Will Tiger play in the 2022 Masters?

[Brads]

Oooh. Fingers crossed.

Tiger Woods' Masters return stories fuelled by Augusta round https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/golf/60923106

 

[Smiffy]

Just to put things in perspective.
I stopped playing for two years. Didn't even look at my clubs.
First game back, H4H at Bearwood Lakes, stepped up onto the 1st tee, couple of practice swings and parred it in regulation.
If I can do it, Tiger can.
I blobbed the next 3 holes on the trot, but that's by the by....

 

[Billysboots]

I hope, for the rest of the field's sake, he doesn't....
Every spare second will be about Tiger and well se him washing his hands after a pee, chugging down a Coke and a sandwich, doing his stretches, activating his glutes and, basically, everything from when he drives up Magnolia Lane to when he drives back down it....
Some may think so but, for me, no one person - not even Tiger - is bigger than the game.

^^^^ This. With bells and whistles on.

When he returned after a previous sabbatical the saturation coverage of the world number 1,307 on the range scratching his bum was enough to make me gag.

 

[bobmac]

^^^^ This. With bells and whistles on.

When he returned after a previous sabbatical the saturation coverage of the world number 1,307 on the range scratching his bum was enough to make me gag.

I agree but you can't blame them for giving the Tiger obsessed fans what they want.

 

[Orikoru]

^^^^ This. With bells and whistles on.

When he returned after a previous sabbatical the saturation coverage of the world number 1,307 on the range scratching his bum was enough to make me gag.

In a way though, when he went on to win it again against all the odds didn't that justify the obsession?

Imagine if he won it again this year.

 

[Imurg]

In a way though, when he went on to win it again against all the odds didn't that justify the obsession?

Imagine if he won it again this year.

It would almost as unbearable as Liverpool winning the league again......

 

[Swango1980]

^^^^ This. With bells and whistles on.

When he returned after a previous sabbatical the saturation coverage of the world number 1,307 on the range scratching his bum was enough to make me gag.

Clearly, the media know that Tiger makes any tournament more attractive to the public than no Tiger. This is exactly why they place so much attention on him. They don't care about individuals who may dislike Tiger, or get bored of watching him. They'd only care if that was the majority opinion, as they are only interested in ratings.

I'd imagine most, if not all of the players would love to have Tiger back. They know it improves ratings for the sport they play. I'd imagine it also takes a lot of pressure off most of the top players over the first 2 days as well. Instead of the media and fans intensely scrutinising the inconsistency of McIlroy, or any poor performance from a top player, most of the attention is taken by Tiger. Unless they are playing in Tiger's group, I think it takes a lot of pressure away from them. And, if you are in Tigers group in the first couple of days, it may be a once in a lifetime experience for someone, depending on who they put him with. Perhaps it might put more pressure on a Masters contender if they are paired with him in the first 2 days, although some characters may enjoy that attention anyway.

Then, when it gets to the Saturday or Sunday, even if Tiger made the cut, clearly the coverage is still going to focus on the leading players. We'll still see virtually all the shots from them we'd normally see if Tiger wasn't there. Sure, if Tiger is further down the field they'll still show his shots from time to time, but less likely on holes where he is making bogeys or doubles.

I'd love to see Tiger there, mainly out of intrigue to see how he can actually play. Also, I tend to get bored now of the first 2 days of competitions, before any players have established themselves at the top. Footage just hops around from one player to another, some of which may end up having a good weekend, others who end up playing rubbish. So, if Tiger was there, it just adds another layer of intrigue.

 

[Golfnut1957]

I hope he does to be honest, just so the the haters can moan about the coverage being the Tiger show ?

I often hear my young grandchildren talking about "haters" and find myself gently explaining to them the dangers of generalising about anything or anyone.

While I have no doubt that there are a few people who genuinely hate Tiger Woods, I believe that, as has been expressed in earlier posts, most of the people who express negative concerns regarding the return of Tiger do so because of the actual media hype and not because of the man.

I recall one occasion when David Livingstone stated live on TV that he made no apology for the focus on TW. At the time there was a whole field out on the course playing a prestigious tournament, and we were seeing none of it as they focused solely on TW. I had tuned in to watch golfers play golf, including Tiger, not presenters talk about Tiger. I turned it off.

 

[JonnyGutteridge]

I can’t believe that there’s still people bold enough to say “he’s finished”…

It’s Tiger Woods ffs, do you not learn?!

 

[Swango1980]

I often hear my young grandchildren talking about "haters" and find myself gently explaining to them the dangers of generalising about anything or anyone.

While I have no doubt that there are a few people who genuinely hate Tiger Woods, I believe that, as has been expressed in earlier posts, most of the people who express negative concerns regarding the return of Tiger do so because of the actual media hype and not because of the man.

I recall one occasion when David Livingstone stated live on TV that he made no apology for the focus on TW. At the time there was a whole field out on the course playing a prestigious tournament, and we were seeing none of it as they focused solely on TW. I had tuned in to watch golfers play golf, including Tiger, not presenters talk about Tiger. I turned it off.

There is a real balance to be had. I remember years ago, when the Open was on the BBC and Allis was commentating, it was pretty much live golf all day long. And, that was great for many, and I'm sure there are quite a few out there who would love that to continue. However, that was back in the day with 3 or 4 TV channels, and not much else to do unless you wanted to get out of the house.

Nowadays, if viewers get bored or their focus drifts, they have so many other options. There may be multiple football or other sporting events to watch on Sky or BT. They may switch on Netflix, or put on their Playstation or Xbox. They may start going onto social media to see what is happening on Facebook or Golf Monthly forums, or play a game of Candy Crush or Wordle. So, screening pure live golf from 6am to 9pm is probably going to have many lose interest, and make it difficult to pull in a younger new audience. Therefore, it is broken up my segments where they go to the studio and give their opinions. People love opinions these days, and often want to hear more about the good and bad things that have gone on. Get some details on swing techniques, etc. Obviously, talking about Tiger is a huge part of that. People that love him want to hear all the good stuff people have to say. And, even people that dislike him want tell us why that is the case. Either way, the Masters and professional golf are getting attention simply because people are interested enough to voice their opinion on a golf forum about it (We are about 50 posts on this thread alone so far).

Obviously, the balance being that the media don't want to overkill in the sections away from the live golf, as that is clearly the essential component of their service. I can't comment on the day you had to turn off. I'd hope that you were just unlucky enough to turn the coverage on at a point in which they had decided to include their main feature on Tiger, before any of the key stages of the tournament.

 

[Yorkshire Hacker]

I for one would LOVE Tiger to play. He is an incredible golfer, and the reason I took up golf 20 years ago. Obviously there's a dark side to the man that us mere mortals cannot fathom, but no one is perfect. I get why many of you bemoan the over the top coverage. It's over the top because the man is an absolute legend, and we may never see his like again, i.e. someone who could totally dominate the game of golf. How long was he World's No 1? 683 weeks!! can you imagine a current golfer getting anywhere near that? That's why the TV channels follow him, he is pure box office. And if he plays, I will be watching without any doubt.
Having said all that, I would be very surprised (but delighted) if he did any more than play the par 3 comp.

 

[Ethan]

I can’t believe that there’s still people bold enough to say “he’s finished”…

It’s Tiger Woods ffs, do you not learn?!

Yeah, but it is the 46 year old version of Tiger Woods, with a pin in his tibia and numerous other old and new injuries, who hasn't played competitively for a year.

 

[rksquire]

Everything is a circus these days, over-hyped and over-discussed ad-infinitum (Covid, Partygate, Maguire, the Oscar slap, the weather!), why should Tiger's return be any different.

What I can't decide is if the players would be happier if he comes back and eases the pressure on them or if they'd be annoyed because it removes the spotlight from them (some of whom don't get much to begin with!). I've mixed feelings about it (his return) to be honest, I don't really want to watch a non-competitive Tiger struggling but, conversely, if he's competitive and looks capable of making another run to the top, I'm not sure what that says about the current crop of players - maybe they were all over hyped to begin with!

 

[BiMGuy]

I hope so. As I’d like to see him play again.

But also because I know it will irritate the whingebags. Who say they won’t be watching, but won’t be able to help themselves so they can then complain about how much coverage he gets.

 

[Deleted member 1147]

I’m no gambling expert, but I reckon it’s a 50:50 call at the moment.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

He thinks he's Hogan. That said - Hogan's standing in the public eye changed significantly after his crash - both for the fact that by his action in the crash Hogan probably saved his wife's life (as well as his own), but also for the fact that after the crash and when he got back playing Hogan seemed to value life and what it offers more than previously when his 100% obsession with himself and his golf made him an aloof and distant character. And then Hogan won the Masters - and the legend that is Hogan was firmly established. But it took the crash and his subsequent near death in recovery for the public to really accept and warm to him.

