Tigers last round at the Honda

[shivas irons]

Personally I think Tigers last round at the Honda marks a turning point in he`s comeback,its not going to be easy for him with the likes of Mcilroy,Donald,Westwood playing to the standard they are at the moment but he`s getting on there heals now.Just hope those guys dont get intimidated by Tiger and we dont go back to the Tiger show days,it would be great if we got 4 or 5 guys at the same level come to form at the majors and give us golf fans a great show.

 

[BTatHome]

One round in a tournament does not mean a turnaround.

Happened far too many times in the last couple of years to be considered to be out of the slump.

 

[Oddsocks]

Couldn't agree more, which is weird because I'm not a tiger fan.

 

[Aztecs27]

One round in a tournament does not mean a turnaround.

Happened far too many times in the last couple of years to be considered to be out of the slump.

Like the last round of The Masters last year for instance.

He's certainly getting there, but he's not quite there yet IMHO. Good to see him bank in contention though. Makes things entertaining.

 

[BTatHome]

Like the last round of The Masters last year for instance.

He's certainly getting there, but he's not quite there yet IMHO. Good to see him bank in contention though. Makes things entertaining.

Even worse, he had a great front nine in the last round, and then screwed up the back nine !!

 

[Andr3w]

It was a thrilling performance. And people wonder why the networks focus on him so much.

 

[shivas irons]

I hear what your saying guys and I`m not a Tiger fan but a do feel that he`s belief in himself is coming back and that can only spell danger for the opposition,I did say earlier this year by post that he still hasnt got the game to win but he`s getting very close now.Still dont think he will be the force he once was but he`s definatly improving,he`s come from 56th in the world rankings to 16th pretty quickly.......

 

[BTatHome]

he`s come from 56th in the world rankings to 16th pretty quickly.......

Purely because he lost all the previous points as he hasn't played/done well in the last 2 years.

 

[Deleted member 1418]

Just hope those guys dont get intimidated by Tiger

Personally I think those days are over. Look at what happened yesterday with his eagle on 18 and the roar that accompanied it. In the past the leader may have had a bit of a wobble hearing that level of noise and seen Tiger post that score, but Rory didn't look flustered at all, knocked in his own birdie and then played superb, sensible leading golf over the remaining handful of holes. I think Tiger is slowly getting back to somewhere near his best, but with the ability of the young guys currently out there, then the gap between their best and Tiger's is minimal. I also think that, because of this, Tiger will probably be the last great multiple winner of majors and that there will be a number of players that will probably share around 5 or 6 each.

 

[A1ex]

Awesome round.

BUT there was no pressure on him. He was 10 behind so could attack without any risk. In the winds, his low stingers suited that course down to the ground.

He played very well in Abu Dhabi untill the final round when he bottled it. For me he has to deliver on a final day with the pressure on.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

It was a great round but I don't think it is a turning point. He had nothing to lose yesterday, no-one expected him to win. The last two times he's really been in contention he has performed poorly, so that's what he needs to do next.
He's definately getting there but he still needs to prove he can close it out when he's really in contention.

Personally I ghink it's only a matter of time but he hasn't proved anything yet.

 

[A1ex]

It was a great round but I don't think it is a turning point. He had nothing to lose yesterday, no-one expected him to win. The last two times he's really been in contention he has performed poorly, so that's what he needs to do next.
He's definately getting there but he still needs to prove he can close it out when he's really in contention.

Personally I ghink it's only a matter of time but he hasn't proved anything yet.

That sums it up.

He's a great player who will always be in with a shout due to his insane ability. Tiger shooting a crazy low round is normal for him. He needs to win in a field with Rory, Luke, Westwood, Phil, Bradley etc. The Masters is going to be so good this year!

 

[Piece]

Judging by some of the replies, Tiger will only 'be back' when he's shot 64, 64, 64, 64, doesn't miss a fairway, doesn't miss a GIR, doesn't miss a putt and all the other golfers run for bushes shaking in fear.

He has nothing to prove. 80 odd tournament victories and 14 Majors says that he can get the job done on the final day.

