Spieth moves the needle as much as Tiger

[bladehunter]

jeebus those tiger suits are the business.... wow!

[Ole3wiggle]

While Spieth may move the needle on this golf forum as much as tiger did/does, he certainly doesnt even come close to moving the needle ratings wise as tiger did. Open Championship was down in overnight numbers year over year. If tiger was leading the Open the numbers would have been up 30%.

 

I'm not even a huge tiger fan. Its just staggering how much he really did move the needle in terms of non golf fans, or even very casual fans tuning in to watch him win.

[bub72ck]

Tiger was playing in a different era, much the same as Arnie and Jack before him. The best players in the history of the sport not only win a lot of events, but they change the way the game is played and approached as well. Tiger definitely did that and time will tell if Jordan will also. Jordan has the ability to make the putt or hit the shot more often than anyone else IMO. That alone is making majors with him in contention more exciting. But, Jordan is also playing against an entire field of players who grew up watching Tiger. That alone makes his journey more difficult.

[PostandGhost]

We'll know Jordan is moving the needle when more than half the posters here can spell his last name right.

 

"I" before "E" except after "C", that's how I remember it.

[Warrick]

All about what you have done lately with people anymore....

 

How soon people forget. I would like to see Jordan play a final round in a major with Tiger in his prime.

 

GOAT - give me a f'in break, 3 majors. He has not even matched Rory at this point.

 

I am not a fan, but his fans and the media make it so much more difficult to like him. It is hard enough with the constant on course audio, and complaining about almost every shot, then he wins his 3rd major and all of these post about passing Jack and Tiger, unreal.

 

Remember how easily it looked like Tiger would pass Jack?

 

These posts make me laugh.

[J_Tizzle]

I think people are also forgetting, when Tiger stormed onto the scene, he WAS golf. It was a bunch of old men and out of shape men and he was the one guy everyone wanted to see win because he was fun and exciting.

 

And because of Tiger's dominance, we have the much more competitive PGA Tour we enjoy today as all these young guys are groomed in a similar fashion to how Tiger was. Tiger had maybe 2-3 people that could compete with him during the prime of his career on any given day (Duval, Phil, maybe Els) and now the top 20 in the world are all basically the same golfer (not Tiger good, but as good as Duval and possibly Phil?). So to win a major is much more difficult now. Just like being #1 in the OWGR. It used to be Tiger then everyone else, now the everyone else is really really good, much better than the everyone else Tiger played against.

 

Thats my stance on it, Tiger did stuff no one else could do. Now, due to the impact he had on the game, lots of guys can do it (maybe not to the degree Tiger did, but still).

 

I love watching Jordan play just because he seems less absurdly intimidating than like a DJ or JD or Rory if that makes sense. Like I can relate to Jordan a little if that makes sense. Seeing those other guys hit 400 yard drives, I cannot relate to, lol.

[jslane57]

JS is getting there. If he is not in one of the final groups in a tournament, I'm tuning out. That's how it was with Tiger. And after last week, I've got non-golfers asking me about this Jordan guy. That's how it was with Tiger. Thanks to The MJ, the name Jordan is every bit as recognized as the name Tiger was. So maybe so.,,

[larrybud]

I haven't had this much fun on this forum since Tiger was blowing it UP!

 

Sorry, but he doesn't. Not even close. Tiger farts and TV ratings double.

 

http://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2017/07/british-open-ratings-spieth-overnights-nbc-down/

[sshoe9]

Spieth's problem is that he'll never have the aura of invincibility that Tiger enjoyed. How can he when he only hits it 290 and is incapable of overpowering a golf course? Guys will never be scared of that. They know that Jordan is always swimming against the statistical current in the sense that a wedge or mid-iron is usually going to hold a green and get you closer to a pin than a long iron, so they'll always feel like they have a chance. Yes, the kid does make some putts from time to time, but, again, statistically speaking, the player who is inside 10 feet from the hole will generally score better than the player who is 30 feet away. The putter is only going to save you for so long when you're giving up the type of distance he does to guys like Rory and DJ. For this reason, Spieth will never be able to string together the type of sustained dominance necessary to "move the needle" on a consistent basis.

