How long left for Woods
June 18th 2008 01:52
There is not much more to say about Tiger Woods’ remarkable win in the US Open other than to urge golf fans to watch him while you can.
Because suddenly the prospect of golf without Woods is real.
His knee will be repaired, you can be certain the world’s best athlete will get exactly what he needs to return to his best eventually – but the question is: at what cost?
How long can he keep putting such a twisting force on his left knee and survive. We saw at the Open the way he had to hold back on some of the big rips he normally gives the driver.
Eventually wear and tear will get the better of Tiger – he probably won’t go on for another 40 years like Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer did and he won’t be happy to just bunt the ball around for fun.
Woods is a fierce competitor and if he can’t be at his peak I doubt he would want to play.
So be prepared for only a few more years of this man at his absolute best and enjoy every moment.
In the meantime, the caravan rolls on and it’s a new week, a new tournament and new set of tips.
This week’s venue on the PGA Tour is the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands where Hunter Mahan won last year in a playoff against Jay Williamson.
Mahan played well enough at last week’s US Open to suggest he’s primed for another shot here, where a birdie-fest is normally needed to win.
A bunch of unproved guys had good US Open results: DJ Trahan, John Merrick and Eric Axley – but I think the stress and pressure of performing well in the US Open will take it out of them for this week.
But keep and eye on those three guys – they all have obvious talent.
You’re likely to get better consistency from proven performers. In that category, guys coming off good Opens who have done well at this course include Stewart Cink, Carl Pettersson, Chad Campbell, Rod Pampling and Heath Slocum – and these are my five tips, with a watcher on Brett Quigley, who’s gotta win a tournament one day.
In Europe, it’s the BMW International in Germany.
I’m going for Retief Goosen to build on his US Open performance and a bunch of form players who didn’t play the Open: Martin Erlandsson, a Swede with a real ability to make birdies on the bounce, Pelle Edberg, Francesco Molinari, and Englishman Robert Rock, who is coming into some form and could be a roughie.
Because suddenly the prospect of golf without Woods is real.
His knee will be repaired, you can be certain the world’s best athlete will get exactly what he needs to return to his best eventually – but the question is: at what cost?
How long can he keep putting such a twisting force on his left knee and survive. We saw at the Open the way he had to hold back on some of the big rips he normally gives the driver.
Eventually wear and tear will get the better of Tiger – he probably won’t go on for another 40 years like Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer did and he won’t be happy to just bunt the ball around for fun.
Woods is a fierce competitor and if he can’t be at his peak I doubt he would want to play.
So be prepared for only a few more years of this man at his absolute best and enjoy every moment.
In the meantime, the caravan rolls on and it’s a new week, a new tournament and new set of tips.
This week’s venue on the PGA Tour is the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands where Hunter Mahan won last year in a playoff against Jay Williamson.
Mahan played well enough at last week’s US Open to suggest he’s primed for another shot here, where a birdie-fest is normally needed to win.
A bunch of unproved guys had good US Open results: DJ Trahan, John Merrick and Eric Axley – but I think the stress and pressure of performing well in the US Open will take it out of them for this week.
But keep and eye on those three guys – they all have obvious talent.
You’re likely to get better consistency from proven performers. In that category, guys coming off good Opens who have done well at this course include Stewart Cink, Carl Pettersson, Chad Campbell, Rod Pampling and Heath Slocum – and these are my five tips, with a watcher on Brett Quigley, who’s gotta win a tournament one day.
In Europe, it’s the BMW International in Germany.
I’m going for Retief Goosen to build on his US Open performance and a bunch of form players who didn’t play the Open: Martin Erlandsson, a Swede with a real ability to make birdies on the bounce, Pelle Edberg, Francesco Molinari, and Englishman Robert Rock, who is coming into some form and could be a roughie.
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