Does anyone think Tiger Woods will win the Masters today? http://www.augusta.com/

I like it when someone else wins other than Tiger. He is starting to be or is already the equivalent of the New York Yankees. Like to see other teams than the Yankees win World Series, so I usually root for someone else to win at professional golf tournaments.

[Russ_Boston]

Since the Yankees haven't won in 7 years you must be happy!

Immelman has to falter. 6 shots is too much for Tiger to make up without help. Can it happen? Sure. Not likely since Immelman has been steady.

[Village Kid 2]

Originally Posted by Russ_Boston

Immelman has to falter. 6 shots is too much for Tiger to make up without help. Can it happen? Sure. Not likely since Immelman has been steady.

I agree, Russ, but the chase will be great fun to watch!

VK2

[Muncle]

Originally Posted by Russ_Boston

Since the Yankees haven't won in 7 years you must be happy!

Immelman has to falter. 6 shots is too much for Tiger to make up without help. Can it happen? Sure. Not likely since Immelman has been steady.

As much as I have grown to like Tiger, and a loss here takes all the air out of the Grand Slam balloon, I'd wouldn't mind seeing either of the last twosome hold on. Immelman does seem to have the game, and I kinda like Brandt Snedeker. There's been a lot of talk about how Brandt has always tried to emulate Tommy Watson. When Tom was a youngster, they used to call him Huck Finn because of his looks and demeanor. Snedeker hair, complexion, and smile makes me think of a blonder Opie Taylor.

[jjdees]

I don't recall seeing Tiger struggle as much as he has this week. I wouldn't count him out but unless the leaders have a run of bad luck and Tiger turns his game on, he's not going to wear a fifth green jacket.

Originally Posted by jjdees

I don't recall seeing Tiger struggle as much as he has this week. I wouldn't count him out but unless the leaders have a run of bad luck and Tiger turns his game on, he's not going to wear a fifth green jacket.

There's always next year. There must be another golfer like Tiger Woods on the horizon though. With the training, equipment, and culture of 2008+ professional golf you would not think he can retain his dominance for more than a few more years. It seems to be so much about psyching the other players out.

[Russ_Boston]

Let's not forget that he still came in second. Jack Nicklaus not only won 18 majors but also finished second 19 times!

The fact that Tiger is, well Tiger, means that other golfers can't get the numbers to be considered great. Without Jack there would have been more parody. Remember that Arnie was king but he only had about 6 years of dominance until Jack came along. Without Jack, Arnie might be the all time Major leader. Without Tiger, Phil might have more like 9 majors.

Tiger's reign will end but probably not for 9-10 more years baring injury. Just sit back and enjoy his brilliance.

Originally Posted by Russ_Boston

Let's not forget that he still came in second. Jack Nicklaus not only won 18 majors but also finished second 19 times!

The fact that Tiger is, well Tiger, means that other golfers can't get the numbers to be considered great. Without Jack there would have been more parody. Remember that Arnie was king but he only had about 6 years of dominance until Jack came along. Without Jack, Arnie might be the all time Major leader. Without Tiger, Phil might have more like 9 majors.

Tiger's reign will end but probably not for 9-10 more years baring injury. Just sit back and enjoy his brilliance.

Will he win a Grand Slam some year with the competition he may be facing from various Young Turks??

[Russ_Boston]

I doubt that we will ever see a grand slam. The only chance may be in 2010 when:

The Masters will be in Augusta (of course)
The US Open is at Pebble where Tiger set a record in 2000
The British Open is at The Old Course at St. Andrews where Tiger dominates
The PGA is at in French Lick IN (home of Larry Bird) where no one has played and therefore there is no advantage.

