Joy of Golf: Why it’s unfair to expect too much from Tiger Woods

Joy Chakravarty 12:40 04/06/2015
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  • Still struggling: Tiger will be in the limelight again this weekend.

    Tiger Woods makes his return to competition golf this weekend with The Memorial at Muirfield Village, a golf course where has had tremendous success in the past, winning five titles.

    As has become usual, the comeback – he is playing almost a month after the Players Championship where he struggled to make the cut and eventually finished tied 69th – has become the talk of the golfing world. That is something that is understandable, because Woods is no ordinary golfer.

    But what I cannot understand is how most people in various social media forums, and even several respected former players and analysts of the game, expect him to win every time he tees up.

    To a great extent, Woods himself is to blame for that heightened expectation. He has performed feats on the golf course that Superman would have been proud of if he were a golfer. In my opinion, no Marvel or DC creation could havedone what he did at the 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines, where he was virtually playing on one leg.

    But right now, it’s not just a physical problem that Woods is faced with. Having said that, the physical aspect of it is immense, and a troublesome back for a golfer is just as bad as a broken ankle for a footballer. Add to that a crisis of confidence and the fact that his new swing is yet to be grooved in.

    This really isn’t the Woods of pre- 2008. He is more human now. But given his talent, and the immense power of his mind, I do expect him to keep making progress.

    At the Masters, I felt it was an important milestone for Woods not to fluff his chips like he did at the Phoenix Open. Likewise, a cut made comfortably this weekend would another step in the right direction.

    Complicating the situation further is Woods’ rapid fall in the world rankings. He is now down to 172 and that decline has been so steep, it’s almost unbelievable for
    some fans.

    But if you understand how the world rankings work, you will realise why he is slipping so fast.

    The world ranking is based on points earned over two years. At the moment, Woods is losing all the points he won for winning five times on the PGA Tour in 2013.

    But if he now manages to win a couple of events, his rise would be equally fast-paced as he does not have many points to defend after August 2013.

    Stupendous shots

    Miguel Angel Jimenez.

    Something’s been going on at the European Tour these last couple of weeks. Seems like it is the season of magical shots.

    First, it was Miguel Angel Jimenez making holes-in-one in back-to-back weeks. He did it at the Spanish Open, and then followed it up with another during the BMW PGA Championship. That made him the player with the most aces in European Tour history.

    In fact, there were five aces made during the Wentworth week, with Chris Wood winning a stunning BMW i8 when he holed his tee shot on the 14th hole.

    But there was an even rarer achievement – once again in backto- back weeks, although by different players this time.

    Tommy Fleetwood holed his seven-iron second shot from 198 yards on the par-5 fourth hole of Wentworth for only the 92nd albatross in the history of the European Tour.

    It did not take long for the 93rd to land – by Andy Sullivan in the first round of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open.

    The Englishman smashed a perfect 2-iron from 259 yards for a 2 on the par-5 first hole of Royal County Down.

    Two sides of marriage

    Two golf-related stories went viral last week, and I wanted to mention them here because they just go on to show how contrasting lives can be for married golfers.

    There was a story from Grand Ledge in Michigan about husband and wife, Tony and Janet Blundy, who both got a hole-in-one in consecutive shots at the same hole.

    The incident happened at the 16th hole of Ledge Meadows Golf Course, and was verified by their playing partners. There could not have been a happier picture of a married couple than the Blundys.

    And then there was this unnamed guy on Craiglist, trying to sell his Mizuno JPX825 irons because he “got married a year ago and my wife does not let me play golf.

    In fact, she does not let me do anything fun. Preferably, I’d like to sell it to a single guy who has no intention of getting married.”

    Just goes to show, it always pays to make sure your wife also starts loving the game. 

    Quote of the Week

    Els.

    “I think Rory’s got so much control over his life now, both on and off the course, that he can pick up one major every two years for the next 20 years. He’s definitely good enough. That would give him 14. At least.” – Ernie Els, when asked if he believed Rory McIlroy can challengeJack Nicklaus’ record of 18 majors.

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