I grew up a Nicklaus fan, and with respect to golf, I am a Tiger fan. In my opinion the biggest difference in the two is that Jack didn't make golf complicated. He took his physical game and mental toughness to the golf course every tournament and that was good enough to be the best golfer we have seen in our generation, maybe ever. When he needed a bit of polishing, he called on his long time mentor and coach Jack Grout.
As for Tiger, in my opinion, had he followed the same path and trusted his natural talent and mental ability along with his great work ethic, he would have exceeded the accomplishments of Jack. But in his effort to be even greater than what he was, he tore up his body with a fitness regimen unsuited for golf, and filled his head with swing thoughts from variety of sources, some better than others.
Without a doubt Tiger has been good for the game of golf and the professional golfing world. But maybe "has been" is where he is now. I don't know, none of us do. The next few months will be very telling. If he were not Tiger, I would have stuck that proverbial fork in him. I won't do that just yet...but I'm close.
|