U.S. Open 2008??

[JChipwood]

Anyone following the Open this year?? Silly question. Hey i know that all the commentators are ready to dub tiger as the best of all time and he is the best I have witnessed in his prime but one stat yesterday put things into perspective for me. Nicklaus has 73 major tournament top tens, 18 wins and 20 some 2nd place finishes. Now that is consistancy and greatness. Tiger must be in top ten every major thru 2019 to match that and lacks in 2nd places by a mile. Tiger now has 29 top tens in majors and maybe going for win #14. I only saw Jack win one major that I remember and that was the incredible 2nd nine at Augusta comeback in 86? i think so I really cannot compare but as someone that grew up golfing i can tell you that today's game is much much easier than even 15 years ago much less 30 and 40. I hit the ball farther than ever and it isn't due to a consistant swing but moreso due to changes in technology, metal woods mostly but also with the irons and golfballs as well. Even misses go somewhere now rather than nowhere. With that said we are witnessing greatness with Tiger and i root for him everytime, especially with an injury on fahter's day but I for one am not ready to give him the title of best ever yet and would even argue that Hogan and Snead maybe just as close to second as Tiger. IMHO Tiger has the shot to become the best but at this point in his career he is a distant second at best. Check the record books if you disagree and see how the 2 stack up to each other. Golfing ability and greatness is measured by consistancy and Jack has a huge advantage, one that may not be overcome by anyone.

[tomcat fan]

today greatness is measured by championships, and as soon as Tiger passes Jacks record of 18 major championships almost everyone will consider him to be the best of all time

[Bleeding Red]

Nicklaus knows that Tiger is better than he ever was. Once Tiger passes him for all time major victories, he will admit it if he is still alive.

Tiger is one tough individual. The NIKE commerical that has his late father speaking about how Tiger will never meet anyone as mentally tough as he is, is just awesome. And Johnny Miller's comments after the Open were incredible. He said (and I am paraphrasing) "Tiger at some point had to be thinking 'this pain in my knee is not worth it.....I need to pack it up and withdraw. But there was a voice from his father saying 'You are the toughest person out here', which is why he grinded out this win".

I have seen Tiger play several times at the Memorial. He gets haggled that he doesnt sign autographs, etc, but there are and havent been any professional athletes that have his drive, determination and focus. Michael Jordan probably came close, but we are witnessing the best athlete EVER in Tiger Woods.

[JChipwood]

Hey i am a Tiger fan and root him on all the way when he plays. unfortunatley for the sport it is not enough times in a year to draw attention to the game every week. That being the major difference b/w Jack and Tiger, Jack played nearly every week and was almost always in the top ten and usually either winning or finishing second. In the majors Jack finished top ten what percent of the time?? Almost everytime for a 20 year period, consistancy is the name of the game and anyone who plays knows that to be true, double bogey, birdie, bogey birdie, birdie is still the same as 5 pars and no better. I agree that when Tiger passes Jack, and he will, that he will be known as the winningest in major tournaments but still maybe not the best. Yes if you compare Jack back in the day to Tiger now, Tiger scores better and plays better competition but put Jack in his prime and in this decade and Jack would compete at least. I do agree br, that the NIKE commercial is pretty cool. As far as J Miller goes, that guy thinks his &h1t doesn't stink and says some of the dumbest stuff, not saying what he said this year isn't true but everytime he is commentating he comes up with some kind of Johnnyism that even gets his co-workers fired up, usually cutting on whoever is in the lead as if he had won 5 majors himself or something. I guess Jack-Tiger is like Mike-Kobe, without the latter there wouldn't be the other to drive themself to perfectionism. I am a huge Tiger fan like i said but will not be willing to hand over the thrown until the dust settles, just as most agree would be wrong to do with comparing anyone to Michael Jordan. Golf greatness relies on consistancy and will take some extreme longevity to surpass Jack. Is Tiger the man for the job, of course, but still needs about ten years to pass Jack, more to golf greatness than just winning 4 events a year, ie weekly events and Ryder Cupp victories. I think we all agree that Tiger is the best we have been witness to but history is kept to reflect and needs to be treated respectfully.

[JChipwood]

Okay last posts just a little harsh considering that Tiger is out for the year with more than one injury. Hopefully he comes back quick and just as healthy as ever b/c whether or not he is better than Jack or Ben or Sam doesn't really matter, removing the best player inthe game from the sport hurts the sport and for me takes away from the fun of watching at least the next couple majors and even the Ryder Cupp, ouch!!! Anyone remember when Bo Jackson got hurt?? Who is the favorite inthe British Open now??

[Bleeding Red]

This opens the door for Phil Mickelson to do one of 2 things:

1.) Take advantage and show what he can do

2.) Struggle and fall on his face

He is so up and down it is hard to tell......but this is an excellent opportunity for him to really get some momentum. Even if he wins, he has to hear the critics talk about him still not being able to beat Tiger.

Ratings will surely be down for the British Open, Ryder Cup and the PGA this year. Ratings skyrocket when Tiger is in the field and they plummet when he is not.

[JChipwood]

Good post bleeding red.

Mickelson is awfully inconsistant at times but some other players may gain confidence and momentum too. Sucks for the Ryder Cup, we need a win bad this year and Tiger sure helps those chances.