This is the longest stretch of consistent tournament play he's had in years and there is no doubt that he is very close to his best. More time on course will mean better play. He lost out to a man playing the golf of his life at the moment and Tiger beat everyone else, even those on top of their game. The difference is that Rory has the game to stand up to pressure, I don't think anyone else has. :sbox: Sorry, a comment went to a min-rant!

Note how his stingers with the 2i and 3w has returned. Me thinks he's a good bet for The Open.

 

[Aztecs27]

Judging by some of the replies, Tiger will only 'be back' when he's shot 64, 64, 64, 64, doesn't miss a fairway, doesn't miss a GIR, doesn't miss a putt and all the other golfers run for bushes shaking in fear.

He has nothing to prove. 80 odd tournament victories and 14 Majors says that he can get the job done on the final day.

This is the longest stretch of consistent tournament play he's had in years and there is no doubt that he is very close to his best. More time on course will mean better play. He lost out to a man playing the golf of his life at the moment and Tiger beat everyone else, even those on top of their game. The difference is that Rory has the game to stand up to pressure, I don't think anyone else has. :sbox: Sorry, a comment went to a min-rant!

Note how his stingers with the 2i and 3w has returned. Me thinks he's a good bet for The Open.

Unfortunately, Tiger's past success and the media buzz around him has put him high up on the pedestal and given us high expectations. Can't have it both ways I'm afraid. He's either back to his best, or he's not. Currently, he's not. He shot 3 good rounds (a lot like the rest of the field) and one sublime one under no pressure whatsoever.

He won't be "back" until he's dominating the field for all 4 rounds again and heading into Sunday top of the leaderboard, under pressure with everyone chasing him.

 

[pokerjoke]

Judging by some of the replies, Tiger will only 'be back' when he's shot 64, 64, 64, 64, doesn't miss a fairway, doesn't miss a GIR, doesn't miss a putt and all the other golfers run for bushes shaking in fear.

He has nothing to prove. 80 odd tournament victories and 14 Majors says that he can get the job done on the final day.

This is the longest stretch of consistent tournament play he's had in years and there is no doubt that he is very close to his best. More time on course will mean better play. He lost out to a man playing the golf of his life at the moment and Tiger beat everyone else, even those on top of their game. The difference is that Rory has the game to stand up to pressure, I don't think anyone else has. :sbox: Sorry, a comment went to a min-rant!

Note how his stingers with the 2i and 3w has returned. Me thinks he's a good bet for The Open.

I agree,it seems people have soon forgotten how dominant Tiger was.
Yes the gap has closed,and the standard has risen.
But imo Tiger is back and that round shows it.
His confidence will rise tenfold.
Rory is definately a force to be reckoned with and is playing a new level.
As has been said it can only be good for the game.

 

[A1ex]

Judging by some of the replies, Tiger will only 'be back' when he's shot 64, 64, 64, 64, doesn't miss a fairway, doesn't miss a GIR, doesn't miss a putt and all the other golfers run for bushes shaking in fear.

He has nothing to prove. 80 odd tournament victories and 14 Majors says that he can get the job done on the final day.

This is the longest stretch of consistent tournament play he's had in years and there is no doubt that he is very close to his best. More time on course will mean better play. He lost out to a man playing the golf of his life at the moment and Tiger beat everyone else, even those on top of their game. The difference is that Rory has the game to stand up to pressure, I don't think anyone else has. :sbox: Sorry, a comment went to a min-rant!

Note how his stingers with the 2i and 3w has returned. Me thinks he's a good bet for The Open.

You've missed the point. Tiger doesn't need to shoot 25 under to be back at all. He needs to win against a top field and prove his new swing and putter can deliver on the final day when under pressure.

Someone with as many wins as Tiger isn't judged on tied second placed finishes. He won't consider himself back untill he's won multiple times and picked up a major. He hasn't reworked his swing to finish second. Yesterday was a step in the right direction but he's still got a fair way to go.

I don't think Rory was playing the golf of his life either at The Honda, he had 3 very good rounds and one scrappy one yesterday. If Rory has his A game Tiger will be a long way back. What Rory showed was the ability to handle the pressure and scramble when he wasn't hitting greens or fairways.

