It started with one golf shot. One eyes-closed, head pulled, inside-out 6-iron at the Medinah Country Club during the 1999 PGA Championship and the chatter began. Who is in line to be the next Tiger Woods?
The interesting part of that was that Woods was in the midst of claiming just his second major championship, beating out a leg-kicking Sergio Garcia, but people wanted to know right then who we should anoint as the next Tiger. Since baby-faced Sergio, the names have come and gone. We've toyed with David Duval. We've jived with Retief Goosen. We've watched Adam Scott and Anthony Kim and, now, Ryo Ishikawa join the ranks as "next in line." The problem is, it just isn't happening. So what is wrong with our list of "Next Tigers"?
So far this year, Sergio has just a single top-10 finish on the PGA Tour, ranked 81st in the total driving category he used to dominate. Along with that, Garcia continues to battle the putting demons, struggling to 141st on tour after coming in at 142nd a year ago (this is a huge change since he was 17th in putting average ranking in '07). Garcia is to the point in his career when people are questioning if he'll ever win a major championship, something people would have scoffed at years ago.
Sergio isn't the only one who is having a horrible year.
Adam Scott went to the same coach that helped develop Tiger's swing, and models his game after Mr. Woods. After consecutive years in '07 and '08 when Scott made 88 percent of his cuts on the PGA Tour, the 29-year-old Australian has missed seven of 15 weekends this season, carding just one top-10 all year. His year has been well-documented, and if Scott can't have a good week at Hazeltine, it will mark the third straight year he hasn't finished in the top-10 at a major championship.
Kim is a different type of story. The 24-year-old who used to party too much and practice too little said it was Tiger himself who made him realize that he wasn't taking the game serious enough, and two wins last year was evidence of that. Coming off a great '08, Kim has struggled to just three top-10s, missing the cut at the British and firing a second-round 82 at the Players. The expectations for Kim have been high, and although his year has been fine by most players' standards, a kid with the talent of A-Kim can't be thrilled with his season.
That brings us to McIlroy and Ishikawa. At this point, it isn't fair to expect much in the big tournaments from a 20-year-old and 17-year-old, but the talk has already started. When will they break through? Will they be another dud in the long list of players we hope can match the best start to a golf career that we've ever seen?
Both these kids look to have the ability to win, and win in bulk. Just this year alone, they have combined for three international victories, but is that enough to quiet the critics that can't stand to see another hopeful struggle to break through?
Maybe our expectations are too high, but for the talent that has found its way to rise north, the results have been lukewarm. Maybe this week, at Hazeltine, we'll actually get to see someone break through that we'd hope would. If not, it'll be another long offseason wondering if anyone can ever do a small part of what Tiger has been able to accomplish.
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LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers watches as Mo Williams #2 takes a shoe to the face by Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers after a steal in the closing seconds of the first half at The Quicken Loans Arena on February 8, 2009 in Cleveland, Ohio. (David Liam Kyle, NBAE/Getty Images)
David Liam Kyle, NBAE/Getty Images
Brazil's Diogo (L) vies for the ball with Paraguay's Hernan Perez during their U-20 South American Championship football match in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela on February 8, 2009.(Juan Barreto, AFP/Getty Images )
Juan Barreto, AFP/Getty Images
A Dalmatian looks at its handler as a judge goes to touch the dog during the first day of the 2009 Westminster Dog Show in New York February 9, 2009.(Lucas Jackson, Reuters)
Lucas Jackson, Reuters
Denver Nuggets forward Chris Anderson touches his head during a time out in the first half of their NBA basketball game with the New Jersey Nets in East Rutherford, New Jersey February 7, 2009. (Ray Stubblebine, Reuters)
Ray Stubblebine, Reuters
Margarita Marbler, of Austria, skis to a bronze medal finish the ladies moguls freestyle FIS World Cupskiing qualification at Cypress mountain in West Vancouver, British Columbia, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009. (Jonathan Hayward, The Canadian Press/AP)
Jonathan Hayward, The Canadian Press/AP
West Virginia guard Darryl Bryant (25) is fouled by Providence guard Jeff Xavier (1) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Morgantown, W.Va. Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009. West Virginia won 86-59. (Don Wright, AP)
Don Wright, AP
Missouri's DeMarre Carroll, top, celebrates the Tigers' 62-60 win over Kansas in Columbia, Missouri, Monday, February 9, 2009. (Rich Sugg, Kansas City Star/MCT)
Rich Sugg, Kansas City Star/MCT
David Clarkson #23 of the New Jersey Devils fights Erik Reitz #4 of the New York Rangers during their game on February 9, 2009 at The Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey (Al Bello, Getty Images)
Al Bello, Getty Images
Driver Patrick Sheltra (60) begins to spin coming out of the fourth turn during the ARCA 200 auto race in Daytona Beach, Fla. Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009.
