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Reactions: Head-to-Head on Woods Users say Tiger is beatable
Sports Illustrated's Gary Van Sickle and Alan Shipnuck recently debated on CNNSI.com the likelihood of Tiger Woods winning the 2000 British Open. Shipnuck has no doubt Woods will win the coveted Claret Jug. Van Sickle contests that nobody can win all the time. CNNSI.com users wrote in with their opinions on the subject. A collection of some of the most interesting responses follows:
Sure Tiger Woods is a great golfer, but I think Gary Van Sickle is right. In the game of golf, it is extraordinarily difficult to be very consistent. While I believe Tiger is definitely a lock for the top five, there's almost guaranteed to be somebody who's going to be just a little bit hotter to win the Open. Also, the same person is going to want to make an example. Even Tiger, no matter how hot he might be, is still a perfectly beatable opponent. Anyway, that's it. Tiger can win the British Open, but he's going to have a hard time overcoming all those ravenous opponents of his.
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Tiger will hoist the Claret Jug. Gary Van Sickle has not taken into consideration, the most important factor of all - maturity. Tiger has matured greatly over the years. He has meticulously improvised on all facets of the game. Barring bad weather, St. Andrews is ideally suited to Tiger's style of play.
I agree with Van Sickle, Woods is a great pick but don't count on it. I think that Shipnuck fails to realize is that Nick Faldo may of had a shaky putter during the year but he putted brilliantly when he shot 18 under at St. Andrews -- like every golfer does when they triumph at one of golf's majors. I would look for more of a crafty veteran or a great plotter to conquer this event. The longer hitters are shooting at smaller targets in the fairway and are not going to get the lucky bounces that the target players will receive. I am a big fan of what Tiger Woods is doing but I don't let Tiger mania blind me from reality.
Tiger's not God. Sure he's the most dominant player in the game today, but that doesn't mean he's going to win every tournament he enters. I especially don't think he'll take the British Open. Ernie Els proved how well he can play in windy conditions at the U.S. Open and I think his game is better suited for St. Andrews. The big question now is that Els is leading after the first round, why isn't he in the media spotlight? Sometimes I think Tigermania has gone a little too far.
Tiger makes us all want to believe he will win every week. He is such a rare talent in an amazingly talented field that you feel foolish to bet against him. But give Gary Van Sickle credit. He picked against Tiger when everyone and everything says he should win. With each win the pressure mounts. Never did we expect Jack Nicklaus to walk on the course and waltz to a title. Tiger feels that pressure every week and against crazy conditions and excellent opponents he will fail to win this week.
Tiger might win the British Open, but to win he has got to beat Ernie Els. Ernie probably knows the course better than anyone, having played here every year since 1992 in the Alfred Dunhill Challenge. Watch out for the Big Easy, cause he's gonna eat the Tiger for breakfast.
To borrow an old cliche, the only sure things are death and taxes. Tiger Woods is no sure thing, but if you look at his recent performances in majors, the outcome has depended on his early round scores. At the Masters, he had a horrendous first round, and despite a good Friday and Saturday, he was too far back to have a legitimate chance to win. At the U.S. Open, he held the first round lead and never looked back. So after watching Woods' first round at The British, I have three words: death and taxes.
I am no golf expert, but I know based on the laws of reality that you cannot predict a winner after watching the first round of a major. On the other hand, has Tiger ever lost a tournament tied or in front after round 1? The anticipation is killing me. That is a good thing.
Tiger Woods is only limited by his own makeup. So far he has shown that he can hold that rare combination of great skill, and a driven work ethic. All that having been said, we must realize that he still has to go out and win the cup. Tiger Woods is a golfer for the ages. A golfer that will transcend the game, and the image that is being built by the media (both paid, and unpaid). In 10 years, I hope that Tiger will have quenched his thirst for golf, and launch another career with the same drive. Maybe he will return to school, and devote his passion to a completely different direction. You cannot hand him the Claret Jug, but I would never bet against him.
Tiger is a very, very powerful threat when he is ahead -- especially from the first round. He was asked if he'd bet on himself for winning this week and he replayed, "I'd bet on myself every week!" Even he knows he has a good chance of winning the tournament.
As good as Tiger is, the game of golf is better. He is human -- and humans make mistakes. This is what makes the game so great! I HATE when sports writers name him the winner of a tournament a month before the tournament begins. That makes me wonder if they have ever teed it up before. I'm not stupid. Tiger is the best player to come along since Jack Nicklaus and will probably surpass Jack's records eventually. But let's remember how easy it is for our "A" game to slip away with no warning.
Of course it's easy for somebody to say that Tiger won't win the British Open. There are so many other golfers that the odds are definitely in favor of the pessimists out there. But the fact of the matter is, he is the best golfer in the world now and possibly ever. If he doesn't win this year, he'll win next year or the following year. Tiger Woods has no one to worry about and no one can come close to his overall game. If another golfer wins the British Open, then everyone will say he's not the best. If he wins, then everyone will say he was supposed to. Even in victory at the British Open (which will happen) he can't win.
Last time I checked, the reason we play the game is to see who wins. There is no such thing as a sure winner in anything involving more than one person and the elements. If we really believed the silly notion that there is no way anyone could beat Tiger or any super talent, then no one would even show up. I think the bigger question to ask is why do all you crazy people even ask this question?
No, Tiger Woods will not win the British Open. First of all, I believe that the person who wins this year will be from Europe. The main reason is how often does Tiger play St. Andrews? Not often enough to come out with a victory. Guys like Lee Westwood and Colin Montgomerie have a much better shot. Also, Tiger is a great player, but no one wins every week. So, I expect a strong finish by Tiger but I do not expect him to hold the Claret Jug on Sunday.
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