Tell me whatsup

As only John McEnroe can say......YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS?!?

The Best Ever.

I cant believe that anyone would even fathom the idea that he is overrated. I mean sometimes i admit that it gets old watching him win pretty much every time he tees it up but come on you have to respect the guy and give him his dues. To say he is overrated is just crazy. He literaly won the u.s. open on one leg....he is without a doubt the best ever.

Hes the best ever. no doubt

Not so sure about best ever. The game has changed somewhat...fairway metals, club design, etc. I'd like to see what he would do with a set of persimmon woods like they used 50 years ago. Put him up against Hogan, Nelson, Palmer, etc, when they were in their prime...might be interesting. He is certainly the media's favorite.

Best ever. Golfing machine. Hands down. Without a doubt. End of discussion.

Yep no discussion needed. Why is this even a question?

too be his age and have done what he's done is quite the accomplishment.

Having played college golf, I have had this discussion again and again and again. Without a doubt, he is the best closer golf has ever seen. Without a doubt, he is the most intense competitor golf has ever seen. I personally think he is neck and neck with Nicklaus right now, and he is only in his early thirties. If you just go by majors, Nicklaus won 18 majors, and got second place an astonishing 19 times in majors. Tiger has won 14 majors. Some how, Nicklaus avoided injury until late in his career. As we all know, Tiger is battling injuries right now. Just as in any sport, career longevity is a major component in deeming an athlete the best of all times. Here is an analogy, Would you crown Alex Rodriguez the greatest home run hitter of all times right now? If he continues at his current pace, he will blow existing records out of the water. In my opinion, until Woods eclipses Nicklaus' record of majors, Nicklaus is the best ever.

Hard to argue with you on that one. When Tiger wins the Masters for the 6th time in his late 40's, then maybe...

This is a quote from Jack Nicklaus in a Rielly article...

"You guys are all so willing to just hand it to Tiger: Greatest Player Ever, like it's over already. And he'll probably wind up as that. But he has to do it first, doesn't he? And that means getting past all the injuries and things that can bite you. His swing has a helluva lot of torque in it, doesn't it? And he's going to have kids, right? There's gonna be a whole lot of times when he'd rather be at his son's football game or his daughter's dance recital. I'm just saying, the kid is amazing, and I'll be the first guy to congratulate him, but doesn't he actually have to do it first?"


Nuff said...

Tiger may be the greatest ever. I'm a big fan, but it's all conjecture because he never competed against Nicklaus when he was in his prime. Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, these and others were pretty special when they were young. Many talk about Tiger's length off the tee. With today's equipment and new golf ####, a young Nicklaus would be longer than Tiger. Who knows how far or accurate Jones, Hogan and Nelson could have hit a ball playing today in their 20s. I agree Tiger is already a legend, and I never get tired of watching him play. I have no doubt he'll be considered the greatest by most authorities, but who really knows?

Tiger is the best golfer in today's game, hands down, case closed. It is not possible, however, to compare him to past generations of the "legends" of the game- the game has changed so much that you can hardly say that he and bobby jones even played the same sport, just as it will not be possible to compare the "legends" of the game 75 years from now to Tiger, as the game will have changed again. Tiger is the best player in golf today because he works harder than anyone else.

definition of tiger woods-True Greatness

Well he added to his list of amazing wins today. Rallied from 5 down in the final round and drained a bomb on 18.

The guy is clutch

Is he the best ever? I don't know but I'd bet money on him if he were to play the former greats in a match today when all of these guys were in their prime.

tiger woods is probabley the best athlete in the past decade and more to come

just for the record, when is johnny miller going to accept the fact that tiger woods is the best golfer on the face of the planet...wasnt it at doral when he was saying if phil can keep hitting this way he would pick phil over tiger?? tiger is playing his 2nd tournament after the surgery and still gets a top ten...and then all he talked about down the stretch @ arnies tourney is how o'hair keeps getting par and he will win, well hate to break it to ya bud but tiger shot -5, the same score ohair had as you were saying thats all he needed to win...and was it hole 16 or 17 when tiger drove in the rough and had to pitch out short of lake on par 4, well as stevie and tiger were discussing the shot, miller was like, why in the world are they hitting it there, there is no way this is going to be within 20 ft. i have no clue what he is thinking, and then tiger promptly puts it 3 feet from the hole...dude get a life...ok sorry guys had to rant for a second

Just dont agree he is an athlete.... Here's the definition of athlete

athlete - a person trained or gifted in exercises or contests involving physical agility, stamina, or strength
agility - the power of moving quickly and easily; nimbleness

So point out where Tiger has proved he is agile, strong, has high stamina?? It's golf, it doesn't matter how fast, quick, strong, or in shape one is....

Have you seen tiger's guns? They rival those of a linebacker. Golf isn't a sport where physique is a plus; it is about mental strength. Even though he may not have to rely on his physical attributes to win in the game he plays, you can't argue the fact that he has the best mental game of any athlete in any sport.

the mental part of golf is so tough it really doesnt matter if it is a sport or not....its the only game in the world that can drain you mentally and make you fall apart so quickly....so in the mental game part of things yes you have to be an athlete and over come huge battles between yourself and your brain...being a athlete always doesnt have to mean your a phisical beast

Did you watch the U.S. Open last year?

