Did Tiger play 18 for second place?

[mstram]

What we are seeing here in this thread and in other media is a clash between the old game and the new game. New game doesn't understand why anyone would hit less than Driver . Why ? Because new game doesn't hit mid irons as well as in years past. The new game relies on pw down to Lw. If we made all courses tight like copper head you would see the new game struggle mightily. Just think who missed the cut. And who won.

 

And then there was "pre-historic" game :

 

When a professional golfer could hit a fairway with his drive®. :/

[bladehunter]

What we are seeing here in this thread and in other media is a clash between the old game and the new game. New game doesn't understand why anyone would hit less than Driver . Why ? Because new game doesn't hit mid irons as well as in years past. The new game relies on pw down to Lw. If we made all courses tight like copper head you would see the new game struggle mightily. Just think who missed the cut. And who won.

 

And then there was "pre-historic" game :

 

When a professional golfer could hit a fairway with his drive®. :/

 

 

Lol. Yea but it wouldn’t be on a hole like this. Bunkers plus narrow pinched fairway isn’t a target anyone smart is going to hit into when needing a birdie to win. Reed literally gave the tournament away by hitting Driver on that hole. I’d say you need to land the ball in the back fringe to hold the top shelf with a gap wedge.

[BlackDiamondPar5]

No he wasn't playing for second. He just doesn't have the same MOJO as years ago. Some of you over the top fanboys need to get used to it. As I said before, if he came back, which so far he's done great, he will be just another excellent golfer on tour amongst other excellent golfers. The domination days are over.

[bladehunter]

No he wasn't playing for second. He just doesn't have the same MOJO as years ago. Some of you over the top fanboys need to get used to it. As I said before, if he came back, which so far he's done great, he will be just another excellent golfer on tour amongst other excellent golfers. The domination days are over.

 

 

 

time will tell.... but i wouldnt bet against him at this point....so far every hater out there has eaten crow for breakfast lunch and dinner since the Hero.... no real reason to think that stops

[BlackDiamondPar5]

No he wasn't playing for second. He just doesn't have the same MOJO as years ago. Some of you over the top fanboys need to get used to it. As I said before, if he came back, which so far he's done great, he will be just another excellent golfer on tour amongst other excellent golfers. The domination days are over.

 

 

 

time will tell.... but i wouldnt bet against him at this point....so far every hater out there has eaten crow for breakfast lunch and dinner since the Hero.... no real reason to think that stops

Being realistic doesn't make someone a hater.

 

The only thing I dislike about Tiger isn't Tiger himself at all. I dislike the Tiger fans that seem to not appreciate the talents of others on tour and always root for Tiger over those other great players. I also dislike the fans that don't know a darn thing about golf other than tiger. These people will never play and never benefit the golf industry.

[mstram]

 

Reed literally gave the tournament away by hitting Driver on that hole. I'd say you need to land the ball in the back fringe to hold the top shelf with a gap wedge.

 

No he gave the tourney away with his second shot, and then his first putt.

 

Or you hit a 3/4 or "dead hands" / roller PW.

 

Oh wait, I forgot this is 2018, only "full swings" on everything now ;)

 

Like some other tourney I saw where the pro angrily slammed his club into his bag on 18, because he "had" to lay up (instead of taking the longer club and taking 'something off it').

 

M

[bladehunter]

Reed literally gave the tournament away by hitting Driver on that hole. I'd say you need to land the ball in the back fringe to hold the top shelf with a gap wedge.

 

No he gave the tourney away with his second shot, and then his first putt.

 

Or you hit a 3/4 or "dead hands" / roller PW.

 

Oh wait, I forgot this is 2018, only "full swings" on everything now ;)

 

Like some other tourney I saw where the pro angrily slammed his club into his bag on 18, because he "had" to lay up (instead of taking the longer club and taking 'something off it').

 

M

 

 

i agree on the shot shape and dead hands shot..but truthfully a pw is a bit much too hitting a cut... maybe a choked down 9iron ...be my preference too... bottom line is thats an absolute sucker pin and NOT a birdie hole at all... the play is left of the pin... just like tiger played it.. he only needed to fly it 2 more yards and it would literally be the best you could do without getting extremely lucky ...

