First of all Tiger is doing the right thing playing at a relatively low level tour stop to get more competitive rounds and swings under his belt.
He needs to (and it looks like he is starting to do this) say to himself, I am tiger woods a 39 year old rookie on the PGA tour. Mentally start all over. Play a lot and play every event he would have if he was a tour noob. Lots of competition and playing can only be good for his game (as long as his body holds up, but I think the fits and starts schedule he had before is actually more taxing, esp. Because of how hard he works in the gym, any time he is on the golf course, he isn't in the gym overdoing it).
The other super interesting ramification of Tiger's poor play is what it might do to the tour. TW has said that if he misses the cut to play in the Fed-ex cup playoffs, he will still play Internationally. That is hilarious because that would be a situation where you have the PGA tour contesting this thing that they have been trying so hard to make into a big deal, being relegated to the status of sideshow. Other than a major, any event the Tiger is playing in will immediately be the most talked about and watched golf tournament in the world that week.
A lot of people think the tiger era is over and it may be so, but the era that is following tiger is astronomically smaller than the interest people had and have in Tiger Woods. In one hundred years they are still going to be talking about this guy like he was some kind of alien, and no amount of Rickies,Jordan's and whoever else will replace his popularity. Only if 1 person alone has insane dominance combined with a brilliant personality can he get near Tiger status. (I am not saying Tiger has a great personality, the opposite actually, but any newcomer will have to have it or just bulldoze everyone in an avalanche of winning.)
Now, onto Tigers chances this week, I see them as quite good. The field is fairly weak and the golf course is in the style that Tiger has played decently this year, parkland style with lush greens. Tiger can play target golf in Greensboro and not have to panic when his driver goes crooked for a few holes.
Tiger will finish in the top 18, and have a good showing, only a finish in the top 2 would barely get him into the first leg of the Fed-ex cup so he'll miss that and if he is smart he'll go immediately to play the following week.
The problem is the only event going on next week is the d&d Real Czech masters (I am assuming that is part golf tournament part Dungeons and Dragons) in the Czech Republic, and the entire purse is 1million euros. 500k will barely put gas into his private jet (not to mention security cost). So who know what tiger means when he says internationally but I am thinking either Japan in September or the Alfred Dunhill Links championship in Scotland on October 1.
But if I were him I'd just go dominate the south Florida mini-tour scene for for the rest of the summer and fall. Just to get that rookie feeling back.
He needs to (and it looks like he is starting to do this) say to himself, I am tiger woods a 39 year old rookie on the PGA tour. Mentally start all over. Play a lot and play every event he would have if he was a tour noob. Lots of competition and playing can only be good for his game (as long as his body holds up, but I think the fits and starts schedule he had before is actually more taxing, esp. Because of how hard he works in the gym, any time he is on the golf course, he isn't in the gym overdoing it).
The other super interesting ramification of Tiger's poor play is what it might do to the tour. TW has said that if he misses the cut to play in the Fed-ex cup playoffs, he will still play Internationally. That is hilarious because that would be a situation where you have the PGA tour contesting this thing that they have been trying so hard to make into a big deal, being relegated to the status of sideshow. Other than a major, any event the Tiger is playing in will immediately be the most talked about and watched golf tournament in the world that week.
A lot of people think the tiger era is over and it may be so, but the era that is following tiger is astronomically smaller than the interest people had and have in Tiger Woods. In one hundred years they are still going to be talking about this guy like he was some kind of alien, and no amount of Rickies,Jordan's and whoever else will replace his popularity. Only if 1 person alone has insane dominance combined with a brilliant personality can he get near Tiger status. (I am not saying Tiger has a great personality, the opposite actually, but any newcomer will have to have it or just bulldoze everyone in an avalanche of winning.)
Now, onto Tigers chances this week, I see them as quite good. The field is fairly weak and the golf course is in the style that Tiger has played decently this year, parkland style with lush greens. Tiger can play target golf in Greensboro and not have to panic when his driver goes crooked for a few holes.
Tiger will finish in the top 18, and have a good showing, only a finish in the top 2 would barely get him into the first leg of the Fed-ex cup so he'll miss that and if he is smart he'll go immediately to play the following week.
The problem is the only event going on next week is the d&d Real Czech masters (I am assuming that is part golf tournament part Dungeons and Dragons) in the Czech Republic, and the entire purse is 1million euros. 500k will barely put gas into his private jet (not to mention security cost). So who know what tiger means when he says internationally but I am thinking either Japan in September or the Alfred Dunhill Links championship in Scotland on October 1.
But if I were him I'd just go dominate the south Florida mini-tour scene for for the rest of the summer and fall. Just to get that rookie feeling back.
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