Remember not that long ago when Tiger Woods was the greatest golfer on the planet, and a lock to eventually break Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 majors? This past weekend Tiger tied for 44th at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, completing yet another unremarkable tournament experience. The reality is that ever since Tiger’s life was turned upside down in November of 2009, he simply hasn’t been the same intimidating, championship-caliber golfer on the links.
While golf enthusiasts continue to analyze and discuss all of the mechanical problems Tiger has these days, and Tiger himself regularly talks about his swing being out of whack, the truth is his biggest problem has very little to do with technique. The #1 problem Tiger is facing is that other golfers no longer fear him, which has allowed them to play more freely and confidently, while Tiger’s game has “tightened up” as a result of no longer having the psychological edge that he had on the competition for the last 10+ years.
The days of the field playing scared and to “not lose” rather than playing to win are long gone. Once a titan on the golf course, Woods is still respected today, but he is no longer feared. Professional golfers have seen over a year’s worth of pretty average play from Tiger, giving them less worry and more confidence when competing against him. The result? A hard fall for Woods – going from nearly invincible to just another good golfer competing along with everyone else.
In addition to the rest of Tiger’s competition believing more than ever before that they can now beat him, Tiger realizes that the other guys no longer worry about his presence on the course. Tiger has become human in their eyes, which not only empowers them, but also scrapes away at Woods and his own level of confidence. When confidence dips and anxiety spikes, even the greatest athletes in the world can tighten up be beat, as Woods has shown us since his return.
For Tiger Woods fans, it is extremely unlikely you will ever see the Tiger Woods of old again. The reality is Woods has lost his Mojo, and the only way it will ever come back is if he goes on to completely dominate again like he did when he first turned professional – a scenario that is extremely unlikely. Interestingly, this phenomenon we are currently seeing is not unique to Tiger Woods, as countless elite-level athletes over the years have fallen back to the rest of the pack after having great careers. The reason this occurs has to do with the ever-delicate balance great athletes have (and sometimes lose) – when personal confidence level is high, while their competition worries about how to control their anxiety. When this shift occurs, it is almost impossible to beat a great athlete – as we have seen for over the last decade with Woods.
For Tiger Woods it has been an unbelievable career to date, one that will undoubtedly place him with some of the finest golfers who have ever lived. Unfortunately, this is likely the end of the road for Tiger Woods and his dominance. By no means is this saying he won’t ever win another tournament, but the mental edge he used to have is probably gone forever. In Tiger's case, the days where he had such high confidence that losing wasn’t an option, have turned into mere hopes for a win. This difference in thinking, where hope replaces confidence and conviction, is often the difference between good and great. For now, Jack Nicklaus can rest easy with his record of 18 major titles.
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Comments
I don't agree. One thing that set Tiger Woods aside was his mental game - this is a guy who ALWAYS thinks he can win even when he starts Sunday 7 strokes back. All it will take is for him to win one tournament and his mojo will return. I'm not a fan of the guy, but I think he's a "glass is 1% full" kind of guy at the worst of times. And that will help him in the long run.
You wish!!!!! No stopping before dismantling Jack's Record. We believe in him.
The most insightful article on Woods for awhile. Since he burst on the scene, the golf reporting media has maginified ten fold, without having a basis understanding of golf. These "scribes" and minority fans don't know why he's done so well, just that he's the best period [see comments]. He is unlikely to win 4 tournaments, let alone majors, the rest of his playing days. Well done!
All he needs to do is when. He will be the same intimidating Tiger as before. Look at Kobe Bryant. He went through a struggle and he is right back on top. You don't lose greatness. Tiger has unrivaled foundation as a golfer. Keep playing Tiger were behind you!
Tiger's a loser now. Good to see. He thought he was above it all, but he wasn't.
The statistics simply don't bear out your point. His "mojo" was that he was simply better than everyone else. Let's focus on the one part of golf that doesn't lie- scoring average. It isn't just that Tiger dominated this category from 2000-2009 (winning 9 out of 10 years). It's how he did it. In 9 of the 10 years Tiger's scoring average was below 69. In the same ten year period, only three other players produced a scoring average below 69. And none of those players did it more than once. Tiger woods, tournament after tournament, shot after shot was better than his peers. It didn't matter if they were confident or fearful, they didn't have the games to consistently shoot lower than him. Even in 2010, when Tiger clearly had lost his "mojo" the leading players on the PGA Tour failed to have scoring averages less than 69. In other words, if the "old Tiger" had played the way he did over the previous 10 years, he would have dominated again. Bobby Jones remarked that golf is played on a course between the ears, so Tiger's own mental state, along with his swing issues contributes to his inability to shoot as low as he did. But I find this discussion of other players not "fearing" him to be laughable. They would be intimidated by his scores, because time has proven one point--- the rest of the tour can't shoot them.
I am happy tiger's career has spiraled into this mayhem, this is exactly what u get for denying that you are black hahah, it was simple...all u had to say...like barack obama has done was "i am black".....but no, for you....you just had to be diferent...you had to be a combination of 6 to 7 races....even though that doesnt even make sense...but you forced the issue.
What jealousy you must have for Tiger. He will come back in spite of the haters and naysayers. Have you always been this jealous of him because he obviously has done something better than anyone else?
my name says it all
Good article. One big difference between Jack and Tiger is that Jack played the course, not people and managed himself and his game better than Tiger. It didn't matter who Jack played. This approach combined with his talents and other intangibles gave him his successful longevity. I think Tiger's problem is that it's all about mojo, testosterone or whatever you want to call it. He craves to be challenged, and appears to enjoy beating people badly. It's exciting to watch but tough to sustain this type of approach over the long term no matter what the sport. If Tiger can get the mechanics back and focus on temper, course management, and the next shot instead of chasing and catching Jack, he'll probably look up one day and realize he did just that.
A great article and the most truthful and clear explanation that I have read to date. I totally agree with your position.
Nicklaus' record safe? As Bruno would say ... Ich don't think so.
Nothing is going to stop Tiger Woods from getting to 19. It has nothing to do with this imaginary intimidation factor you pulled from the sky. A golf course doesn't get intimidated and that's what he's playing against (better than everyone else by a measurable margin). Once he overcomes this slump, he'll dominate for at least another 5 years and be right at the top until his mid 40s.
It's entertaining to watch Tiger golf when he's great and his time of struggle. It's part of humility and what goes around come around.
This is one of the stupidest articles I've ever read. There's a reason that "countless elite-level athletes over the years have fallen back to the rest of the pack after having great careers". It's not because they lost their confidence, it's AGE. Time stops for no man, and an athlete, regardless of the game, cannot perform as well as his body ages and his physical gifts decline.
Don't mean to bust everyones bubble but its 2012 and Tiger is having a hard time winning anything. Rory is giving him a run for his money. Youth and being fearless compared to Tiger who by the way is getting older 36 to be exact. The older you get the smarter you get in Tigers case this is actually hurting him. Rory who is just a baby will steal his thunder this year. Sorry but Tiger will never pass Jacks record!! The proof is in the pudding. He is not able to close and that is something he never had a problem with before.
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