Jeff Lesson: No Tiger...No One Cares
It's simply amazing. When Tiger Woods plays the TV ratings of the PGA Tour go through the roof. Witness the Honda Classic and The WGC event at Doral the last few weeks. Yet when he does not play-i.e. this past weekend-people tune out.
The Tiger fanaticism goes much deeper than that.
I was just in Las Vegas. I wanted to check out the favorites to win the Masters. Despite never having won an official PGA Tour event in nearly three years, never having won a major in four years, and never having won at Augusta national since 2005- Tiger Woods is still the favorite to win this year's Masters at 3-1.
Think about that. At the pinnacle of his career (2000-2009) he won no better than 30% of the time. Now that he is about 150th in putting and has not won in forever he is the favorite? It just shows how much the public still wants this guy to win-and dominate.
Tiger winning? Unlikely. Dominate? Forget about it.
He has this year driven the ball perhaps as well as he has in years-even better than when he was winning. Yet he still cannot seem to sink a five footer to save his life. How many times already this year have we seen him choke on a clutch putt at the end of a match or event?
Many in the golf media and public still think he is the greatest and will get his putting back. Don't bet on it. Often the putting stroke is the first thing to go as you grow older. And yes...even at 36...it could happen!
Bottom line. Tiger still stirs the drink on the PGA Tour, but is now "just another guy" out there.
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