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The Spectacle Blog
Forgive the return to golf, but the following question continues to stick in my craw: Why is it that so many golfers for the past 15 years have pulled El Foldo routines when matched head to head with Tiger Woods? It is just astonishing how many times his competitors just collapse and hand him tournaments. (To be fair, of course, there also are more than the usual number of tourneys in which Tiger has hit miracle shots to win.) Anyway, there we were again yesterday, with Woods tied for the lead but already lying three and still not on the green on the par-5 16th hole, while Van Pelt sat in the fairway looking at a six-iron approach for his second shot — in other words, effectively a two-shot advantage. Naturally, Van Pelt completely hashed up the hole from then on, taking five strokes to get down from there and thus matching Woods’ bogey. Van Pelt proceeded to bogey the next two holes as well — a bogey-bogey-bogey finish that handed the title to Woods on a silver platter.
Look, golf is a hard game. But it’s really pitiful the way Woods’ fellow pros seem to be intimidated by him. Tot this day, not a single soul in the United States (I think Thomas Bjorn may have done it once abroad, but I need to re-check the record) has defeated Woods, from tied or behind on the last three holes, by making birdies when it really counted. (Hal Sutton did hold Woods off at the Players Championship in the gloaming once, but Sutton was ahead and hanging on, not tied or coming from behind.)
Woods is a remarkable talent. All credit to him for his golf skills. But really, isn’t there anybody out there with the guts to stare him down?
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More Blog Posts by Quin Hillyer
http://spectator.org/blog/2012/07/02/another-typical-tiger-win
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Bob Grant| 7.2.12 @ 10:53AM
Quin,
Because the level of competition Tiger faces is (let me be generous) not exactly top notch.
Think about it. Other than Phil Mickelson, can you think of another true Hall of Fame golfer who competed during the Tiger Era? You know, the ones who can stack up against the all time greats?
I can't.
The number one reason is the tournament purses are way too high. Too many golfers comfortable playing for a slot (second place money, third money, etc.). And who can blame them with the money being thrown around on the PGA tour. That doesn't include their endorsement money or the countless comps they receive on a tour stop.
Bob K| 7.2.12 @ 6:15PM
I guess that money comes from the big sponsors of the tournaments and from selling TV ad time.
I never met anyone who bought anything because it was advertised on TV during a golf tournament, except for golf clubs or something like that.
Casey Abell| 7.2.12 @ 2:21PM
Gee, I remember quite a few of Tiger's foes staring him down at the U.S. Open, when the supposedly invincible Woods folded like a wheezing old accordion in the final two rounds
Of course, Hillyer predicted a big Tiger win at the Open. Given Quin's usual acumen on politics, sports and just about everything else, Woods must have known he was doomed.
R Martin| 7.2.12 @ 9:34PM
I don’t think it’s an issue of other golfers lacking the guts to stare him down or folding in the heat of final round pressure. It just comes down to relative skill. Woods is a better golfer than most PGA touring pros and, when he’s on, the field can’t stack up. Conversely when Woods is off lots of guys can beat him and his intimidating presence counts for nothing.
Of course there in great pressure in the final round of any PGA tournament, especially majors, and some players succumb to that pressure. Witness Furyk at the Open. Woods was nowhere to be seen yet Furyk, a normally solid golfer, folded so badly he even shanked his sand shot at the green on 18.
squalis| 7.3.12 @ 9:33AM
If you expand your 3 hole finish time frame just a bit (was that limit purposeful?) you can add Y.E. Yang's victory in the 2009 PGA championship to the small list of Tiger chokes.