[Muncle]

The scary thing about Tiger's dominance is that he is now only 32 years old. By golf standards, he is only just entering his prime years. Yes, there are young Turks, but not too many and the vast majority of those fall by the wayside or somehow never achieve projected greatness. A few years back, Sergio was going to take over the tour. Granted, he's still only 28 and may well gel into one of the truly greats, but the last 10 years have demonstrated the difference between potential and performance. In the last 5 years or so, there have been a score of golfers climb into the elite of the Top 5. Some stay close (Lefty), some come and go and come back, (Vijay), some just appear and disappear (Furyk, Goosen). Only Tiger stays on top. Contrary to what it might seem, any player can win a PGA tournament. However, for the vast majority, they must play their best and be completely mistake free. Some, like Mickelson, can get by with less. Only Tiger can bring his "C+ game" to a tourney and win. As Russ pointed out, he did finish 2nd this week, and he had some very unTigerish moments.

[jjdees]

Tiger is by far, in my humble opinion, the most disciplined athlete I've ever seen. He is completely dedicated to his game. And he's a very personable and pleasant young man in spite of his wealth and status in the sports world. Earl did an outstanding job and should have been named "Father of the Century".

[The Great Fumar]

TIGER SUCKETH !!!

[Russ_Boston]

Could you expound on that please Fumar?

[Muncle]

Tiger Woods has surgery on knee

Tiger Woods underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair cartilage damage in his left knee Tuesday, two days after finishing second at the Masters, and will be sidelined for at least a month.

The surgery, announced on his website, is on the same knee that required surgery in 1994 and again in 2002. He missed the first five tournaments of the 2003 season while recuperating from the latter.

He is expected to miss at least two tournaments he normally plays, the Wachovia Championship, May 1-4, and the Players Championship, May 8-11. If the recovery goes as expected he could return at either Memorial, May 29-June 1, or the U.S. Open, June 12-15 at Torrey Pines.

"I made the decision to deal with the pain and schedule the surgery for after the Masters," Woods said in a statement on TigerWoods.com. "The upside is that I have been through this process before and know how to handle it. I look forward to working through the rehabilitation process and getting back to action as quickly as I can."

The surgery took place at the HealthSouth Surgery Center in Park City, Utah. Thomas Rosenburg, the same doctor who performed the 2002 procedure, was the surgeon.

Woods, who finished three shots behind champion Trevor Immelman at the Masters, has shown no signs of being injured this season, winning his first four tournaments worldwide with three victories, a fifth and a second in five PGA Tour starts. He leads in money won at $4.4 million.

On a right-handed golfer such as Woods, the left knee absorbs more of a physical toll than the right because it remains straight as the golfer's weight transfers forward. Woods has a particularly violent move, exerting additional force to the knee.

Woods' agent, Mark Steinberg, told the Associated Press that Woods had been in pain since the middle of last year.

"When he had it looked at by his doctors, arthroscopic surgery was recommended," Steinberg said. "Tiger has played through the pain in the past, but knew it would be better for him to have the procedure done as early as possible."

In 1994, Woods had a benign tumor removed from the knee and in December 2002, he had a cyst removed and fluid drained from the same knee.

After recovering from that 2002 surgery, Woods returned, coincidentally, at Torrey Pines in 2003 and won the Buick Invitational. He proceeded to win three of his first four PGA Tour starts that season, though he did not win a major in 2003 or 2004.

"This is something he's already used to," swing coach Hank Haney told the Associated Press. "He deals with stuff incredibly, like you would expect him to."

Haney said he knew Woods had been having problems with the knee but was not aware of the surgery and said it did not affect his play at Augusta last weekend.

"He's been having a lot of trouble," Haney said. "I don't think it affected his play. It affected his practice a little bit. He hit 14 greens in regulation on Sunday. Hard to say it was the knee."

Woods' missing tournaments is not something the PGA Tour likes to hear, but Commissioner Tim Finchem said in a statement that Woods has to do what's best for his health.

"Of course, we're disappointed when Tiger is unable to compete in a PGA Tour event," Finchem said. "There is really never a good time for an athlete -- especially one of Tiger's caliber -- to take weeks off from competition during the season. But his health concerns have to come first."

Thanks for the information, Muncle. ;D