He's Back...!!!!

[Scragger63]

Tiger only had to wait 3 events back from his lay off before having to find more space in his ever bulging trophy cabinet for yet another piece of silverware.

This brings to mind a thought, we all know how good he is. Very good in fact. But, the thing for me is, how much is his "actual" ability and how much of it is percieved mental pressure amongst the rest of the field...

None of these guys are going to openly admit on the Golf Channel that they "look in the mirror" to see if Tiger is chasing...

Really do sometimes wonder just how many of the next best 124 golfers in our world game think that if Tiger has entered an event, then the rest of the field are simply playing for second place....???

[LowPost42]

Re: He's Back...!!!!

Still, I wouldn't say that Tiger won as much as I'd say that Sean O'Hair lost... O'Hair didn't even gave the wheels a chance to come off - he started the round without them!

[qassim]

Re: He's Back...!!!!

Scragger - I think there is quite a strong mental element that comes into play when players start playing against tiger. My opinion is that players start to think that they have to hit the perfect shot everytime simply becasue they are playing tiger rather than simply playing their normal game.

I also agree with Lowpost in the fact that Sean O'hair did throw the game away as opposed to tiger actually beating him. You could say however, that tiger mentally drove him to play badly.

Although tiger didn't play too well from tee to green you cannot overlook the quality of his short game with I think played a massive part in this victory. Hi putting was awesome - during the last round it showed that during the week tiger's putting from 6 feet or less was 100%. He had nailed 50 out of 50 putts from this distance.

Once he finds his 'range' again with his long game (which won't take long) I think tiger is going to be more difficult than ever to beat.

[Neil18]

Re: He's Back...!!!!

I've had this conversation on BBC 606. Why so many coming out with the "Tiger didn't win it, his competitor(s) choked" line is baffling to me. "Choking" is a term used by "chokers". There's very few of them in pro golf. Otherwise they wouldn't be there in the first place.

For anybody on the golf boards that doesn't play competitive golf at any level, I say to you that what Woods achieves on a regular basis is absolutely stunning. You could see he was in the mood on Sunday. He gets a look in his eyes and a bounce in his walk.

Now, Sean O'Hair has to find a way to deal with this. As do all of them. Not only is it enough to try and deal with the fact that you are in a position to win a big tournament, to fulfil ones dreams, to earn a living etc. Add to that the TV cameras, 20,000 people following your group and currently the worlds best player (on his way to creating a living legend of the game) bearing down on you. A man that can deal with all that straight off the bat would be some sort of human. In any endeavour.

Woods is special. He can do things his peers cannot. I'm not talking about shot shaping or bench pressing X amount of lb's. I'm talking about sheer competitive edge. Absolute desire to win. Self management. The intangible qualities that make him who he is, and that are responsible for what he has achieved.

Like it or not, you either have "it", or you don't. There is no other player in professional golf that has "it" at the moment. Unfortunately, for the rest of those playing on the US Tour that don't have "it", they must find a way to maximise what they have. And that may be good enough to win a few tournaments when it all falls into place.

But you can't create "it". It comes from within and cannot be falsified. I would stress, however, that there must be players out there who do have "it" but don't/won't/can't let it out. That, ironically, is another facit to having "it". If you have "it", and you know it (a la Tiger) it has a massive effect on your opponents who know deep down that they don't have a response to match. When Tiger gets an early charge going and you don't have your own "it" to fight back with, you're in trouble. The human psyche is a complex machine. O'Hair did well to fight him to the last.

Arnold Palmer had "it". Then Jack came along and had a bigger "it". There were others. Tom Watson. Lee Trevino. They won their fair share. Others came and went, but Jack is the one remembered. For good reason. He had the same icy stare. The same body language and the same defiant air about him.

There will always be a "top" and then "the rest of them". It can't be any other way.

It's not that the competitors throw tournaments in Woods direction. Woods just has so many strings to his bow that it will take one of two things to stop him. His own age/health, or a man that is able to play golf his own way, have as much confidence in it as Woods does, and bring it on when it matters most.

Even the slightest element of doubt is sufficient to impare performance.
So to all those armchair Major winners I say this. Appreciate that O'Hair tried to use his current formula for excellent golf against the worlds best and it came up short. By one shot. ONE SHOT! That's a pretty damn good effort if you ask me, regardless of the lead he had at the start of the 4th round.

And by the looks of Woods when he holes that crucial winning putt, or creates an uncatchable lead, I wouldn't say he finds it easy. You don't get that much obvious reward from something that's easy. We saw it at the Masters in 2005. We saw it at Bay Hill last year. We saw it at the US Open last year. We saw it on Sunday. Uncaged joy. Total release of tension, anxiety, pressure and elation. You don't get that without the process being a tough one.

