Players like Tiger and Jack are an anomaly. We’re just going to go back to a handful of good players ((Brooks and DJ,) a tier just below them (Hovland , Thomas, Reed)and then everyone else.
Back to the 1980's with Norman, Watson, Stewart... no standouts, just a handful of good players etc...
IMO, one of the things that Tiger showed was the amount of personal sacrifice it took to be dominant.
Golf was 24/7 for him.
I don't believe any of the youngsters are interested in being loners, having broken families or the media dogging them.
There's enough money to be made for one to be comfortable without winning much and little enough stress to allow them to be able to enjoy it. I don't blame any of them either.
That's just it. That guy is death on toast personality wise. Almost all of them are. I like Koepka, and his story is fascinating. There's just zero charisma.
Tiger just had an aura. You loved to hate him or you loved him. No matter. There was just something there that isn't even registering with any of these guys. Bubba was brought up and he has some of that aura, but he's a fart in the wind on tour.
Golf needs a Happy Gilmore figure, or somebody with a pulse. It's a flat line on an EKG right now. Fun guys surely golf because I see some real characters here.
I always have enjoyed Phil. The excitement in the thrills and spills of his career have fascinated me. No one else to me has wanting to see every shot he takes. He will add some spark to the Champions Tour, so recording that will be a must.
Jordan Speith is now the guy I want to watch and succeed. He brings grit, emotion and some excitement to the game. Hopefully, he is back contending every week now.
Jordan Speith
Toulon
I also like him more due to a co-worker telling me of meeting Speith in a buffet line at the Travelers tournament. She said he was down to earth and kind. Shows great character in his life, in interviews and when playing. I’ll root for someone like that all the time.
Couldn't have said it better!
I think Wolf, Hovland, and Morikawa could be interesting to watch over the next 5 years. One of them could have the potential to be a breakout star.
Toulon Even wise old Earl couldn't see that it would be both. Injury via marriage.
I think wise old Earl was part of the problem and it wasn't marriage that killed the beast, it was lack of respect for the institution and commitment to it. He was a fuckhead and evidently didn't care.
I have no qualms with Tiger now, we all make mistakes and gawd knows he's paid dearly. Ya live, learn and grow from it.... hopefully.
Toulon the 9-iron to the face.
I think we know by now, exactly where that 9i hit, and it wasn't the face. Although he damaged the marriage, beyond repair, wonder how she feels about damaging him, beyond repair, along with his career? He feels the guilt, obviously, by not taking her for every penny he gave her, and more.
jmo, observations, of course.
Unfortunately, with the proliferation of social media, the influencers want to alter perceptions of everybody and everything.
Look at Tiger. All of the Tiger/Charlie love at the Father Son Tournament. Trying to make Father look like Dad of the Year when he is or was a schmuck.
It is rare in the "look at me" society that we live in where a person will stand on their individual merits.
Subsonic. The media will put out the image they think will make them the most money. Regarding Tiger it's the reformed fallen star who is now Father of the Year. Doesn't matter if its true or not they think that plays better than drugged out , wife cheating, waitress banging villain so that's the image we'll be given. Might be true, might not be.
I will ask you to take a look at this from the other side.
I was actually there at Brown Deer in Milwaukee the day Tiger turned pro taking photographs. See image and ticket stub.
My question is... Besides the US Amateur wins, what was it about Tiger, or moreover, THAT day when he was pulled off the course (as he wasn't supposed to be there actually) for his "Hello World" speech? That propelled him into the spotlight??
He actually signed a $40 million dollar contract with Nike that didn't include the golf ball. He still used Titleist. He did not even have the money that day and barely could pay for dinner because the money wasn't in the account. I heard all of this from him directly as I was standing two feet from him and his mom for quite a while.
The Media?!
How about Ricky Fowler ?
Jordan Speith?
Bryson?
The Media for any of them?!
Just a question.
Eguller - I was able to move on from Tiger and watch him rebuild his relationships and move on with his career.
But, when Lindsey Vonn accused him of cheating and walked out of his life, I lost hope for him and let the old dog wallow in his sheit.
His ex does seem to be sincere in her appreciation for Tiger remaining involved in their childrens' lives.
The recent documentary on HBOMax about Tiger was pretty good. Most of it is about stuff that most of us already heard about over and over years ago, but it reminded me that his father did him no favors with regard to building him up to be the next Ghandi in the world.
It made me ponder what Tiger's life/career might've been like had he had a different father. Would he have been even better than he was? Maybe not as good? Did Earl's incredibly unrealistic expectations of his son, many that went far beyond golf, help Tiger or hinder him?
Earl was many things to Tiger, good examples in many ways that helped launch his son's belief in himself as a golfer. But Earl's example as a husband to Tiger's mother?
Father teaches son, "do as I say, not as I do."
Son listens, but also OBSERVES.
Later on, son becomes his father.
It's a tale old as time itself, but it generally doesn't garner much attention unless it happens to be about arguably the greatest sports icon in the history of the sport he represents.
DJ won in Dubai and what did he do? He took the following week off. Same with Koepka. Same with all of them, it's become more the norm than the exception.
Fat cats aren't interested in chasing mice, and there are quite a few fat cats on the PGA Tour.
Bryson is the most interesting person on tour today imo. How many Super Bowl commercials were any of the rest of the pga tour players in a few Sunday's back?
He's polarizing. Like him or loath him, people tune in to watch him either do well or to fail. In some respects, the same it went with Tiger. Outside of Bryson, very few of them give me a reason to watch the coverage like I used to. There are few storylines in golf today that are compelling.
