Tiger vs Rory – 48 Hours Later
If a tree falls in the forest, and nobody is there to see it, does it make a sound?
If the two best golfers in the world play an exhibition in China, and nobody is there to watch it, does anyone really care?
I didn’t. And I love Tiger and Rory. Why would I pay money to watch an Internet feed of this exhibition match, especially when I can be doing better things in the middle of the night? Like sleeping.
Well, I stumbled upon Ryan Lavner’s piece on golfchannel.com yesterday. I think I figured out why I cared.
http://www.golfchannel.com/news/golftalkcentral/rory-clips-tiger-by-a-shot-in-duel-at-jinsha-lake/
Here’s the key paragraph from Lavner’s article:
On the 10th hole, Woods admitted to “struggling with Sean (Foley),” his swing coach, saying, “I’ve been hitting my short irons so (expletive) far.” He went on to explain how he rarely took a divot with his short clubs under former coach Hank Haney, but now, though, “all of a sudden, I’m taking divots.”
Well, well, well. So Tiger is fully aware of the issues we all see. His short iron game is simply not as good as it once, nor is it on par with the rest of his current game. Now, I have no qualms with Sean Foley. I also have no issues with Hank Haney either. I have a lot of respect for both teachers. I will say this:
I think Hank’s way is the better way.
To take it one step further, I will paraphrase a comment made by Johnny Miller during the final round of this year’s Ryder Cup. Miller commented that the best iron players hit their short irons low and their long irons high, and they take a more shallow divot.
I’m not saying Tiger should go back to Haney. I’m not sure Haney would have him. Sean Foley is Tiger’s coach and that’s not likely to change for awhile. At what point do Tiger and Foley work together to flatten(even slightly) the swing his wedges? He shouldn’t be thinking about large divots over the ball. He should be thinking about shallow divots and crisp, consistent contact. Tiger’s short iron woes are a huge part what’s keeping him from winning major championships.
We all remember Tiger’s magical win at the 2008 US Open. It’s arguably the greatest tournament win of all time. It’s the greatest tournament win I’ve ever seen. But when Tiger tees it up at Augusta next April, it will be nearly five years since that US Open win.
Did anyone ever think Tiger Woods would go five years without a major championship?
O-lé, Olé, Olé, Olé
Alright, already. I’ve heard enough your damn song. I get it. The Euros won the Ryder Cup.
It was the most magical sporting event I’ve ever been too, and I wasn’t even there on Sunday. I did make it there Saturday though. The last time I felt that electricity in a venue was the 2009 Winter Classic at Wrigley Field. Whether it was pumping up Bubba on the first tee, yelling “War Eagle” on every Dufner tee shot, or watching the great Ian Poulter hole putt after putt, it was pretty special. It helps that Medinah Country Club was in pristine condition. When Davis Love III demanded the rough be cut, we all knew the Ryder Cup would become a birdie-fest. Right, we were. The conditions were way easier than when I played in June. That’s a different story for a different day.
However, the day that we will all remember – and that anyone is talking about – is Sunday. It’s easy to second guess DLIII. I have. Tiger Woods should not have been the 12th man. We learned that lesson in 2002 at the Belfry. But that’s not why the Americans lost. Not playing Phil and Keegan on Saturday afternoon is also not why the Americans lost. Maybe Furyk and Stricker weren’t the best captains picks? But that’s not the main reason either.
The Euros played better on Sunday. That’s it. That’s the only reason.
Each line up was front-loaded. The Euro lineup a little more front-loaded than the Americans, but that didn’t matter much. In the end, Donald, Rose, McIlroy, and Poulter closed strong. Bubba, Webb, Keegan, and Phil did not. That was it. Ballgame.
Even the hottest golfer on the planet, Brandt Snedeker, got pasted by Paul Lawrie.
Even Lee Westwood, who was the worst Euro golfer this past weekend, earned a singles win.
The Euros just played better when it mattered. Period. I’m just sad that it happened on my home turf. It was the worst case scenario on what was arguably one of our best weekends. And one of my best weekends too.
Matt's Box Seat Observations 