[bladehunter]

No he wasn't playing for second. He just doesn't have the same MOJO as years ago. Some of you over the top fanboys need to get used to it. As I said before, if he came back, which so far he's done great, he will be just another excellent golfer on tour amongst other excellent golfers. The domination days are over.

 

 

 

time will tell.... but i wouldnt bet against him at this point....so far every hater out there has eaten crow for breakfast lunch and dinner since the Hero.... no real reason to think that stops

Being realistic doesn't make someone a hater.

 

The only thing I dislike about Tiger isn't Tiger himself at all. I dislike the Tiger fans that seem to not appreciate the talents of others on tour and always root for Tiger over those other great players. I also dislike the fans that don't know a darn thing about golf other than tiger. These people will never play and never benefit the golf industry.

 

 

i agree on the idiot fans who follow tiger and dont care about golf...But i cannot let idiots dictate my opinion on the player himself.. as for realistic ... i guess it depends on your definition of domination...will we see tiger 2000?...no.... But that doesnt mean we wont see him climb into the top 10 or top 5 world golf rankings and play onto the ryder cup.... plenty of current "stars" of the game that wont do that at halfish his age.... id call that continued domination if age is taken into account...

[jerebear21]

i'm an idiot fan that follows tiger; and i'm sick of this tiger shaming! So stop shaming me!

[BlackDiamondPar5]

No he wasn't playing for second. He just doesn't have the same MOJO as years ago. Some of you over the top fanboys need to get used to it. As I said before, if he came back, which so far he's done great, he will be just another excellent golfer on tour amongst other excellent golfers. The domination days are over.

 

 

 

time will tell.... but i wouldnt bet against him at this point....so far every hater out there has eaten crow for breakfast lunch and dinner since the Hero.... no real reason to think that stops

Being realistic doesn't make someone a hater.

 

The only thing I dislike about Tiger isn't Tiger himself at all. I dislike the Tiger fans that seem to not appreciate the talents of others on tour and always root for Tiger over those other great players. I also dislike the fans that don't know a darn thing about golf other than tiger. These people will never play and never benefit the golf industry.

 

 

i agree on the idiot fans who follow tiger and dont care about golf...But i cannot let idiots dictate my opinion on the player himself.. as for realistic ... i guess it depends on your definition of domination...will we see tiger 2000?...no.... But that doesnt mean we wont see him climb into the top 10 or top 5 world golf rankings and play onto the ryder cup.... plenty of current "stars" of the game that wont do that at halfish his age.... id call that continued domination if age is taken into account...

His return may also provide a needed kick in the butt to some of these tour guys. I don't think anyone can question Tiger's work ethic, whereas some of the other players come off as a bit lazy in success.

[Brass_Bullseye]

Tiger is the most cerebral player of all time.

 

Incorrect. Hit Wikipedia and look up a guy named Jack Nicklaus.

 

A guy named Nicklaus you say? Never heard of him. Please tell us more.

 

He was in “A Few Good Men”. Sits court side at Laker games.

[MilkyButterCuts]

No he wasn't playing for second. He just doesn't have the same MOJO as years ago. Some of you over the top fanboys need to get used to it. As I said before, if he came back, which so far he's done great, he will be just another excellent golfer on tour amongst other excellent golfers. The domination days are over.

 

 

 

time will tell.... but i wouldnt bet against him at this point....so far every hater out there has eaten crow for breakfast lunch and dinner since the Hero.... no real reason to think that stops

Being realistic doesn't make someone a hater.

 

The only thing I dislike about Tiger isn't Tiger himself at all. I dislike the Tiger fans that seem to not appreciate the talents of others on tour and always root for Tiger over those other great players. I also dislike the fans that don't know a darn thing about golf other than tiger. These people will never play and never benefit the golf industry.

 

I've never seen such a poorly thought out, idiotic comment in my entire life. Not appreciate the talents of others on tour? Root for Tiger over "other great players"? Thats what tends to happen when you have a favorite player. You root for them to win, crazy thought I know.

