Over the weekend arguably the greatest golfer ever, Tiger Woods, ended his two year PGA win less drought by capturing the Arnold Palmer Classic. He did it in dominating fashion also. Tiger showed up for Sunday's final in his usual red attire, but this time he had back his stare. You could tell when watching him Sunday just how focused he was on his game. Tiger was on a mission. A mission to win, a mission to show the world what they have been missing for the last two years. Tiger wanted to prove a point, not only to the fans, but to himself. He needed this win more than ever. Tiger hasn't been the same since his life fell apart during his scandal.
Everyone knew that his golf game would suffer, they were just didn't know how long. Well, now we all have the answer, 923 days. That was the time in between his PGA tour wins. But does this mean the old Tiger is back? Only time will tell. I'm not even sure if it's possible for the old Tiger to exist anymore. I think we are on the verge of seeing Tiger 2.0. I don't believe he'll ever be feared on the tour like he once was. Other golfers have seen his "mortal" side, and are no long intimidated the way they once were. But with The Masters right around the corner we will be able to see how Tiger reacts to his recent win and the pressure that will be on him to show why he was the number one golfer in the world for so long.
-Derek Flores
What a win for Tiger Woods at the Arnold Palmer Classic. It was nice to see him without injury and in the winner's circle. He brings the sport of golf to the forefront, along with his huge following on and off the golf course. At age 36 Tiger hasn't been the new kid for awhile. Other young professionals are on the rise. I'm especially impressed with 22-year-old Rory McIlroy from Northern Ireland. He turned pro in 2007 and already has 3 PGA tour wins, 3 European Tour wins and won the 2011 U.S. Open. He doesn't have the pizzazz that Tiger brings to the game, but with his determination and performance, he is gaining notoriety and respect. The upcoming Masters should be interesting to watch. As the first major tournament of the year, we'll see who's in top form and causing a stir in the world rankings. -- Ryan Sanner
ReplyDeleteRyan I like what you have added about Rory Mcllroy and his emergence in the sport. I would like to add with that is that there is a lot of great young talent on the tour. With Tiger Woods win this past weekend it has really brought the sport some much needed hype. I want Tiger to be back to what he once was. He made mistakes and I believe that everybody deserves a second chance. My final thought is how Tiger will help these new and up coming stars. By him winning it will take the pressure off their shoulders with the spotlight on Tiger and letting the other golfers mature.
DeleteMatt Konyesni
I think Tiger's win at Bay Hill last weekend was just what he needed and it came at the right time. It was nice to see Tiger in full health and able to compete with other players. I was surprised to look at the leaderboard and see Tiger in first place. On the course, Tiger can play a amazing game of golf and really has a huge following in golf. I mean you watch tv and always see a huge flock of people just trailing Tiger, no matter if he is first or last. I think with the Maters coming up soon, it will be interesting if Tiger can carry his winning momentum into the Masters. It should definitely be a interesting match up of different level of experienced players in the field. I agree Derek, that the "old" Tiger might not show up again, but hopefully a "new" Tiger, more mature and a better character will attend the match and start winning more and more.
ReplyDelete-Nick Edwards
Ryan, Matt, and Nick-
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading all of your comments and agree with each of you. Rory has been playing amazing golf the last year and definitely has the "clutch gene" that is needed to be a PGA champion. It will be great to watch him mature into one of the greats. It's awesome to watch him and other up and coming golfers challenge Tiger. Tiger is actually favored by the odds makers to win The Masters. I want to see how he responds to all of the new hype surrounding him. Like Nick said, Tiger always has the biggest following and I expect with all of this buzz, he might have a record crowd following him. I saw Tiger play over the summer in Akron and he was playing horrible but he still had the most people following his every move. Many of the people shout encouraging statements at him and he didn't really have any hecklers.
-Derek Flores