Is Tiger Back? A Full Breakdown Of What We Saw
Is Tiger’s back back?
Big Dick Eldrick of course pegged it in just his second official PGA Tour event in three years this past week, and first since the fusion, finishing T-23rd after making the cut on the number. He hasn’t played a consistent schedule since 2015 and says he hasn’t been fully healthy since 2013. He’s won the Farmers Insurance 7 times and added an 8th win at Torrey winning the 2008 US open, so expectations were mixed.
It’s now been 10 months since the fusion; we’ve seen 144 holes of competitive Tiger golf. How do we feel about what we’ve seen? Are we optimistic or concerned? Are we more convinced Tiger will win again or less? Is the man who’s played the greatest golf ever finally “back”?
Health
This is the first and most important question so here we go: Tiger looks healthy as fuck. There’s been zero reason to think otherwise. Zero reason to be concerned. He’s taken vicious lashes from the rough, recoiled on big drives, hit balls after rounds. By all accounts, the health is not an issue.
Health = A+. He’s fused.
The back’s back.
Driver
Terrible. Look, the driver has never been the straightest club in Tiger’s bag. He’s perhaps the greatest iron player to ever live, therefore gotten by blasting the ball way down there and, when necessary, hacking it from the rough with enough control because he’s the best.
He will never be one of the straighter drivers, and Torrey’s one of the narrower places on Tour (the field averages about 10% less fairways there), but he must be better than he was this week. Must. He hit around 30%, which is abysmal, and was missing both ways. More often than not, was missing by MILES.
Distance is there. Accuracy is not.
Off the tee = D.
Irons
Also not good enough. He hit some real good ones but unfortunately hit WAYYY too many loose, terrible iron shots. He short-sided himself from the middle of fairways, something old Tiger would never do. He usually makes up for any mistakes from other parts of his game with his irons, not compounds them.
Still, he nearly holed out for an ace on the difficult par-3 16th hole, birdieing it 2/3 days and showed signs of life. Some good to build off of in there, but also A LOT of bad to be, dare I say it, ironed out (hehe).
Iron play = C.
Wedges
Bad. Tiger’s distance control isn’t there, but this is something I feel comfortable chalking up to rust. This is a “feels” thing more than a technical thing, which Tiger said himself many times. Hitting a wedge 95 yards instead of 85 isn’t much on the technical/swing scales, but leaves a 30 foot difference on the greens (math guy). He might be dialed in at home, but on the course, with adrenaline, nerves, whatever you want to call in play, makes it tricky honing in those little differences. Tiger knows this, and the control should come with more competitive reps.
Wedges = C.
Short game
Overall, great. Tiger produced more magic around the greens than we’ve seen from any one player in a long time. Time and time again he found himself in very tricky spots in Torrey’s thick rye grass, and time and time again he somehow got the ball to places he could make putts.
Having said that, there are still concerns. The thick rough provides a window for error that tight grass does not, and while Tiger hit plenty of good shots from tight lies, he also hit plenty of bad ones. The difficult shots aren’t worrying me; the straightforward ones still are.
Short game = B+.
Style
I don’t love the collarless shirts… but the Sunday red made it move. He. Looked. Fucking. LETHAL.
Putting
Excellent. Tiger was simply fantastic on the greens this week. According to Golf Central he was no. 1 in the field in proximity on lag putts, did not have a single three-putt on the week, and holed TONS of mid to short-rangers that kept rounds going.
His putter saved him this week. It’s oft believed the first thing to go with age is the putter, but at age 42, one of the great putters ever looks like he hasn’t lost a single step.
His pace is on. His stroke is on. His reads are on.
Putting = A. (couldn’t made more Thursday)
Intangibles
This is maybe the most cupcake, fluffy theme of the week but also, admittedly, important and true so I’m buying everything they’re selling — Tiger looks happy, healthy, and good-spirited these days. He had reason after reason to hang out in rattle city but did not. He hit the ball over the joint and his swing prevented him from making a very doable run at the leaders this week, but he kept his cool. Yes he showed quick bursts of frustration when his swing let him down, but much like yours truly he reeled it in quite quickly and overall looked cheerful, playfuland happy. Great to see.
Intangibles grade = A.
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Tiger appears to be much more content and accepting of his place in today’s game, and I believe this tampering of expectations, this exhibition of patience will help Tiger find a place, mentally, that’s more conducive for the 42-year-old version of himself to grow, learn, and contend on Tour.
He’ll have more weeks where he’s off than he ever used to. He’s fused now, he’s old, and his body simply won’t be as consistently reliable as it used to be. This most important thing isn’t resisting this, for father time is undefeated; the most important thing is for Tiger’s mind to travel at the same pace, with an understanding and acceptance of what the new deal is.
He doesn’t have to win at a 30% clip on Tour, as he used to. And he won’t. But if he’s accepting of his new body, and of the new, previously unexperienced shortcomings he will inevitably experience, there’s no reason he can’t perform in his 40s better than anyone else ever has.
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Continued healthiness will allow him to couple the hours of work required with his knowledge of the game and produce better, consistent ball-striking. And if he continues to save shots on and around the greens as well as he did this week, Tiger will be a serious force to be reckoned with, especially the weeks his swing is in sync.
He finished T-23rd this week playing largely like, to be frank, dogshit. He’s back at Riviera in three weeks and I predict a top-22 finish.