 

Don't get me wrong, he's a nice player who knows how to manage his spots and what not, but when Rory, for example, gets it together again, it's basically going to be ballgame for Spieth. He just doesn't have the complete game to match up with the elite talent.

[dlygrisse]

He's got brains and balls gentleman, brains and balls.

 

 

 

(Thanks Richard :) )

[larrybud]

Spieth's problem is that he'll never have the aura of invincibility that Tiger enjoyed. How can he when he only hits it 290 and is incapable of overpowering a golf course?

 

Exactly, we probably won't ever see another Tiger. I think the guys today are maxed out as far as physical ability and they are all packed at the top, whereas Tiger was way ahead of the pack when he came out. Guys sitting there in the middle of the his first Masters saying how nobody has a chance, because he's playing a par 68 course and hitting driver 9 iron to greens where everybody else is hitting 5 irons.

 

 

My old instructor used to tell me about how when Tiger was in contention, he'd get a influx of people wanting lessons.

[KYMAR]

Nahhhh

 

 

 

 

Plus, you ain't the "needle" till your fans be like,

 

 

 

Be like

 

"we're a bunch of freaks!"

[Mdemuth]

Spieth doesn't get me excited at all. Tiger did, and I am not or never was a tiger this tiger that person like it seems a lot of posters are. Don't know what it is, just couldn't care less watching Spieth play, and his interviews are boring to me.

[BlackDiamondPar5]

I haven't had this much fun on this forum since Tiger was blowing it UP!

 

Sorry, but he doesn't. Not even close. Tiger farts and TV ratings double.

 

http://www.sportsmed...ights-nbc-down/

For the most part TV ratings are down across the board for sports, even the invincible NFL was all last year--- much due to alternate methods of staying up to date or watching the highlights later. For example I know people that don't normally watch golf that sat down and watched the drama unfold at 13 and continued to watch, or watched a replay on DVR or YouTube. The tournament was certainly a topic of discussion at my golf league this week and guys mentioning their wives watching late Sunday when they normally don't watch golf at all.

 

I will predict that if Tiger comes back (no matter how good or bad he plays) then ratings will certainly get a big boost, mostly driven by curiosity. Once the curiosity is gone, ratings will continue trend back to where they are now--- primarily because of those alternative viewing options.

[Swoosh-Thud]

Any "hot" golfer can move the needle. He does so now and deservedly so. But it's a bit hollow......24 hour golf coverage needs stories and a hero.....to replace the void Tiger left.

 

Tiger transcended the sport as did Arnie and Jack.

 

The seasoned PGA tour players understand that and often humbly thank Tiger for bringing the tour to where it is today...just watch the interviews whenever there's a glimpse of him coming back. They truly appreciate what Tiger has done to the sport, to them and their families. They want him back, not for any reason but because he earned it.

 

Spieth doesn't do that, just a popularity/flavor of the month needle and deservedly so, but a different needle nonetheless.......could have been DJ had he not slipped the night before the Masters...........

[bscinstnct]

Nahhhh

 

 

 

 

Plus, you ain't the "needle" till your fans be like,

 

 

 

Be like

 

"we're a bunch of freaks!"

 

As opposed to

 

 

Ha! Happy Friday, Kymar. Always liked the av ; )

 

 

From 2014, seems like days long gone by, but there was a time,,,,

 

 

Tailing Tiger at Augusta

 

 

As fast as the fairway crosswalk ropes open and close, word has spread over club grounds: "He's on the driving range!" The number of spectators in the practice area triples. Children are ushered to the rope, shorter spouses step in front of taller ones, roast-beef-faced old men squint, and bachelors with full beers flex onto their tiptoes. The merchandise center actually structures its restocking and employee-break schedules around Tiger. "When Tiger's on the course, it's dead, but when he makes the turn or leaves for the day, it gets real busy," says one employee who has worked at the merchandise center for more than a decade.

 

As the gallery compresses and bodies jostle, much muttering begins. Each comment is anonymous, because to scan for the source is to risk toppling over.

 

"There he is."

"Man, is he ripped."

"He didn't even look at my kid."

