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Reactions: Best year since... Tiger having a great year, but probably not best ever
Posted: Saturday November 20, 1999 02:17 PM
CNNSI.com asked users if they thought Tiger Woods is having the best year in golf history. While few would argue that Tiger has had a stellar year, many said that he has a more to prove before 1999 could be called golf's best year ever. A sampling of your responses follows:
No, Tiger's 1999 year is not the best year ever for a golfer. Byron Nelson had 18 wins in a season (11 consecutive) in 1945. Ben Hogan won five of six tournaments entered including the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open in 1953. However, considering the depth of talent on this year's PGA Tour, Tiger's 1999 year probably ranks in the top five. Finally, I do not think Woods has anything to prove to anyone, but himself.
Having seen many of them, Jack (Nicklaus), Arnie (Palmer), Ben (Hogan) and even the lesser lights, I love to watch Tiger Woods, and even cheer him, but he does not have the command yet that I hope a mature Tiger will develop. Tiger is still mechanical. When he has the heart to lead an army, or the charismatic smile that Jack had, or the mastery of Ben, we can claim him the greatest. Not yet.
While Tiger's '99 season was extraordinary, I don't think it can be ranked as the best in history. Greatness in golf is measured by major championships. One major hardly qualifies.
I believe that this was one of the best golfing years for a professional, if you see how the players are, in general, you can say that winning any tournament would be a great achievement. And Woods winning eight is just exceptional. No one in the world can come close to him when he is doing his thing, and I think that is something unique. Of course, in the past there were a lot of great players who also had great years, but to achieve this at his age tells me that he can become the best golfer that ever played. I'm looking forward to next year to follow Woods' rounds to see if he can continue this form. There's absolutely no one who can come close.
I think Tiger's year is incredible, but I do not think that it's the best since he only won one major championship. When it comes down to it, it's the majors that count. In my memory, there have been players that have won two majors in a year (Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, Gary Player, Mark O'Meara). Even the pros, when they compare accomplishments, they talk in terms of number of majors won.
Tiger had an incredible year, but Bobby Jones' grand slam year (U.S. Amateur, U.S. Open, British Amateur and U.S. Open) was the greatest year ever.
Tiger's victories came during the latter half of '99. How many more victories would he have had if his hot streak started last January? We have yet to see Tiger's best year.
Money shmoney! With soaring purses and the events in 1999 having such widely varied winners' checks the "money" stat is meaningless. When are we all going to realize that like tennis its not "how much" it's "how many." When Tiger wins two or more majors in a year that he amasses 6 or more wins I will believe I have seen the greatest single season in golf. Like Jack, Tiger seems to live for the majors. Go Tiger!
Yes, Tiger's year is the best ever. Take a look at the competition he has to go up against. Now most all tournaments have a very deep field and back just 10 or 20 years ago it wasn't that way. You had maybe five-to-10 people that had a good shot to win the tournament. Now everyone entered could easily win the tournament.
Tiger, impressively won all eight tournaments at an age that no one could even imagine. He has come from behind to catch leaders who have for many years owned the golf world and beat them.
Tiger Woods is having one of the better seasons of any golfer in the history of the sport. To win so many tournaments against the level of competition he has faced week in and week out makes me feel that his accomplishments are spectacular. It is my assessment that Tiger has faced a "stiff" challenger each week, most recently being Miguel Angel Jimenez from Spain. He prevailed against the likes of Colin Mongomerie, Phil Mickelson, Nick Price and Sergio Garcia, just to name a few. I don't believe that there is any doubt that Tiger's 1999 season is the best ever, and the only reason I feel that way is because of the level of competition he has faced each week.
When you look at the level of competition that he is currently facing on tour, it is a phenomenal accomplishment. Not only is he facing the best players from the USA but he is also facing the top players worldwide. To be able to be so dominant is truly remarkable and this accomplishment is going to be hard to duplicate.
Tiger had the best year in professional golf history. None of the players who have had comparable years faced anywhere near the level of competition the game now has. Hogan, Nelson, Nicklaus, etc., never had to worry about more than a handful of competitors at a time when golf was a minor sport. Now, with the explosion of golf here and worldwide, winning any given tournament, much less four in a row, is a much greater accomplishment. Just think if Tiger only had Lloyd Mangrum to beat as opposed to Els, Singh, Montgomery, Jimenez, etc.
Byron Nelson has had the best year in golf history. I'm not taking anything away from Woods' accomplishments this year, but his eight victories still falls short of Nelson's 18 victories in one season. Tiger's four in a row also falls short to Nelson's 11 in a row.
Please, best ever? One major. Nelson won 40 percent of the tournaments during the "best season ever." If you haven't won at least two majors don't even breathe the words "best anything." Great, yes. Best, no.
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