Tiger, who’s 36 years old, has 14 majors so far and keeps on citing Jack’s last win (The Masters at the age of 46) as his championship window. With that logic Tiger has roughly 40 more legitimate chances to win a major in his career and he needs 5 more to set the record. It should be noted that the only active player (as in playing at least 8 tournaments a year on the PGA tour) to win 5 or more career majors is Tiger Woods. That means that Tiger has to compile a 10 year stretch that’s better than the entire career of Phil Mickelson (4 majors) to set the record.
All that said, I think Tiger is unfairly compared to his former self. After every round that he shoots under 70 people ask if he’s back. Listen, he’ll never be as dominant as he was in his glory days (‘99-’07). Yes, it’s his fault that the bar has been set so high, but that doesn’t mean that the comparison is fair. In fact, I think that comparing the current version of Tiger Woods to the dominant version of Tiger Woods from ’99 to ’07 is a lot like comparing the 2012 U.S. Men’s Olympic basketball team to the 1992 Dream Team.
Old school Tiger thoroughly dominated his competition just like the Dream Team did in the 1992 Olympics. Both Tiger and the Dream Team were so much more talented from a physical, mental, and skill set standpoint that the competition didn’t stand a chance. There was no doubt that the Dream Team was going to win the gold medal running away and there was no doubt that Tiger was by far the best golfer in the world. Tiger vs. the field was a legitimate bet during that stretch and most people took Tiger when given the option. Think about how ridiculous that is.
Not only did old school Tiger and the Dream Team torch their competition, they also advanced their respective games to new heights. Tiger made golf, a boring old white guy’s game, cool and exciting. He was a rockstar almost from the get go. His fame and fortune led to massive marketing campaigns (Nike, Buick, etc.) that played a part in inspiring a new generation of golf fans. Nike golf was nothing before Tiger Woods. You would have been hard pressed to find a golf video game before Tiger’s ascension. Tiger not only became rich and famous because of his success, but he made all of the other golfers more rich and famous too. Tiger drove TV ratings and advertising revenues through the roof. This led to a much bigger purse at every event on the PGA Tour.
All of this fame and attention made golf a global game. Sure we had Seve Ballesteros and Colin Montgomerie before Tiger, but Tiger easily quadrupled the success of the PGA Tour here in America. All of the best players in the world began to flock to the United States to compete in tournaments with higher pay outs. Over time the rest of the world got better and better at golf and now we’re seeing the results of Tiger’s influence coming back to bite him. Tiger’s talent gap has significantly diminished since the early 2000’s. Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell, Luke Donald, Martin Kaymer, etc. are all dominant players on tour nowadays.
Similarly the Dream Team put basketball on the map from a global perspective. Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, etc. were global icons. Players on the opposing teams were asking them for autographs before and after games. International players idolized the members of the Dream Team and inspired a new generation of international players. Since the Dream Team’s domination of the 1992 Games the amount of international players in the NBA has tripled. We now have international stars like Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol, etc. Who was there in 1992? Toni Kukoc? He hadn’t even played a game in the NBA before the 1992 Olympics. In the 2012 Olympics many teams feature multiple NBA stars where only 1 had zero NBA players on their roster (Tunisia).
The current version of Tiger Woods is ranked #2 in the world, but he has more victories on tour than anyone else and he’s the odds on favorite in Vegas in every tournament that he plays in. Yes, the competition has drastically improved over the years, but Tiger, despite all of his injuries, swing changes, and off the course issues, is still the supreme talent. He’s not as dominant as he was back in the early 2000’s, but he’s still the best golfer in the game.
The 2012 US Men’s Olympic Basketball Team is the clear favorite to win the gold medal, but because they aren’t as dominant as the Dream Team people assume that they aren’t as good. This construction of talent could very well be better than the Dream Team, but no one will admit it because of the dominance in 1992. Too many people glorify the past. Baseball historians still think that Babe Ruth is the greatest player of all time. Put that fat ass in a major league lineup right now and he’s struggling to hit .200. He was dominant in the ‘20’s and ‘30’s, but the level of competition has risen. The same goes for the 2012 U.S. Men’s Basketball team.
I guess my point is this. Tiger Woods and the Dream Team both dominated their competition and raised the global influence of their respective games dramatically. Over time the level of competition in golf and basketball narrowed the gap. Don’t hold that against the current construction of Tiger Woods and the 2012 US Men’s Olympic Basketball team. They are still the best in the world.
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