AUBURN HILLS, MICH. - Tiger Woods would not have stood a chance against Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer.
That is what former PGA player Mac O'Grady, 56, said Monday at Fieldstone Golf Course about the No. 1 golfer in the world.
O'Grady, who failed to qualify for Thursday's Buick Open, said Woods, the three-time PGA and four-time Masters Champion, is the worst driver to win the Masters.
"When Nicklaus and Palmer played, when [Ben] Hogan played and Sam Snead played, on a scale of zero to 10, they were a nine-plus," he said. "Tiger Woods is not even a one-plus."
O'Grady said technology is the reason for players' success today. A change in the drivers' grooves from a V shape to a box shape allows golfers to hit the ball farther with more spin.
When in the rough, players go straight for the hole instead of trying to reach the green. This, he said, has ruined golf.
"The reason why [Woods] can hit it on the green is because he has square grooves," he said. "He doesn't have that, he's dead. He cannot do it -- it's impossible. For him to go after Nicklaus's records is cheating. This is like steroids."
He raises some valid points about the design of the the golf ball and clubs today, but is it Tiger's fault that this is the stuff he learned to play with. I think it is impossible to say that he and many of the other guys out there wouldn't be as good as they are with the older equipment if that is all they had to use as they developed. I think he is attempting to make his accomplishments seem greater by down playing the modern era.
He raises some valid points about the design of the the golf ball and clubs today, but is it Tiger's fault that this is the stuff he learned to play with. I think it is impossible to say that he and many of the other guys out there wouldn't be as good as they are with the older equipment if that is all they had to use as they developed. I think he is attempting to make his accomplishments seem greater by down playing the modern era.
I think that's the key point people tend to miss out on. If Tiger had grown up with old equipment and had to use old equipment to this day, would he not have adapted? I would think he would.
The other players play with the same equipment, on the same golf courses, under the same conditions. I think if you gave TW the clubs from yesteryear he would probably still beat most players today.
What makes him and Jack such standouts is their mental game. It's not the equipment that makes the great ones great, it's the five-inches between their ears.
What makes him and Jack such standouts is their mental game. It's not the equipment that makes the great ones great, it's the five-inches between their ears.
Totally agree. If Tiger had been around back then, he would still have been one of the best.
Too hard to compare with the equipment changes but it would be interesting to give Tiger ( and others) say a 36 hole challenge with the old balls and clubs and see what score transpires. The most significant changes over the years have been the physical and mental fitness of the current players and this tends to seperate players from previous years.
Mac O'Grady. Holy big hair 80s Batman, that's a blast from the past!
Mac always understood the golf swing better than 99.9% of every pro who played on tour, but his played never matched the genius of his theory (I mean that sincerely....he really gets the relationship of mechanics and feel). Failed to qualify for his tour card 17 times. Also, legally changed his name from Phil McGleno to Phillip McClelland O'Grady, and then to Mac O'Grady. What a great character he was.
As for his opinion on Tiger, this is hogwash. Like saying the only reason ole Bobby T. Jones whupped everybody was he knew how to time that wooden shafted buggy whip, if he had to play steel shafts he would have been a nobody.
Every generation has it's own great players, and to try to elevate one era over another by denegrating the current kind of the hill is just a farce.
thats a crock Tiger is a brilliant putter and thats a major reason he wins so often in majors and imho modern equipment has not made a huge differance in this area .
They never had to "Jackproof" Augusta...the equipment has something to do with that, but so does Tiger missing fairways...Jack's driver was more or less the equivalent of Tiger's and most modern player's 3woods in both length and head shape...the bottom line is that the field is level as far as equal access to modern equipment and Tiger is the dominante golfer of his generation...comparing generations, or as in boxing, generations and differing weight classes (the so called pound for pound best) is fun but is really pure speculation...
That's a good point about everyone else competing with the same equipment. If Tiger couldn't stand up to the guys in the past, I guess nobody could since Tiger dominates the rest of the field in this age.
Echoing a lot of what has been said already...it's just impossible to compare any of the current day greats of any sport with the greats of eras past...Federer with Becker...Gretzky with Crosby...Aaron with Bonds....Montana with Brady...Tiger and Jack....take your choice....they are all great in their time and should be given their due....
Last edited by dedstroke2 : June 27th, 2007 at 08:29 AM.
O'Grady said technology is the reason for players' success today. A change in the drivers' grooves from a V shape to a box shape allows golfers to hit the ball farther with more spin.
Was this a miss quote, or does O'Grady not know that most all driver are smooth in the center of the club face, and the grooves have nothing to do with how far or how much spin you can put on the ball. Especially off the tee. From the rough, with an iron, yes, but not with a driver as he's qouted as saying.
Whether he was mis-quoted or not. I don't think he knows what he's talking about. Jack beat his competition, and Tiger beats his. End of story.
June 26th, 2007, 10:05 PM
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