TOP DOGS CHOKING !

[sliceisnice]

Who is better tiger or jack argument to me was leaning toward tiger as his day in and day out competition seemed to be stronger.but after the start to this season it would be hard to pick that as a arguing point. what is wrong with the top dogs.it seems they are making rookie mental mistakes.i never saw much of jacks competition but can someone say if the top guys took turns breaking down like this in jacks era :confused:

[landlord]

Short answer is no. And generally speaking (this works no matter how old you are), the people who came before you seemed a little tougher. Nowadays you can make a great living coming in second all the time.

The media play it differently now, too. In Jack's day the emphasis would have been on Jack's winning, not somebody else folding.

And Jack himself (who I only started to like when he got old), to give proper credit, was always a very gracious winner. Tiger tries to be like that, but you can sort of tell he's gloating like crazy.

[abz-pete]

And Jack himself (who I only started to like when he got old), to give proper credit, was always a very gracious winner. Tiger tries to be like that, but you can sort of tell he's gloating like crazy.

More than that - I'd say Jack was a very gracious loser, probably the only thing that Tiger hasn't really learned yet...

[Smully]

More than that - I'd say Jack was a very gracious loser, probably the only thing that Tiger hasn't really learned yet...Tigers gotta lighten up, Hes a great player, his attitude SUCKS,Jack Arnie Gary, even Norman an Watson,were statesmen on the course,Tiger acts like a spoiled,well if I can`t play I`ll take my ball an go POUT????????????????:D :D :D

[LowPost42]

Tigers gotta lighten up, Hes a great player, his attitude SUCKS,Jack Arnie Gary, even Norman an Watson,were statesmen on the course,Tiger acts like a spoiled,well if I can`t play I`ll take my ball an go POUT????????????????:D :D :D

Perhaps Tigers' expectations are higher. Because his ability is higher. So his frustration of his abilities not meeting his expectations is greater.

[Golden Bear]

Tiger was conditioned since he was a kid to not accept losing. Unfortunately, he wasn't taught how to act when he does lose. I have very little criticism of Tiger as a person, except that when things don't go his way he gets pouty, slams his clubs into the ground, cusses at photographers, turns his back on reporters looking for post-round interviews, gets mad at his caddy because the wind didn't do what it was supposed to, etc.

That said, it's not like he's throwing temper tantrums -- he's just being pouty. If that's my worst criticism of him, that's pretty good.

Jack, Gary, Watson, Palmer -- players mentioned in this thread -- all hated losing. Jack and Arnie have both talked about the "old" days and said the reason they won as much as they did was that they absolutely hated to lose, which is why their rivalry was so intense. They had every bit as much desire to win as Tiger ... they just carried themselves differently during adversity.

But if we're talking about the comment in the first post of this thread, it's not so much about Tiger's desire to win, it's about the competition he faces. Many of the old-timers have talked about this -- in their day, you did everything you could to win because you needed that money. You couldn't be ranked 100th in the world and put dinner on the table. You had to gun for the win everytime out.

Does that mean the guys today don't have the same desire -- knowing that they can finish 10th and still be sitting pretty financially? I really can't say -- I'm not inside their heads. But there's definitely less desperation to win than there used to be. There's a financial consolation to losing that didn't exist to nearly the same degree in the 60s and 70s.

[davepratt]

I think some of Tiger's behaviour is more planned than spontaneous. That move he sometimes makes where he takes a mighty whack from the rough and ends up on one leg was replayed in slowmo and it's generally accepted that it happens long after contact and is more of a hot dog move than anything. Also they say he's the only one that can stop in his downswing but a lot people feel this is preplanned.

[LowPost42]

Also they say he's the only one that can stop in his downswing but a lot people feel this is preplanned.

I dunno about preplanned. Barkley does it every time!

[Noremac]

I think some of Tiger's behaviour is more planned than spontaneous. That move he sometimes makes where he takes a mighty whack from the rough and ends up on one leg was replayed in slowmo and it's generally accepted that it happens long after contact and is more of a hot dog move than anything. Also they say he's the only one that can stop in his downswing but a lot people feel this is preplanned.

Pre-planned or not, based on his ability, he can do whatever he wants out there. I rather see a hot dog move after hitting a ball 200 yards out of the rough than seeing a layup with a wedge.

[GQuizzle]

The whole choking thing is a little blown out of proportion. We're more aware of the "big names" choking because they get more coverage. They're not supposed to choke, and when they slip up the media jumps all over it like its never happened before.

[goshawk]

The whole choking thing is a little blown out of proportion. We're more aware of the "big names" choking because they get more coverage. They're not supposed to choke, and when they slip up the media jumps all over it like its never happened before.
I agree GQ. I don't know of anyone who can maintain focus on every single shot they attempt, although there are a few who are better at this than almost everyone else.
In his post game interview, Vijay said that he thinks his swing change was at fault on the back 9 yesterday. He believes he went back to his "old swing" on several shots withougt making the necessary alignment adjustments, causing the errant shots. Again, focus.

[sliceisnice]

I think some of Tiger's behaviour is more planned than spontaneous. That move he sometimes makes where he takes a mighty whack from the rough and ends up on one leg was replayed in slowmo and it's generally accepted that it happens long after contact and is more of a hot dog move than anything. Also they say he's the only one that can stop in his downswing but a lot people feel this is preplanned. I suppose that steve let the bird that flew over out of the bag just in time ha ha !:rofl: