Those are Tiger’s words from the Masters, not mine. But I watched the Bridgestone last week and I can’t remember seeing Tiger Woods look that bad on a golf course. And while he went under par yesterday for the 1st time in a long time, he still isn’t “Tiger” and the haters and critics are still out for blood.
As a Tiger/golf fan, this has been a rough year. I’ve always enjoyed watching this guy take people’s hearts out there on the golf course. This year though, dude is just a shell of himself. He’ll have a few good shots here and there to remind you of the talent he has, but for the most part he just…well…he just sucks.
I was trying to find a similar situation in sports where someone’s game has fallen off so bad. I keep thinking about when MJ came back from baseball rocking the 45 jersey. Dude was still good but he wasn’t MJ. The image I keep seeing is when Jordan turned the ball over in the late stages of a playoff game vs the Orlando Magic in 1995. Nick Anderson stealing the ball, MJ falling on the floor looking mortal. Horace Grant celebrating on the United Center floor…
I was in high school when this shit happen. It was like seeing Superman die or something. Dude even switched back to the 23 jersey for a couple of games, didn’t matter, the Magic got in that ass.
The articles that came out after this were amazing. People were saying MJ was done, he would never dominate the NBA again, Bulls dynasty over…
The similarities are really similar in my eyes. Tiger is rocking the 45 jersey right now and the criticism of his golf game has been over the top to say the least. No matter what he does, I think this year is a lost year for him. Even if he wins the PGA this week, its akin to MJ busting a double-nickel in the Garden. A flash of brilliance, but that wasn’t MJ and this isn’t Tiger.
What I’m curious to see is if Tiger has the mental toughness MJ had. MJ came back in the 95-96 season with a point to prove. The Bulls won 72 games, Mike won MVP, and they swept the Orlando Magic on their way to the NBA title.
Can Tiger get his life and game back on track? Will this be a bump in the road to all-time greatness or has Tiger’s game permanently fallen over the cliff? I’m thinking he uses this year as motivation for 2011. I think we see a rejuvenated, motivated TW next year.
So get your shots in now haters, kick the man while he’s down, TW will be back in his rightful place as world’s best golfer.