With golf essentially being a game of mistakes (of which Tiger can and does make at least some - in almost every round) then there may always be a question as to whether a shot missed is the one that gave it all away. But it's not just down to the final round. There may well have been 2 putts that O'Hair missed in the second round that, had they gone in, may have given him the win. There were probably times in earlier rounds where Woods could have taken advantage of some good play and gone into the final round with a better score.

Ifs, buts and maybes have no place in golf. What happens, happens. A player can only deal with what is put infront of him. Tiger had to make birdie to win. He did. He's done it before. He'll do it again.

Whether the fact that he's having to make clutch putts to win or take matches to play-offs is another matter that needs highlighting. There's more guys out there capable of getting close to him more regularly now than during the 4 years post 1997. The standard has risen.

Woods raised the bar. But it's his bar.

I love it. Imagine what would happen if a man or two came out of the mist to rival Tiger. It would be undoubtedly the best period of competitive golf anyone will have ever seen. But it needs to be a man/men with the mental capacity to do anything and everything it takes to get that ball in that little hole. That's what Tiger does. And he's always near or at the top of the leaderboard.

[LowPost42]

Re: He's Back...!!!!

Neil, O'Hair hadn't been above par all week. In fact, the top 20 guys (except O'Hair) were all at par or better. Granted, Tiger was in a 3 way tie for (almost)low round of the day (Kevin Na shot a 66); but for the guys who were 'in contention' a low round was needed to get close. I think O'Hair changed the strategy for Sunday (which is something I don't think Tiger does - he's rarely, if ever, 'coasted' to the finish).

I'm not saying it wasn't a spectacular finish - it certainly was. Tiger put himself in a position to win the tournament, and O'Hair failed in the clutch. Like the talking heads said: If O'Hair was in the second-to-last group, he likely would have won the tournament. I agree it's a circus playing with Tiger, and the other thing the talking heads mentioned was that the gallery is there to see Tiger, so they're moving, making noise, and otherwise being unhelpful while you're trying to hit your shot.

[Ian Hancock]

Re: He's Back...!!!!

Great artical Neil,

My forte as you probably know, this psychology stuff.....!!

Not much to add really as you are spot on with your comments:

It is amazing in a sport such as golf how someone can influence your game with no contact and very little dialog, I used to play darts for Staffordshire 20 years ago and was fortunate to spend a lot of time with Eric Bristow, who is not a bad golfer either, he once said to me that you could write the names of the players capable of winning the world title on the back of a bus ticket, he also added that once he got to the semi, he knew he could not loose as the other guy would fade away every time even if he was leading.

That chat during a practice session inspires me today. Tiger is of course the same in golf, I would go as far as to say that me or you couldn't even play a round of golf with him to any standard as the distraction would be imense.

cheers

Ian.

[Neil18]

Re: He's Back...!!!!

And there's the thing.

People get too caught up in the "Tiger Circus". It does help him. But more because people get caught up in it, rather than anything he does. It's like a twelfth man. The hoopla surrounding him helps him and he doesn't have to do anything. But he created it in the first place by ignoring everything and everyone around him and doing it all his way.

Tiger's created his own circus. By doing what he does. Damn the opposition. Damn the crowd. Plenty of people make noises during his preparation. The number of times he's had to back off and start again because something distracted him is countless. But he does it.

As far as he's concerned, the crowd are there to watch the game he's playing in. He makes them watch him. A subtle but noticeable difference. He's built that over 12 years now and he's very good at it.

Other players need to step up and make the crowd watch them. The rest of the PGA Tour need to realise that it isn't learning a particular technique or a particular shot that sets them apart. They can (mostly) all play the same shots.

The similarity between them and Tiger is that they all know they have the shot in the bag. The difference is in the preparation and application. He uses the phrase "execution" for a reason.

In his time of preparation he is absolutely focused on how to get the ball in the hole, or how to knock it close, or how to shape the ball round the trees. He is so sunk into every moment that he won't notice much of what's going on around him. On the occasions his concentration is broken, he doesn't (most of the time!) react and break his train of thought to chastise the bearer of the distraction, or let it worry him because it's interrupted him. He just stops and starts again. Doesn't even blink. He's in a mode where absolutely nothing is going to stop him from carrying out the task at hand. If it has nothing to do with playing the shot to the best of his abilities, he isn't interested. He believes with every cell in his body and mind that "this is what I'm going to do, and this will happen". Every time.

The rest of them get phased far too easily. Because Tiger has built his own dynasty, it will probably start affecting them as soon as they know he's in the final group with them. Whether they know it or not.