Yes, it was amazing!!!!!!!!! The way he picked up that heavy tee and pushed it into the ground and then the coordination to make that little white ball sit on it without falling off - amazing... Then to really show off his strength, he pulled a 46" long club with a 90 gram shaft out of his bag - sheer power..... Then when he had to traverse those steep hills between the tee and the green for four days in a row - and never once fell down.... WOW... And then to really show off how far he'd come stamina wise, he carried his own clubs..... Unbelievable...


Look, I played golf in college, so I know first hand it is a great game that is really fun to play and intensely addictive. But I will forever disagree that golfers are athletes. Maybe because when someone says athlete, I think Jordan, Brown, Jackson.... I think great agility, speed, power, coordination...

So of Tiger is a great athlete, you also have to throw Padraig Harrington into the mix, he won both majors coming into the Masters - right.... Have you seen that guy try to walk and chew gum at the same time?? How about Cabrera - i bet he's fast???? Seen those guns on old Jim Furyk - stout???? The most ironic part of the whole argument is the fact that the guy who is supposedly such a great athlete is fighting injury...

The performance in the Open furthers my point - name one other sport where the "athlete" could have won with a torn ACL and a fracture??? It takes so much more athleticism that in the other sports they would have been unable to perform at all, much less at a championship level....

So, if you don't want to call them "athletes," what would you call them?

The moment Websters redefines the word athlete, I'll agree. So far, they are sticking with the definition I posted earlier in this thread.... Tiger Woods may indeed be a great athlete... But, I have no way of knowing, until I see him participate in an athletic sport against other world class athletes....

^I hear he's quite a ping pong player.

All kidding aside, I do believe Woods is a great athlete.

So because he isn't competing against world class athletes, Tiger himself isn't an athlete. Oh....

In answer to the poll, though, Tiger is great, but as someone has mentioned previously, the game and technology have changed. IMO, one of the greatest is Bobby Jones - and a part-timer at that!

Yes, because he isnt competing against other world class athletes, we have no way to gauge his athleticism. Ali fought against the greatest the era had to offer. Jordan competed against the greatest athletes his era had to offer. Jim Brown was on the same field with the best the world had during his time in the NFL (he also wasnt bad at lacrosse). Bo Jackson butted heads every Sunday with other world class athletes, then turned around and chased a fly ball down and hit a 95 mph fastball 450 feet. The best receivers in the NFL were time and again shut down by Deon Sanders. Unless you agree that the majority of Tigers competition are "world class athletes" I have a hard time labelling Tiger as the greatest athlete to ever live. I have no problem calling him the fiercest competitor ever; maybe the most mentally strong person I've ever seen. His will to win is second to none and he routinely displays a great deal of coordination. There is a story I heard once that Jim Thorpe beat a guy in a couple of things and the guy challenged him to a game of pool. Thorpe waxed the floor with him playing pool as well. After the match he asked the guy to go double or nothing on whether or not Thorpe could stand flat-footed and jump OVER the pool table. Thorpe doubled his $$$. That to me is an athlete.... A man who does things you previously thought couldn't be done through sheer strength, speed, or agility. I think of an athlete and think fast-twitch muscles, power, explosiveness and a desire to win second to none - as far as I know, Tiger has one of those characteristics. Again, I love the game of golf, but take the Masters for example - Perry, Cabrera and Campbell??? Athletes... Zack Johnson, Craig Stadler, Corey Pavin, Ernie Els??? I see nothing even remotely athletic about the majority of those players. Furyk was a very good catcher in high-school, Will MacKenzie is probably the most athletic golfer I've read about, Jerry Kelly could play some good hockey as a youngster. The top five players in the world are Woods, Mickelson, Garcia, Ogilvy and Harrington - would you go out on a limb and label any except Woods as an athlete?? Again, I love golf, but just dont consider the participants athletes...

You don't take into account Woods' athleticism in terms of speed of his swing, the precise nature of his swing and the different ways he has to go about his game. Surely someone who played golf in college can attest to those things. You don't have to be 6-3, 215 and pure muscle to be an athlete. Mo Vaughn was a walking bowling ball and could still knock a 95 mph fastball 400 feet. Babe Ruth got downright disgusting in terms of weight and the way he carried himself later in his career. Still hit home runs.

You think speed, agility, power, coordination when it comes to athletes. The speed of Tiger's swing is second to none. The power in which he plays is better than any golfer in history. You need some sort of agility to play golf, I would hope. Coordination? Duh. All that defines Woods and other golfers. So you defined Woods as an athlete.

And years ago, players played hurt -- ACL's, fractures, everything. They weren't the pansies a lot of these athletes are these days.

Second to none? Go check the driving stats on tour... hint bubba watson... Jack Nicklaus was a more powerful player (his long iron game is a testament to that), Cabrera is a stronger player, as is Watson, there are a couple of others as well.

I guess we can just agree to disagree...

So if you need athleticism to excel in golf, one would assume that the majority of golfers are athletes - right??