 

But by far the dumbest thing your fingers have ever pecked into a keyboard have to be "these fans will never benefit the golf industry."???????????????? :taunt:

[redfirebird08]

No he wasn't playing for second. He just doesn't have the same MOJO as years ago. Some of you over the top fanboys need to get used to it. As I said before, if he came back, which so far he's done great, he will be just another excellent golfer on tour amongst other excellent golfers. The domination days are over.

 

We'll see how it goes. He is trending in a good direction.

[BlackDiamondPar5]

No he wasn't playing for second. He just doesn't have the same MOJO as years ago. Some of you over the top fanboys need to get used to it. As I said before, if he came back, which so far he's done great, he will be just another excellent golfer on tour amongst other excellent golfers. The domination days are over.

 

 

 

time will tell.... but i wouldnt bet against him at this point....so far every hater out there has eaten crow for breakfast lunch and dinner since the Hero.... no real reason to think that stops

Being realistic doesn't make someone a hater.

 

The only thing I dislike about Tiger isn't Tiger himself at all. I dislike the Tiger fans that seem to not appreciate the talents of others on tour and always root for Tiger over those other great players. I also dislike the fans that don't know a darn thing about golf other than tiger. These people will never play and never benefit the golf industry.

 

I've never seen such a poorly thought out, idiotic comment in my entire life. Not appreciate the talents of others on tour? Root for Tiger over "other great players"? Thats what tends to happen when you have a favorite player. You root for them to win, crazy thought I know.

 

But by far the dumbest thing your fingers have ever pecked into a keyboard have to be "these fans will never benefit the golf industry."???????????????? :taunt:

Nice! A wrx newbie making incendiary comments and taunting other members about their legitimate opinions.

 

A little advice here kid, change your demeanor or you won't last long here.

[BearQ]

What we are seeing here in this thread and in other media is a clash between the old game and the new game. New game doesn't understand why anyone would hit less than Driver . Why ? Because new game doesn't hit mid irons as well as in years past. The new game relies on pw down to Lw. If we made all courses tight like copper head you would see the new game struggle mightily. Just think who missed the cut. And who won.

 

Ahh the beauty of the mid iron game has been lost in this era it seems. When the ball spun more, players actually wanted mid/short iron on certain shots, as opposed to wedges because it was very difficult to stop from overspinning.

 

I still play with this thought in mind to particular pins, especially back pins on top of mounds. I choose to hit a flighted mid iron that has a chance to roll up to the top tier rather than flying a wedge to a tiny landing area and hoping it stays.

[ferrispgm]

I think it was a good strategy....His driver is shaky at times and it's a tight squeeze on that fairway once you start getting it out there 300+ with all of the fairway bunkers in play. Much harder to make birdie from a fairway bunker and a short iron given the fall off by the pin and the backspin he would get out of the bunker. His mid irons have been money for the last 2 weeks and he hit a solid shot that didn't cut quite enough but still left him a chance. If he hit a wedge or short iron from the bunker right of the hole or short and caught the fall off he would have a difficult chip/pitch and your chances of holing are virtually 0. He played the hole in a way that would give him a par with a chance for birdie. Hitting driver would still give a chance for birdie, but there is a greater chance for bogey as well.

[Darin322]

Hitting driver would still give a chance for birdie, but there is a greater chance for bogey as well.

This right here (at least the first half of your sentence) is the bottom line. With 1 to play and needing a birdie, your chances for par or bogey are irrelevant. The ONLY thing that matters is what gives you the greatest chance for a birdie to tie.

[vanillafunk616]

I mean if he thinks he has a better chance of sticking a mid iron than hitting the fairway with driver and sticking a short iron, I can't really argue. His driving accuracy is brutal right now.

[Marco]

I saw on Twitter that during the practice round, Tiger was in the right rough, about 185 also and put his second shot to 2 feet, same pin position.

 

So yeah, basically iron game wasn't on point.