 

[shivas irons]

I agree,it seems people have soon forgotten how dominant Tiger was.
Yes the gap has closed,and the standard has risen.
But imo Tiger is back and that round shows it.
His confidence will rise tenfold.
Rory is definately a force to be reckoned with and is playing a new level.
As has been said it can only be good for the game.

If Tiger does get he`s form back and he`s ability cant be forgotten its going to be really interesting as I can only see Rory improving further now he`s No1 in the world,lets hope we get treated to some heads to head battles between them in the majors, especially at our Open........

 

[Piece]

You've missed the point. Tiger doesn't need to shoot 25 under to be back at all. He needs to win against a top field and prove his new swing and putter can deliver on the final day when under pressure.

Someone with as many wins as Tiger isn't judged on tied second placed finishes. He won't consider himself back untill he's won multiple times and picked up a major. He hasn't reworked his swing to finish second. Yesterday was a step in the right direction but he's still got a fair way to go.

I don't think Rory was playing the golf of his life either at The Honda, he had 3 very good rounds and one scrappy one yesterday. If Rory has his A game Tiger will be a long way back. What Rory showed was the ability to handle the pressure and scramble when he wasn't hitting greens or fairways.

I don't have missed the point at all, TBH. It's the media telling us that he has to win on the final day under pressure with a 'new swing' to be really back. I don't think thats the case at all. You can tell if a player is back by his on-course demeanour, distance control and getting a score on the board. I don't think anyone can argue that against a top-field he did that at the Honda. Naturally, he is all about Ws but I don't think he will say he's 'back' when he wins properly again. He'll just say something i've been back for six months but just didn't get it done, or something similiar in Yank-babble.

Also, this is the third or fourth time that his swing AND putting has changed. I don't recall much clamour to prove he can still do it then? Having the A game is a rare event - the key to winning is knocking a score together when you aren't playing well, keeping yourself in tournament. Tiger is the master at that, with Rory showing signs that he can do it as well. But let's see if Rory can do it when his drives are going crooked...

Lastly, Rory's last 11 tournaments I think shows that he is playing the best golf of his life. Tigeresque, I'd call it

 

[A1ex]

I don't have missed the point at all, TBH. It's the media telling us that he has to win on the final day under pressure with a 'new swing' to be really back. I don't think thats the case at all.

Sorry but someone like Woods isn't back untill he wins a couple of WGC events or a major. Not sure how anyone can say otherwise. If Tiger didn't win another event, would he be happy and say he was back to his best? Of course not. That is the point you're missing.

You can tell if a player is back by his on-course demeanour, distance control and getting a score on the board. I don't think anyone can argue that against a top-field he did that at the Honda.

Tiger was still pretty unhappy untill the final round. He didn't look really pleased with his game untill yesterday. Time will tell if yesterday was a one of or a sign of whats to come.

Naturally, he is all about Ws but I don't think he will say he's 'back' when he wins properly again. He'll just say something i've been back for six months but just didn't get it done, or something similiar in Yank-babble.

Getting it done is the proof he's back though. Untill he gets it done he's no better than about 50 guys who are capable of having a good round here and there, finishing T2 etc.

Also, this is the third or fourth time that his swing AND putting has changed. I don't recall much clamour to prove he can still do it then?

This is totally differently to previous rebuilds. He never went 3 years without a major and 3 years without a PGA Tour win either.

Woods has to repeat his form prior to his break from the game to be back. After all, if he's not at the same level, how can he be back to where he was?

I've been impressed with him so far this season, his game tee to green is solid, however he buckled under pressure in Abu Dhabi and again when Phil smashed him at Pebble Beach. His putter has been letting him down which is not an easy thing to change. He holed a few yesterday but he has to do that on a regular basis to win.

 

[Deleted member 1418]

Some valid points have been expressed both for and against Tiger 'being back'. Could it be argued that yes he is back, but the game has moved on significantly during his enforced absences that others are now fulfilling their potential and are reaching his level?