The player who will come closest to Tiger and have the chance of beating him regularly is the one who has to take the chance at almost seeming nonchalant and utterly defiant in the face of everything. I'd like to see a player genuinely answer an interviewers question on "how playing with Tiger will affect his game tomorrow" with "Why are you talking to me about Tiger? Talk to me about me. I know most about that. Tiger will do what he does. I'll do what I do, and we'll see who comes out on top".

It's not a misplaced attempt at kidding himself into a victory. It's the truth. You can work with the truth.

And this approach may or may not work the first time. If it doesn't, the player shouldn't shy away. If it does, he has a chance of beating him again. If you can measure up to Tiger once when Tiger is playing well, it's possible on multiple occasions.

Fear is everybody's enemy but Tiger's. Tiger relishes it all. He gets nervous, but he doesn't feel uncomfortable with it. It excites him and he lets it drive him. If you fear him, the next shot, what people will say when you miss the green again etc etc etc then you're doomed to fail from the start.

For those who like movies, the Matrix trilogy (particularly the first one) is all about self belief and overcoming the odds. Imagine Tiger is Agent Smith. Seemingly able to destroy everyone that stands up to him. Appearing to have abilities that nobody else has. Neo is just an ordinary man who doesn't believe he has what it takes to defeat Smith, when others around him know he can.

The crunch moment in his change of self perception, and what he can do in his own world (i.e. whatever he sees fit to get the job done in the Matrix) is when, in the heat of the moment, he decides that he's going to catch a helicopter on the end of a rope to save Trinity's life. Catch a helicopter?! Are you serious?! He's an ordinary man from the real world! But he believes in that instant that he can save her life by holding onto that falling chopper.

It turns out that she gets out and he doesn't need to hang onto it, but the intention is there for the first time, and it fuels him on. He starts doing, rather than thinking. He no longer ponders whether he can or he can't. He just does. Hmmm. Just Do it. That'd make a good strap-line for Tigers main sponsor........................

There's always going to be a Neo for the Smith and a Luke for the Vader. He just has to find himself. And just do it.

[Ian Hancock]

Re: He's Back...!!!!

Loving it Neil,

'Fly like a butterfly sting like a bee' I am the Greatest, I can not be beated...!!!

One day someone will come......maybe Rory....!! well see...!!

More self belief than anyone else.


Ian.

[Neil18]

Re: He's Back...!!!!

Ali. Now there's a man with the three B's; Belief, Balls and Brains.

[BrianW]

Re: He's Back...!!!!

Gulp! Bit deep this one?

My view is that Tiger is to Golf what Shoemaker was to Formula One racing. Shoey had fantastic skill and determination, he dominated the sport to a point that it became dull and too predictable to follow, his gradual demise made it interesting again. Either someone will emerge to challenge Tiger in time or Tiger will fade and the field will open up again as it did last year and become less predictable..

That said, great posts.

[rotator]

Re: He's Back...!!!!

Ian,

I've been wondering about Rory for a while now. I know he has a great talent for the game, and he has a wonderful temperament. But, I don't know much about his background or make-up, to know if he has the mental stuff, to stand up to the pressure of going head to head with the big guys when it counts.

Does anyone have any insight on him?

Some have had the game, but have fallen by the wayside. Then, there are still the usual suspects who can compete from time to time, such as Harrington, Els, Mickelson, Kim, Sergio, Olgivie, Scott etc., but can any of them reach the next plateau. The Masters will be really interesting this year, I think.

Ted

[Ian Hancock]

Re: He's Back...!!!!

Hi Ted,

I think the toughest thing for any newcommer onto any seen never mind golf is not given the time to learn before the media whip up a frenzy, like they did with Kim last year...!!!,
Rory in my opinion appears very different from the first time I saw him hit a ball at the Open, I followed him around the Belfry last year too, he is soooo laid back like Tiger is naturally, it's to early for anyone to say how good he will be, he just seems to be learning very quickly after a couple of play offs he has now entered the winners circle.

Against Tiger - back 9 on Sunday at Augusta this year, I know where my money would be.....

Ian.

[photoballmarker]

Re: He's Back...!!!!

1. "this is what I'm going to do, and this will happen".

This is the mental piece.

2. natural athletic ability.

This is the physical piece.

3. extreme work ethic.

This is the training piece.

The truly great ones have all three.

[rotator]

Re: He's Back...!!!!

Hi photoballmarker,

So true.

I suppose that everyone is now aware of Tiger's daily routine, when he is not playing. It's almost beyond belief. Many of the top golfers are into working out and practicing, but I doubt any of them are at the same level as Tiger. Apparently, he's out banging balls, in pouring rain or extreme heat, when many would take the time off "due to inclement weather". On top of that, there's his mental strength and sheer determination, which again seems to be at another level.

Ted