"What's the big deal? Not like he's going to turn water into wine."

The last only underscores what this really is: a communal religious experience.

There he is.

 

 

 

http://www.golfdiges...-at-the-masters

[Shilgy]

<p>

This plus 1000!

OR

[Shilgy]

Plus this

[BoogieThumper]

We'll know Jordan is moving the needle when more than half the posters here can spell his last name right.

THIS! :fan_1: We're done here.

[KillerPenguin]

I've posted this before... and I'll post it again. When I lived in the Philippines in the early 00s, even the basketball-crazy Filipinos knew who Tiger Woods was. Were I to ask them the same about Jordan, they would reply "Sino yan?" (Who is that?)

[cinnepa]

Good troll possibly...but I know I never turned the tv off when tiger was in contention before...meanwhile.

[moonshine]

Tiger had 24 missed cuts in his entire career. Jordan already has 20 in his first five years. Jordan is not even good enough to hold Tiger's sweaty jock.

Wait a sec...I hear it in the background...Foreigner taking the stage....crowd roars. Song? That was yesterday....

[larrybud]

Tiger was one of the few athletes who spanned across countries and sports. He was (and is) Jordanesque, and I'm talking about the guy with the last name Jordan. Kind of like Usain Bolt. Most of us in the general population couldn't name another sprinter but for Bolt. Or Michael Phelps.

 

As a golf fan, Spieth is fun to watch, but not even close to the same as far as popularity and notoriety.

[RoryGenius]

Spieth's problem is that he'll never have the aura of invincibility that Tiger enjoyed. How can he when he only hits it 290 and is incapable of overpowering a golf course? Guys will never be scared of that. They know that Jordan is always swimming against the statistical current in the sense that a wedge or mid-iron is usually going to hold a green and get you closer to a pin than a long iron, so they'll always feel like they have a chance. Yes, the kid does make some putts from time to time, but, again, statistically speaking, the player who is inside 10 feet from the hole will generally score better than the player who is 30 feet away. The putter is only going to save you for so long when you're giving up the type of distance he does to guys like Rory and DJ. For this reason, Spieth will never be able to string together the type of sustained dominance necessary to "move the needle" on a consistent basis.

 

Have to disagree with that, what he did on the last 5 holes Sunday would be enough to intimidate ANYBODY. When he's on song his % of long range putts made is freakish and even at 23 his is the name on the leaderboard that strikes most fear into the opposition. A few more majors and he will be at Tiger-like levels of intimidation.

[cardoza]

I think people are also forgetting, when Tiger stormed onto the scene, he WAS golf. It was a bunch of old men and out of shape men and he was the one guy everyone wanted to see win because he was fun and exciting.

 

And because of Tiger's dominance, we have the much more competitive PGA Tour we enjoy today as all these young guys are groomed in a similar fashion to how Tiger was. Tiger had maybe 2-3 people that could compete with him during the prime of his career on any given day (Duval, Phil, maybe Els) and now the top 20 in the world are all basically the same golfer (not Tiger good, but as good as Duval and possibly Phil?). So to win a major is much more difficult now. Just like being #1 in the OWGR. It used to be Tiger then everyone else, now the everyone else is really really good, much better than the everyone else Tiger played against.

 

Thats my stance on it, Tiger did stuff no one else could do. Now, due to the impact he had on the game, lots of guys can do it (maybe not to the degree Tiger did, but still).

 

I love watching Jordan play just because he seems less absurdly intimidating than like a DJ or JD or Rory if that makes sense. Like I can relate to Jordan a little if that makes sense. Seeing those other guys hit 400 yard drives, I cannot relate to, lol.

 

Blasphemous that you would forget about the former World No. 1, and currently tied for 3rd in this weeks tournament, the Big Fijian.

[KYMAR]

Nahhhh

 

 

 

 

Plus, you ain't the "needle" till your fans be like,

 

 

 

Be like

 

"we're a bunch of freaks!"

