I was talking with some golfers yesterday and one of the guys made the comment that the courses are being lengthened to keep Tiger in the final group on Sunday. This means higher ratings.
The basis of his comment was that the way the courses are being lengthened makes it easier to keep the chosen few at the top of the leaderboard unless they are having a horrible day or week. And harder for the shorter players who are hot to have chance to get to the top of the leaderboard.
He stated that if the courses were set up like in the fifties for Hogan etc, Tiger would run away with the score if he was having a good week. But would win less tournaments overall because if he was having an off day or week more hot players including short players would have a chance to beat him.
You hear this garbage often repeated by those who somehow think Tiger could not possibly win all the tourneys he wins just based on talent. Tiger is not the only long-ball hitter on tour. And in many tourneys he wins, his driver was actually his weak point, putting him in spots he had to get out of to make par. His excellent short game and putting, and his ablility to make clutch shots from trouble are what win him tournaments. If it was just his length off the tee that won it for him, why don't all the other long-ball hitters win as many as he does on these "lengthened Tiger-favoring" courses?
Me neither. If the courses were short, he'd hit a lot of 3 woods and 2 irons. Would always be in play off the tee and would hit it close more often than everyone else. Tiger's got around about the best pitching game and just about the best putting game. If the courses were shorter, he'd always be playing to his strengths and would probably win all those tournaments where his driver has kept other people in play.
Everytime they lengthen a course it takes a few more players out of serious contention though. You can't, not help but believe that a lengthened course doesn't hurt Tiger as much as some other players. Simp
I can't think of too many courses anywhere that don't favor Tiger seeing as, regardless of the layout, the object is to get it around in the fewest number of strokes and he's the best at that in the world.
Course they are, Di Marco said it a few weeks ago. The way the courses are set up now is quite specific. They are longer for sure but to be fair most of them are not overly long for any of the guys out there that are able to get it 280 off the tee, even at a 460 hole that leaves them with a 5 or a 6 in maybe less. The main advantage for Tiger especially is the width of the courses. Di Marco said that you were better off 40 yards wide than 4 feet off the fairway. Just off the edge of the fairway the rough is thick and chewy leaving usually just a wedge hack out if you get unlucky. If you can get any club to it at all you have no control and end up either through the back or wide.
However if you go as wide as Tiger sometimes does then most of the time you have a line in and a nice trampled down lie that you can get a club to with a little bit of control. So this lets Tiger wind up and hit for the fences knowing if he hits a good one he is a wedge away from most greens, if he doesnt he is still miles down the hole with a 9 or an 8 in. Tiger isnt the only one that benefits mind you. It probably doesnt hurt Sergio either or Mickelson.
All in all I'm with the conspiracy theorists. Who controls the course set up?? The PGA Tour. Who controls the Tour? TV. Who controls TV? Advertisers. And who are the big money players? Nike, Titleist, GM. All of whom have an interest in Tiger Woods. Case closed.
But none of this would matter if he wasnt, as Wazmankg points out, the best at getting round in the least possible strokes.
But of course his fabled powers of recovery are assisted by the set up of current PGA courses.
Outside of playing Open courses (ie the ones in Britain) where the hay is knee deep, I don't ever recall seeing Tiger having to pitch out from rough. He does from time to time miss the fairways by a little bit and he still hits it on the green, with control. I'd say it's because he is immensely strong, rather than he's just lucky to draw a lie. Di Marco is just blowing hot air IMHO. Occasionally he springs a lie from where the crowd have been, but most of the time he's in the long stuff like the rest of them.
Go ahead, shorten the courses to bring all the short hitters back into the game.........and see how much the players because Tiger and all the other long hitters are hitting Driver/Wedge to every hole. If you think Tiger has an advantage now, just wait until you see the scores he'll shoot if the courses go back to mid-90's length.
Message to PGA Tour short hitters......Get better, get longer, or get left behind.
Anyone have info on the number of PGA tour courses that have been lengthened, and how many of those have hosted tourneys that Tiger has won?
And for the record Mizunoman, since when does Titleist sponsor Tiger? Not since Nike got him a few years ago. So, since Titleist is a MAJOR sponsor of the PGA, why would they agree to let these courses be set up to showcase Nike's main guy? Don't forget, Mercedes/Chrysler and Ford also throw a big chunk of change towards the PGA every year - is that why Vijay and Mickelson were allowed to win a few here and there?
Anyone thinking that the courses are being set up to make it better for Tiger have it all backwards. The courses that are being redesigned are the ones built for yesterday's PGA and that today don't offer enough challenge to the PGA pros, who are using today's equipment.
They're definitely not lengthening the courses just for Tiger. They're doing it for the game and the game that these guys play now. It just so happens that Tiger, and several other long hitting pros are the main beneficiary of these changes I think. Simp
December 19th, 2005, 12:17 PM
because Tiger and all the other long hitters are hitting Driver/Wedge to every hole.
If you think Tiger has an advantage now, just wait until you see the scores he'll shoot if the courses go back to mid-90's length.
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