Using your logic, Clutchon, I'd have to agree with you. I play golf, yet I am the most UNathletic person I know. Pathetic, really.

He is a great GOLFER - athlete or not.

The flip side LV is I've seen and played with thousands of golfers and a lot of times, the better athlete is not the better golfer. I lettered in FB 3 years and baseball all four and got my brains kicked in by plenty of guys who couldn't even sprint forty yards or catch a lobbed football from 10 yards. There is nothing even remotely athletic about standing over a downhill 6 footer that breaks left to right on fast greens with some cash on the line.... It doesnt make a hill of beans how fast, strong or agile one is when facing such a putt under pressure.

Reminds me of the quote by Bobby Jones: "Competitive golf is played mainly on a five-and-a-half-inch course, the space between your ears."

It requires some athleticism and skill, but golf is more a mental game.


**Oh, and to clarify - my lack of athleticism is pathetic - not my golf game, even though it could use a little work, too.

Cabrera a stronger player? You talking in terms of arm strength or overall ability? Hopefully neither, and especially I hope you're not saying Cabrera is a better golfer. If so, you're credibility just went out the window.

Golf is a sport. Sports are played by athletes, no matter what a dictionary defines an "athlete." And Tiger is one of the greatest athletes of all time. Period.

Hale Irwin was a defensive back at U of Colorado. Had to be an athlete to do that.

I would not watch golf on tv if it weren't for Tiger Woods.

When he is not playing ... the announcers are dull, the style of play is dull, and there is nothing to entice me to watch.

I hate the fact that he has brought in all those goofy pretend fans that yell, "GET IN THE HOOOOOOOOLE!" after every shot ... but even when he loses, the atmosphere is much better than normal.

He makes shots that nobody else can make, he gets himself out of trouble that others can't, he provides a spark to the game that nobody else can, and he lifts the level of competition (and announcing) to another level.

Even though it has transformed into a NASCAR-like sporting event, Tiger has resurrected the game.

I'm waiting for Tiger to hit that one shot which actually does go "IN THE HOOOOOOOOOOOLE!" - right into that idiot's piehole!

.....and he often gets himself into trouble by trying to make ridiculous shots that he should never even try. I think he is the best ever, IMO but he could be even better if he would play consistently like he did at the last British Open he won, where he used his driver ONE time the entire 4 days!! He would be way more consistent without that club in his bag.

Well, Tiger can bench press 450 pounds. So he definately has strength. Stamina? -> Try playing 91 holes on a broken leg and two torn ligaments in your knee. Now, I'm not saying he is the greatest athlete today, because he may not be. But you can't say that he isn't. Tiger has the best golf swing of all time and he is the greatest golfer of all time. You could argue, his numbers don't show that yet. Well guess what, he's 33.

I agree. He could be better. And sometimes he shouldn't hit the driver. But Tiger is Tiger. And he likes testing himself. If he can win a tournament doing crazy shots he would much rather do that than take it easy. It's just how he competes.

Just because people say HE is an athlete doesn't mean that Cabrera is too. Or any other golfer (not saying none of them are.)

To me, an athlete is someone that excells in any sport he plays in-they're just naturally gifted, athletically. All I've ever seen Woods do is strike the golf ball (and strike it VERY WELL) so let's not call him the "greatest athlete". He is definitely at the top of HIS sport...

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/4192...on_getty300.jpg - TOM WATSON -







Another great ATHLETE????? 59 years old, hip surgery.... Please, all of you Tiger great athlete believers, name one other sport where a 59 year old can produce such results - in a major no less. Can you imagine a 59 year old LB playing in a Super Bowl?? How about a 59 yr old pitcher throwing a complete game shutout in a world series.... WOW....

Too bad the topic wasn't about a 59 year old as an athlete or not!!!! Or you would be spot on!!! But I'm pretty sure we are talking about Tiger Woods here. And what a 59 year old does has absolutely nothing to do with whether Tiger is a great athlete or not. But good try though!

Tiger woods is the best athlete ever! No doubt he has already surpassed Michael Jordan, and who ever else they think can contend with those careers. Best mental game, Best performance under pressure i have seen any human perform. Chuck Norris wears Tiger Woods Pajamas!

I just wish he showed better sportsmanship and self control. I am so tired of seeing his clubs "slip" out of his hands like that. I watched the entire British Open and no one else had that problem. When they showed the final collage of the tournament, he was always shown hitting the ball and then his club hitting the ground. He forgets the "gentleman" part of the game. Honestly, Tiger only beats himself. Once he loses control of his emotions, it is VERY difficult for him to win. Mentally, he loses it.

I honestly don't know how you can say he loses it mentally. You are entitled to your opinion about what he does. But he is the most mentally strong athlete in the world.

So that's why he didn't make the cut at the British Open ~ he was so mentally strong.

**A little overdramatic, don't you think? "The most mentally strong athlete in the world"?

Did Michael Jordan win every game? No. Did Roger Staubach win every game? No. You can't blame his mental toughness on one tournament. He has the 2nd most tournament wins and major wins in the history of the game and he is 33 years old. He won the Master's (if I'm correct) after losing his father. But he's not mentally tough