictures as coming from the US.

I can only imagine what it will be like when he comes back. The hype will be unbearable and as for seeing coverage of anyone else in the field, no chance.

Dito this & also why I don't like watching American golf & hence why I didn't bother getting setanta, as they don't do European Golf.

 

[USER1999]

I agree if Tiger is there this is all you see, but until Padraig hit the course on Sunday, they didn't really show anything, just interviews and stuff. Not sure this is an improvement.

 

[rgs]

Like all great sportsmen/women Tiger is missed. But the two Majors without him have had great drama and great golf.

Maybe if Harrington plays the Masters in his current form and Tiger is back to near his best we could see a shootout between two fierce competitors.
And the great thing is Harrington is not afraid of Tiger he has faced Tiger down in Japan in a playoff, in Tigers tournament a few yrs ago and in the walker cup in 1995.