Darryl Graham, AP
Spain's Nuria Llagostera Vives serves the ball, in this multiple exposure, to Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic during their Fed Cup tennis match in Brno February 7, 2009.
Petr Josek, Reuters
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-11-2009 @ 5:01PM
johnnygnsvll said...
there will never be another t i g e r
Reply
8-11-2009 @ 10:10PM
Andy said...
I am not a tiger fan but i thing he just happens to be the best of the best. he just plays his game and finds ways to win on any circumstance that he comes up against.
Reply
8-11-2009 @ 11:36PM
5thStFreddie said...
What made Nicklaus so great was the competition: it's what made Ali so great, Bjorn Borg, Magic and Bird and Jordan. People forget that Nicklaus won 18 Majors but finished second 19 times and third 11 times: that's 48 top three finishes in Majors. Not even Tiger will match that: Jack was always there, and he rarely lost. People just beat him. But what made him great was Player, and Palmer, and Trevino, and Watson: the latter's four wins, head to head, kept Jack from 22 Majors. For a period of seven years, Watson beat Nicklaus constantly. The problem today: none of these guys, from Mickelson to Sergio to Harrington, is mentally tough. Harrington had Tiger in the hole, and he shrank. They all shrink. Tiger WILLS those putts to drop, Tiger refuses to putt until he knows he's going to make it, he's obsessed with sticking the ball close to the hole. Roger Federer looked unbeatable and was easily the greatest who ever lived, until Rafael Nadal honed and perfected his game to the point where people were convinced that Federer would never regain his Number One ranking. The hunger, the obsession, the focus: Watson never backed down, and Arnie never backed down, and Hogan and Player never backed down and never for one second thought anyone out there was better than them. The current crop is too rich, too comfortable: Mickelson had to force himself to lose 30 pounds of blubber just to compete, and here's the one guy with the game to beat Tiger, but not the will to perservere. What happened to Ernie Els, who had it all? Dave Duval? Zack Johnson? Why did Fred Couples, with the game's most effortless swing, only win two majors and fade well before he should have. Bad back? Exercise and stretching would cure that: Freddie can't spell "gym." Tiger brings what Jack and Arnie brought to the game: the mental toughness of a football player. The rest of them are playing badmitten.
Reply
8-12-2009 @ 12:00AM
Zach said...
Freddie only won 1 major, but you are exaclty right on everything else!
8-11-2009 @ 11:40PM
jscampbellsr said...
HES RIGHT THERE WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER TIGER NOR WILL THERE EVER BE ANOTHER MONTANNA,OR MICHEAL JORDAN,OR ANOTHER EARNDHART SR IT IS WHAT IT IS AND THATS IT. MAKE YOUR MARK IN HISTORY BECOME A LEGEND. AND THEN SPEND THE REST OF YOUR LIFE TRYING TO FIND ONE BETTER. PEOPLE, DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME. YOU PROBABALLY WILL NOT LIKE THE OUTCOME.
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8-12-2009 @ 12:24AM
ga7smi said...
we don't need any tigers on the golf course - we need a bunch of players that can win -tiger owns the pga and gets what he wants - if there any good players they do not show their talent if tiger is in contention - the talent is mediocre - watson showed them up this year and a few years ago the big three shot better than half the field at the masters -someone good needs to tell the pga to go to hell and go out and whip the tiger - tiger is not that good! if woods had to play when palmer, player, nicklaus, watson, miller et. al. were around his record would be good and jack would have lost some majors and so would have woods - woods and nicklaus would have been lost in the crowd of good players - if johnny miller had remained focused he would have been as good as anybody has been - be interesting if woods actually played 20 tournaments during the regular year
Reply
8-12-2009 @ 10:10AM
twilights said...
i just love to hear people say tiger is not that good.hahahahahahahahahahaha.
Reply
8-13-2009 @ 12:35AM
Jim Davis said...
Who cares? I mean really. Watching a golf game is about as exciting as watching paint on a wall dry!
RT
www.anon-web-tools.net.tc
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8-13-2009 @ 2:33PM
ifigolf.com said...
It is hard to argue whether a player would be successful during other eras. Would jack in his prime with all this technology today be better than Tiger. Could Tiger adapt to the different conditions and clubs of the old days?? Who really knows. The point is, the tour is seeing the lowest scoring average's in history continue to drop, and Tiger shows up, adapts to any surroundings and gets it done. He is a Once in a Lifetime player, just as Walter Hagen was in his day, and Jack was in His day, and Jordan was in his day. Eventually we will see another down the road that is Ahead of his time. Like Lebron to MJ and Tiger to Jack. As we progress in society so will the abilities. There is one thing to be said though....Tiger IS THAT GOOD!
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