Wow, what a finish. I rarely watch golf but I watched the end of the US Open today. It was definitely worth it, an exciting event to watch.
Do you think he was facing the same kind of depth Tiger faces? Do you think better equipment has made an impact? We could sit up all night every night for the rest of our bleary lives discussing that, but for what it's worth: 1) Depth of field - everything is relative, but I tend to agree with David Feherty's comment: "When Nicklaus was at his best, there were only two or three people in the world capable of beating him. When Woods is at his best, no one can get near him." In other words, I think there is a bigger gap between Tiger and the field than there was between Jack and the field. Oddly though, I think the pack chasing Tiger is stronger than the pack that chased Jack, because of the... 2) Equipment - I think the biggest difference the new gear has made is for people like Rocco. Ten years ago, the distance difference between the longest and shortest players was huge, and as players got old and lost distance, they got sufficiently worse that they would slide out of view for five or six years until they hit the seniors. That doesn't seem to happen as much now. Jack won the Masters in '86 at the age of 46 and the world was amazed. Hale Irwin won the US Open in 1990 and you'd have thought by the press reaction that it was the astounding final act of a dying man. He had only just turned 45. If the technology has done anything, it has brought the field closer together and extended careers. In a way, that's really frightening. I still don't think Woods has peaked, and he may not do so until his late thirties. I also think he looks after himself so well, and the equipment will just keep getting better, that if he doesn't decide to become the President instead, he could keep beating everyone until at least 2025.
Great finish, but i have to wonder: playing on that knee, how much has he sacrificed long term to win this major? I know he takes great care of himself, and it was a minor surgery, but part of me wonders if it doesn't become a persistent problem for him after playing on it this week. The torque put on his kneee after every shot could keep this from ever going away completely. Not trying to be a downer, but i wonder if his competitiveness could hurt him passing jack.
Comparing the athletes of today to those of the past is a difficult task regardless of the sport. The athletes of today are bigger, better trained, and have far better equipment. A quick check of Nicklaus' driver to Tiger's will tell the story...we could also check their balls, but let's not get personal here. Tiger is a phenomenon. (don't care of someone thinks that I'm over-rating him) I was pulling for Rocco today, as I love to cheer for the underdog, Tiger was just too good. Even when Tiger is not at his best, he wasn't this weekend, he stays in the hunt and will take advantage of any opportunities. The man can putt, though I'd like to see him challenge the windmill hole on my home course!
Rocco is my new sports hero:
"Oh, my God, that was ridiculous," Mediate said. "Yeah, I've never had more fun. I've never ... it's just amazing. He's hard to beat. I threw everything I had, the kitchen sink, everything, right at him...." ... "It's like a prize fight," Mediate said. "No one even expected me to be (here) that long or survive and he had to birdie the last again to tie me. Again. And he did it. It's amazing." Woods insisted he isn't one of those who only now can appreciate Mediate's grit. "I already knew that about Rocco. He's not only one of the nicest guys, but people don't realize how much of a competitor he is," Woods said. They should now. "He reminds me a lot of Trevino how he plays: just talking and enjoying it and smiling and having a great time with it," Woods said. "But when it comes down to it, when it's time to hit the shot, he goes into his own little world. People don't realize that. After he does hit the shot he comes out and goes, 'Blah, blah, blah, having a good time.' But right before each shot he gets into his own little zone. "And it's pretty cool to see." Aside from his $810,000 consolation, Mediate is left with the knowledge that he made the limping Woods work 19 extra holes to win his 14th major. "It was an honour being out there," Mediate said. "And I'm sure I scared him. I did good today."
Good for you, Rocco. I'll be watching for your name in future tournaments and hope to see you on the leaderboard!
I was wondering that same thing, Brain, especially with two majors in the next two months. I did notice that after a few holes each day he started figuring out how to lift up that left foot in mid swing to lose some of the torque action from the spikes. Although he also admitted to having a little something to soften the pain. I'm guessing that with all of his medical people, thay'll figure out way to get him through August. That's another thing today's players have that the old school didn't, medical teams and the money to pay them. And, like you Joey, I'd always heard of Rocco, but had no idea "who he was" - I wish I'd known more about his sense of humour and balance ten or twenty years ago.
He didn't have it twenty years ago. He has... mellowed somewhat. As far as Tiger's knee goes, I'm not his doctor, and I only know what I read in the press about what they did to him and what he says in the press about himself, but going with those two things, 1) It's not that kind of pain. It's sore because it was recently operated on, not because he's damaging it further. When I had mine done, I was told that the more I did on it and the sooner I did it - despite the pain - the faster it would get better. It took me ages to get over it because I'm a complete pussy and couldn't get past the idea that the pain was not causing more damage, and 2) He wouldn't jeopardise the rest of his career to come back early from this. He's neither that stupid, nor that insecure. It's instructive in a way to see how he has dealt with this compared to how Ernie dealt with his knee problem. Ernie damaged his really seriously and had a lot more done, but it took him a long time to come back from it, and afterwards he admitted to having made a mistake in the recuperation process. He said he waited too long for the knee to "get perfect" when sometimes you just have to accept that it's not going to get perfect and start using it anyway.
There goes my credibility again. Or he's being a drama queen. For a change.
Allow me to retort with an old Irish expression we keep specially in reserve for occasions such as this: Fuck off, you condescending old wankfest. Well, since you seem to feel that it's necessary for you to be an jerkoff, go for it, you seem to excel at it. If comparing Woods to Hogan is comparing apples and oranges, where do we find an analogy for your comparison of your own knee to Tiger's? No analogy needed, I was just saying how difficult it was for me to walk after knee surgery 2 months later and for Tiger to not only walk the course but to win it, is just incredible. I have never in my life seen anyone so calm under these pressure situations as Tiger is. The man's game has far surpassed anyone else's out there but Rocco sure pushed Tiger to the limit and it was a great playoff round to watch with an even better sudden death to the finish.
There goes my credibility again. Or he's being a drama queen. For a change. I think he is just saying that so he can miss the Congressional with a good excuse. He won't miss a major.
I still don't think Woods has peaked, and he may not do so until his late thirties. I'd like for him to win all the majors in one year. After that, I will be able to root against him. I ended up rooting for Rocco yesterday though. He seems like a good person, and was really enjoying himself. Well, since you seem to feel that it's necessary for you to be an jerkoff, go for it, you seem to excel at it. You did say that his golf knowledge came from an HBO special. I don't know what the appropriate response would be to that sort of insult, but his sounded about right to me.
The Golf Channel had a doctor on that stated Tiger's knee is arthritic, so it's not going to get better. Unlike a football injury wear you tear an ACL, arthitis cannot be cured, so Tiger's future is questionable. Just like Johnny Miller's career was cut short, Tiger's could be, too....unless he has a knee replacement and becomes a Bionic Man.
They can rebuild him. They have the technology. (Bionic Tiger - imagine that - every kid will want the action figure). for Tiger to not only walk the course but to win it, is just incredible It's impressive, but it's not "incredible". It devalues what he actually did to start making shit up about how impressive it was. And bperk's right - stop defaming HBO by associating them with me.
I have Tiger fatigue. I was hoping Mediate would win. He played some really great golf. Oh well. Tiger will not let up until he wins 20 majors. That's his grail. One more than Jack. He'll do it, too.
"It just seemed when he hit bad shots his knee was in pain and on his good shots he wasn't... You see when he made the putts and he went down on his knees and shouting 'yeah', his knee wasn't sore." Asked if he felt Woods could have been faking it, Goosen said: "I think so." See, that's just going to make him mad. Remember what happened when Stephen Ames made him mad? Silly Goose.
