Will Tiger be #1 again

Asterix

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Since they've parted ways, I think Steve Williams has made more money than Tiger.
He certainly did today. Tiger got about $60,000. His former caddy, who was working for the winner of the tournament, took in 10% of 1.4 million. He called it the best win he has been part of in his career, which has got to sting.
 

shack

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Loved Williams' comments after the tournament. He was really pissed and not afraid to publicly slag Pussycat.
 

maurice93

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Certainly there is no number one as powerful as Tiger Woods right now, but I think people are underrating how good a season Luke Donald has had.

His world ranking average is 10.10 -- to give that some perspective. I was bored and decided to check the world golf rankings as of this date since the current formula existed (or close to it) -- so I went back to August 2002. Six of those years Tiger had an avg of 16 or higher... as high as 20.50.

But since 2002 as of this date, only two other golfers (other then Tiger) have had world rankings higher then 10.10. Vijay Singh in his great years of 2004 and 2005 (10.27 and 11.94) and Ernie Els in 2004 (11.04). So other then Tiger, nobody has had this good a ranking the last six years. (As an FYI Phil did reach 10.05 in 2002)

Donald has struggled in the majors -- but yet has three wins, three second place finishes, all in strong events. Add in two fourth places, and four other top tens, and this is the best non-Tiger season since probably Vijay.

If Donald wins 2 more times this year, we are talking a Tiger type year.

I don't think Tiger will ever be #1 again, but I do think he has good chances to win another major or two. His best performances since he has had his issues have all been at majors. He has three fourth place finishes in the five majors he has played since the beginning of 2010. I'm not sure how many have had that many top five's in the last two years. Tiger despite his issues the last few years still seems to rise and play his best (based on his current performance levels) at the majors.

Tiger still seems to play Augusta quite well - I would think the Masters is a good possibility for another major.
 

shack

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I don't think Tiger will ever be #1 again, but I do think he has good chances to win another major or two. His best performances since he has had his issues have all been at majors. He has three fourth place finishes in the five majors he has played since the beginning of 2010. I'm not sure how many have had that many top five's in the last two years. Tiger despite his issues the last few years still seems to rise and play his best (based on his current performance levels) at the majors.

Tiger still seems to play Augusta quite well - I would think the Masters is a good possibility for another major.
It seems to me, that Tiger can play well (enough to challenge for the lead) in spurts, but it has been a long time since he has put 4 solid rounds together the way he used to. He is too inconsistent.

I think to get that back he needs to play and play and play. He cannot cherry pick the tournaments he wants to play in because he needs to become tournament tough again. He needs to compete the way the 25th or 30th ranked golfer in the world does, because that is what he is now.
 

maurice93

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It seems to me, that Tiger can play well (enough to challenge for the lead) in spurts, but it has been a long time since he has put 4 solid rounds together the way he used to. He is too inconsistent.

I think to get that back he needs to play and play and play. He cannot cherry pick the tournaments he wants to play in because he needs to become tournament tough again. He needs to compete the way the 25th or 30th ranked golfer in the world does, because that is what he is now.
I would say that #20-#50 in the world is a good reflection of where he is at as a golfer right now.

But the argument could be made that he is still at top 10 player at the majors based on his finishes the last two years (even without a win). As I said, how many others have three top five finishes at majors. Granted, Augusta seems to fit well with Tiger.

As far the inconsistency comment, that is the very nature of a #20-#50 in the world. Yet many of these golfers are the type that have won majors the last three years... they enter outside of the top 20, yet they put together two big rounds or a solid week in a major and pull it out:

Angel Cabrera
Lucas Glover
Y.E Yang
Stewart Cink
Graeme McDowell
Louis Oosthuizen
Charl Scwartzel
Darren Clarke

That's 8 of the last 11 major winners -- they were not in the top 20 entering the majors. If you are a 20-30 golfer in the world that tends to play well in the majors, you have pretty decent chances to win a major over the next three to five years.

Of course your not good enough at that level to win multiple majors unless you are extremely lucky, let alone four or five. Then their is the complicating injury issue, which may not give him another "20" somewhat legit chances at a major.

But I think his odds at winniing another major are fairly good.

As for playing more, he will certainly get a chance to play alot if he plays fairly well the next little while with the Fed Ex Cup coming... if he qualifies for most of those events which is no gimme.
 

maurice93

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Another factoid on Luke Donald's very good season so far in 2011.

He has 380 World Ranking Points this year. The best since 2006 as of this week (other then Tiger), are Padraig Harrington 295 in 2008, and Jim Furyk 295 in 2006. Luke's season is significantly better then anybody in the last six years. It really is surprising. But it does go to show how important majors are for your image -- he needs the PGA to validate his great year.
 

shack

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I agree he has a reasonable chance of winning another major, but I was pointing out a big difference between now and his glory days, i.e. his inconsistency and how I think playing a lot of tournaments would go a long way toward getting it back.
 

Malibook

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Tiger has come back from injuries and swing changes before so he can certainly do it again.

I do think that Jack`s record of 18 majors is safe now.
Tiger would have to win 5 more majors to pass Jack.
I would be surprised if any of today`s great players will win 5 majors in their whole career and Tiger doing it from this point on would be miraculous.
 

ready2rock

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the road of life.....
I think he will win a tournamont here and there, but #1 again -no. Too many new young golfers.
I think you might be right, Harry. Tiger's era of dominance is most likely over.

R2R
 
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