 

As opposed to

 

 

Ha! Happy Friday, Kymar. Always liked the av ; )

 

 

From 2014, seems like days long gone by, but there was a time,,,,

 

 

Tailing Tiger at Augusta

 

 

As fast as the fairway crosswalk ropes open and close, word has spread over club grounds: "He's on the driving range!" The number of spectators in the practice area triples. Children are ushered to the rope, shorter spouses step in front of taller ones, roast-beef-faced old men squint, and bachelors with full beers flex onto their tiptoes. The merchandise center actually structures its restocking and employee-break schedules around Tiger. "When Tiger's on the course, it's dead, but when he makes the turn or leaves for the day, it gets real busy," says one employee who has worked at the merchandise center for more than a decade.

 

As the gallery compresses and bodies jostle, much muttering begins. Each comment is anonymous, because to scan for the source is to risk toppling over.

 

"There he is."

"Man, is he ripped."

"He didn't even look at my kid."

"What's the big deal? Not like he's going to turn water into wine."

The last only underscores what this really is: a communal religious experience.

There he is.

 

 

http://www.golfdiges...-at-the-masters

 

 

The problem of course is my avatar is my own. and I chose it myself. As opposed to grown men in full "adoration garb" . I mean what a lack of self respect to walk around in public in a prepubescent sleep wear.

 

TEAM TIGER mentality. As though they are involved on some personal level.. Like Shooters henchmen in Happy Gilmore. "ready to go to Perkins Tiger?"

 

I mean a lot of people love Mickelson but you don't see a bunch of guys walking the grounds in KPMG visors and fat suits.

 

There's "fan of" then there's full weirdo. Only tiger has an entourage of full weirdo.

 

Not counting you in that group.( allegedly)

[jlbos83]

Maybe someday. But that's years from now. Even if he wins a lot, I don't see the domination/intimidation factor that made Tiger so interesting to non-golf fans. He knew he was going to win, his opponents knew hew was going to win, and someone who didn't know a putter from a driver knew he was going to win.

[mwkbmw]

Spieth's problem is that he'll never have the aura of invincibility that Tiger enjoyed. How can he when he only hits it 290 and is incapable of overpowering a golf course?

 

Exactly, we probably won't ever see another Tiger. I think the guys today are maxed out as far as physical ability and they are all packed at the top, whereas Tiger was way ahead of the pack when he came out. Guys sitting there in the middle of the his first Masters saying how nobody has a chance, because he's playing a par 68 course and hitting driver 9 iron to greens where everybody else is hitting 5 irons.

 

 

My old instructor used to tell me about how when Tiger was in contention, he'd get a influx of people wanting lessons.

 

If the guys today are maxed out physically, how do you think Tiger would fare if he came along now, instead of 20 odd years ago?

 

I think he would be at the top because of his focus, but I certainly don't think he would dominate like he did.

[new2g0lf]

Spieth's problem is that he'll never have the aura of invincibility that Tiger enjoyed. How can he when he only hits it 290 and is incapable of overpowering a golf course?

 

Exactly, we probably won't ever see another Tiger. I think the guys today are maxed out as far as physical ability and they are all packed at the top, whereas Tiger was way ahead of the pack when he came out. Guys sitting there in the middle of the his first Masters saying how nobody has a chance, because he's playing a par 68 course and hitting driver 9 iron to greens where everybody else is hitting 5 irons.

 

 

My old instructor used to tell me about how when Tiger was in contention, he'd get a influx of people wanting lessons.

 

If the guys today are maxed out physically, how do you think Tiger would fare if he came along now, instead of 20 odd years ago?

 

I think he would be at the top because of his focus, but I certainly don't think he would dominate like he did.

I agree and I'm a huge Tiger fan. Tiger dominated because his entire game was solid and he could out drive most off the tee. That distance advantage wouldn't exist today and he'd have to push in other areas of his game to keep up.

[mwkbmw]

Spieth doesn't get me excited at all. Tiger did, and I am not or never was a tiger this tiger that person like it seems a lot of posters are. Don't know what it is, just couldn't care less watching Spieth play, and his interviews are boring to me.

 

Have you even seen an interview with Tiger? You can't possibly be saying that his interviews were better than Jordan's. They are not in the same league. Check that, same universe.

 

Actually, I wouldn't really call someone asking questions to someone who never gives an honest answer an interview.