[tiderider]

he absolutely played for 2nd ... spot on! ... the one thing i know about tiger woods is he has historically sucked with a 7 iron in his hand (or whatever the club was) ... his short mid iron game has always been suspect, not nearly as good as his wedge game from the bunker or trees ... and he really isn't that much of a clutch putter, esp after playing so much golf the past 4 years ... he absolutely played for 2nd place ... guy needs the money and fedex pts, after all ...

 

 

the internet NEVER ceases to amaze me ... EVER ... :rap:

[DavePelz4]

It's sad that TW played for second place and failed 79 times.

[bscinstnct]

It's sad that TW played for second place and failed 79 times.

 

Ha!

 

I owe you a double JBlack ; )

 

[farmer]

Of course he played for second. Still won a ton of money without having to find a place to squeeze in another piece of hardware. What if that trophy didn't match the color scheme? There's a lot think about when winning a jillion of these things.

[Sniperman]

Why did he hit a 2-iron off the tee? The announcers said he had the longest approach all day - I think it was 185, uphill, into the breeze. I know he's Tiger Woods and probably had a strategy for the hole, but when you're down by 1 with one hole to go, why not play aggressively? Even for Tiger, there's got to be a correlation between distance and proximity to the cup. He's going to get a 150 yard shot (like Patrick Reed had) closer than a 185 yard shot. Why not try 3W or D and get it up the fairway?

 

You're missing the part that explains why he would play for second...go on...enlighten us WRXers...

[grm24]

Even for Tiger, there's got to be a correlation between distance and proximity to the cup. He's going to get a 150 yard shot (like Patrick Reed had) closer than a 185 yard shot. Why not try 3W or D and get it up the fairway?

Sounds good but Reed wasn't closer to the hole than Tiger. Reeds 133 yard 2nd shot on 18 per shot link was 45 feet 8 inches from the hole. Tigers 7 iron from 185 yards was 38 feet 11 inches.

[Pulledabill]

He didnt seem to hit his 2i off 18 very well by the look of tge shot and by his reaction as soon as he hit it. Doubt he was playing for 2nd but I do feel that was good showing was a win for him.

[RBImGuy]

He was tense the whole round, -1?

when a easy -3 would have won it?

 

wasnt the last approach that got him, it was his mind the whole round.

[moonshine]

Those of us that have been around for his entire career understand. The rest of you should not worry so much...

[mstram]

Even for Tiger, there's got to be a correlation between distance and proximity to the cup. He's going to get a 150 yard shot (like Patrick Reed had) closer than a 185 yard shot. Why not try 3W or D and get it up the fairway?

Sounds good but Reed wasn't closer to the hole than Tiger. Reeds 133 yard 2nd shot on 18 per shot link was 45 feet 8 inches from the hole. Tigers 7 iron from 185 yards was 38 feet 11 inches.

 

So because Reed hit a mediocre second shot, the logic is that Woods couldn't have done any better either ? :/

[Valtiel]

Even for Tiger, there's got to be a correlation between distance and proximity to the cup. He's going to get a 150 yard shot (like Patrick Reed had) closer than a 185 yard shot. Why not try 3W or D and get it up the fairway?

Sounds good but Reed wasn't closer to the hole than Tiger. Reeds 133 yard 2nd shot on 18 per shot link was 45 feet 8 inches from the hole. Tigers 7 iron from 185 yards was 38 feet 11 inches.

 

So because Reed hit a mediocre second shot, the logic is that Woods couldn't have done any better either ? :/

 

Given the obvious severity of that slope there was a real danger that came with playing a wedge into that green. If I had to guess I would say that Tiger wanted the shortest club possible that would also not pose a spin risk that he could also comfortably cut towards that back right pin, which would be a 7-8 iron. Cutting a wedge back there poses an even bigger spin risk and if he wanted a wedge into that green I think he hits 3-wood, but he obviously didn't unless he was counting on adrenaline to make that 2-iron go 290. He also had to assume that Reed was going to par out so he could NOT bring bogey into the equation and both a wood in the rough/bunker or a wedge that spins back down to where Reed ended up definitely would. Had the green been flipped and it was a back left pin then a low punch draw with PW-9-iron would probably be the play, but as it stood he went the percentage route which we'd be calling him a genius for had it worked.