Apparently he was trying to play a nice high fade in there....But still, from the middle of the fairway is never a low percentage for him, especially from that yardage.
Tiger hitting a nice high fade, or attempting to, is never a low-percentage shot. What was low-percentage was Tiger aiming further left than necessary, then trying to bend one 40 yards right.
It looked like Tiger was attempting to eliminate the right side completely, but he didn't trust himself to pull that shot off. Hence, he changed his swing right in the middle of it, which led to the disaster. That was my take on the episode.
I'm not sure that Tiger remembers how to swing a driver (or a wood) at 3/4 effort anymore.
Hey, and let's be realistic here. While he is still the best golfer in the world, he's also getting older. Isn't there possibly a natural tendency to get a little more yip-ish with age? And not just with the flat stick either.... but with all clubs. Even with his short irons -- I've seen him come out of that shot with a full swing where the ball ends up short and right. And we see it more now than ever.
Swing flaw? Certainly. But sometimes swing flaws evolve from UNcertainty. I'm beginning to think that it might not just be a mechanical issue, but quite possibly a mental block when he stands over some shots.
Tiger hitting a nice high fade, or attempting to, is never a low-percentage shot. What was low-percentage was Tiger aiming further left than necessary, then trying to bend one 40 yards right.
It looked like Tiger was attempting to eliminate the right side completely, but he didn't trust himself to pull that shot off. Hence, he changed his swing right in the middle of it, which led to the disaster. That was my take on the episode.
40 yards is quite an exaggeration. With a 5 or 6 iron, he would only be trying to move it about 20 yards AT THE MOST. Do you not remember his 50 yard slice with the 3-wood at the 2003 U.S. Open? Now that was what I'd call aiming 40 yards left. This time, it looked like he was aiming at the left side of the green, perhaps a tad left of there even. Still, that's a 15-20 yard fade with a mid-iron. Not an easy shot to pull off, so definitely a foolish attempt by him.
Yeh saw it for the first time on last nights Golf Show ..... amazing things do happen, couldn't believe it. It would be my betting that we will never ever see this happen again. Funny game golf !!!!
Tiger should just continue to do what he is doing I think the last three rounds he went 66 67 69. Lets change things up since you had such a bad weekend. Be for real if it wasn't for a lack luster Thursday he would have ran away with it.
Driving Accuracy #178
GIR #1
Putting Avg #128
Proximity to hole #2
GIR from other than fairway #1
Given these stats I'm not sure how much being further back and in the fairway would help him much with his scoring. I think it's pretty obvious that the one area that has plagued him this year more than any other is putting. He's generally in the top 10 in putting, and in fact the last 2 years I think was 5th and 2nd. I would think if he was putting like he has the past 4 or 5 years and being 2nd with proximity to the hole and 1st in GIR he'd be winning at least as consistently as he did in 2000. I think it was pretty impressive to take as much time off as he did and then have a chance to win last week. I'm not sure anyone could take that much time and then come back to the US Open at Winged Foot and have a chance. And again even there it was his putting that killed him.
Driving Accuracy #178
GIR #1
Putting Avg #128
Proximity to hole #2
GIR from other than fairway #1
Given these stats I'm not sure how much being further back and in the fairway would help him much with his scoring. I think it's pretty obvious that the one area that has plagued him this year more than any other is putting. He's generally in the top 10 in putting, and in fact the last 2 years I think was 5th and 2nd. I would think if he was putting like he has the past 4 or 5 years and being 2nd with proximity to the hole and 1st in GIR he'd be winning at least as consistently as he did in 2000. I think it was pretty impressive to take as much time off as he did and then have a chance to win last week. I'm not sure anyone could take that much time and then come back to the US Open at Winged Foot and have a chance. And again even there it was his putting that killed him.
Well those greens are some of the most difficult in the world to putt, unless you practice them enough like Phil did. Even Phil missed some, but he did much better than Tiger did with the flat stick. Like I said, many other guys struggled with those greens.
Tiger needs to go back to the 2 iron stinger! He hits that the same distance that some of hit with a good drive. To bad 2005-2006 I dont believe he went to that shot.
Driving Accuracy #178
GIR #1
Putting Avg #128
Proximity to hole #2
GIR from other than fairway #1
Given these stats I'm not sure how much being further back and in the fairway would help him much with his scoring. I think it's pretty obvious that the one area that has plagued him this year more than any other is putting.
kagey1,
Stats can sometimes be a tad misleading. Oftentimes they fail to reveal the entire story. And while it is amazing that Tiger can take his driving accuracy and turn it into the TOUR's #1 ranking in G.I.R., just as critical is where on the green his shots end up.
Anyone who watches the PGA TOUR regularly will observe that a majority of the pin positions, especially on the weekends, are located in inaccessible places. They tend to be cut right over ridges or jammed to the edge of greens, or in the back of them. It is beneficial to stay below the hole or in the fall line. Players who leave themselves out of position will always face very difficult putts.
I believe Tiger's putting woes are more a result of his poor positioning on the greens. He tends to be not only aggressive, but his ball-striking has been erratic. He has distance-control issues. These problems put a ton of stress on both his short game and his putting.
Anyone remember early last year, at the 72nd hole of the Buick, when he fanned his second to the par 5, and it landed right next to the water? He lucked out with the ball staying dry, and got up and down for birdie and the win.
But, most of these bad misses have been with the Haney swing. For some reason, I don't recall too many of them with his 2000/Harmon swing.
I have that tournament on videotape and every once in a while I whip it out just watch that round where Tiger and Vijay faced off. For me, it was one of the highlights of the 2005 golf season.
I have that tournament on videotape and every once in a while I whip it out just watch that round where Tiger and Vijay faced off. For me, it was one of the highlights of the 2005 golf season.
ce_me, you're thinking of the wrong Buick tournament. You're thinking of the Buick Open, whereas this thread applies to the Buick Invitational. Vijay wasn't in contention at the Buick Invitational, but I seem to remember him beating Tiger at the Buick Open.
You'll see a shank every couple years or so on the PGA tour. Every year on the European tour, and on a monthly basis on the Nationwide and seniors.
The most significant player I have ever seen shank on National television was Sergio a couple years ago with his driver. He like topped it and it went REALY low and like 100-200 yards.
You'll see a shank every couple years or so on the PGA tour. Every year on the European tour, and on a monthly basis on the Nationwide and seniors.
The most significant player I have ever seen shank on National television was Sergio a couple years ago with his driver. He like topped it and it went REALY low and like 100-200 yards.
Tiger though, would've liked to see that.
I remember seeing Langer hit a shank a few years back.
I believe it is Tiger's lack of commitment to his range game which leads not only to horrible shots like the one he hit at #15 yesterday, but to his generally erratic iron play as well.
How many times have we received reports that Tiger looked fantastic on the driving range, only to see him spray shots all over the course during tournaments?
Tiger deviates from the game plan. He'll work on specific shots during practice and get into a fine rythm. He'll have the feel. Then, out of left field, Tiger will attempt a 40-yard slice under pressure...going for the big eagle...when a two-putt birdie keeps him in contention. His par 5 at the 15th (and it easily could've been a bogey) left him with far too much to do over the final tough three holes.
I'd also like to see Tiger stop coming out of his shoes on his tee shots. If he'd just shorten his swing a little, and go at it with less ferocity, he may lose 10-15 yards on his drives, but he'd find the short grass much more often, which would take a lot of pressure off both his iron game and his putting.
The only thing I will say in response to this is... PHIL MICKELSON.... He never does anything of this nature.
July 11th, 2006, 09:57 PM
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