Maybe Woods fancies a bit of that.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I think the longer it goes on the more likely he is to play. He may be a lot of things but he is not discourteous to the Masters traditions and he'd want to let them know he wasn't playing

 

[evemccc]

Everything is a circus these days, over-hyped and over-discussed ad-infinitum (Covid, Partygate, Maguire, the Oscar slap, the weather!), why should Tiger's return be any different.

What I can't decide is if the players would be happier if he comes back and eases the pressure on them or if they'd be annoyed because it removes the spotlight from them (some of whom don't get much to begin with!). I've mixed feelings about it (his return) to be honest, I don't really want to watch a non-competitive Tiger struggling but, conversely, if he's competitive and looks capable of making another run to the top, I'm not sure what that says about the current crop of players - maybe they were all over hyped to begin with!

Good post


Why is Tiger so liked? I’ve just read Hank Haney’s (his former coach) book on him and doesn’t seem likeable as a person - even in his regular interactions with former college teammates, regular people and I’m aware of the documentary and other book detailing all of those serial affairs

He has perhaps the least charisma and personal charm that I’ve witnessed from any sports star I’ve ever seen interviewed…and he’s not remotely funny nor engaging

Sure, he’s indisputably one of if not the best golfers ever…but I’d still argue that (like Rory) he and Phil dominated when his key rivals were Jim Furyk, a generally past his best Singh, and Els.
The strength of the elite rivals in the late 80s early 90s and the post 2016 years is far greater than the years 2000-2015..

Of course, I did want him to win down the stretch in 2019 and I’m glad he did it. But apart from a bit of focus on him this year-it clearly is a story that he may be playing this year at Augusta - I want the media to focus on the best golfers who are challenging for wins…I couldn’t care how marketable Scottie Scheffler is or isn’t — if he’s challenging at the Masters for a win and he’s No 1 in the world then I want the sports news to focus on him

According to Haney in The Big Miss, Tiger always played percentage golf and would win through consistency and consistently scoring 68,69,70 etc, rather than the heights of 63 — so to me, when people talk of the excitement and thrill of Tiger’s golf, I don’t understand it (relative to Seve / Greg Norman’s ability to go very low and play mesmerising golf etc)

If Tiger is not an interesting, engaging nor charismatic and obviously not nice person, and his golf isn’t as ‘exciting’ (but generally avoiding big mistakes) then why all the knicker-wetting?

 

[Deleted member 23270]

Good post


Why is Tiger so liked? I’ve just read Hank Haney’s (his former coach) book on him and doesn’t seem likeable as a person - even in his regular interactions with former college teammates, regular people and I’m aware of the documentary and other book detailing all of those serial affairs

He has perhaps the least charisma and personal charm that I’ve witnessed from any sports star I’ve ever seen interviewed…and he’s not remotely funny nor engaging

Sure, he’s indisputably one of if not the best golfers ever…but I’d still argue that (like Rory) he and Phil dominated when his key rivals were Jim Furyk, a generally past his best Singh, and Els.
The strength of the elite rivals in the late 80s early 90s and the post 2016 years is far greater than the years 2000-2015..

Of course, I did want him to win down the stretch in 2019 and I’m glad he did it. But apart from a bit of focus on him this year-it clearly is a story that he may be playing this year at Augusta - I want the media to focus on the best golfers who are challenging for wins…I couldn’t care how marketable Scottie Scheffler is or isn’t — if he’s challenging at the Masters for a win and he’s No 1 in the world then I want the sports news to focus on him

According to Haney in The Big Miss, Tiger always played percentage golf and would win through consistency and consistently scoring 68,69,70 etc, rather than the heights of 63 — so to me, when people talk of the excitement and thrill of Tiger’s golf, I don’t understand it (relative to Seve / Greg Norman’s ability to go very low and play mesmerising golf etc)

If Tiger is not an interesting, engaging nor charismatic and obviously not nice person, and his golf isn’t as ‘exciting’ (but generally avoiding big mistakes) then why all the knicker-wetting?

Also a good post ?

 

[williamalex1]

Also a good post ?