REAL MAN NEWS

The Media's Man-Crush On Tiger Woods

 

By FRANKLIN PIERCE

Golf Analyst, Real Man Magazine

 

ORLANDO, Florida (RM) -- Tiger Woods may someday be the greatest golfer who’s ever played the game.  However, let’s be clear about one thing:  he’s not yet.  This should be obvious to anyone who has even a remote understanding of the history of the game.  It certainly should be obvious to sports writers and analysts.  And it definitely should be obvious to sports writers and analysts who specialize in golf.  However, as unbelievable as it sounds, it’s not obvious to these self-proclaimed golf ‘experts’. 

 

Nearly all of these so-called expert golf writers and analysts have anointed Tiger as “the greatest to ever play the game.”  It’s about time these ‘professionals’ manned-up and got rid of their man crushes on Tiger.  Making such a statement isn’t insightful – it’s just plain silly.  It makes them sound like 12 year-old girls after a Jonas Brothers’ concert.  It’s also ignorant.

 

I understand that sports writers are human.   And as humans they get caught up in the emotion of the moment.  When they witness something in person, it carries more weight.  When they witness something more recent, it carries even more weight.  For example, Jack Nicklaus won his last major in 1986.  Tiger just won his most recent major in June 2008.  Tiger’s recent major victory carries much more excitement and emotional attachment for these writers and analysts than Jack’s victory some 22 years ago.

 

Another problem is that many of these golf ‘experts’ have only known Tiger Woods and his contemporaries like Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh, and Ernie Els - who, by the way, are the only other active players with at least three majors.  Most of these writers haven’t seen Jack Nicklaus or his contemporaries like Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Lee Trevino, and Tom Watson.  No offense to Mickelson, Singh, and Els, but they are no Palmer, Player, Trevino, or Watson – who, by the way, have 30 major tournament wins amongst them.

 

But regardless of their biases due to living and watching golf during the Tiger era, these so-called professionals should be able to do some basic research and some simple math.  A second grader could do the analysis and see, plain as day, that Tiger Woods has a long way to go to be “the greatest to ever play the game”.  As a matter of fact, there is so much data showing that Tiger is clearly NOT “the greatest to ever play the game”, that it’s hard to know where to start, and it’s hard to believe anyone could be anointing Tiger as “the greatest to ever play the game” in the face of such overwhelming data.  So let’s take all of the emotion out of it and look at just the raw data – you know, like men.

 

How about if we start with major victories?
Jack Nicklaus – 18
Tiger Woods – 14

 

Oops.  Tiger’s not the greatest golfer there. 

 

How about total victories?
Sam Snead – 82
Jack Nicklaus – 73
Tiger Woods – 65

 

Oops.  Not the greatest golfer there either.

 

How about Ryder Cup matches won?
Nick Faldo – 23
Arnold Palmer – 22
Bernard Langer – 21
Seve Ballesteros – 20
Colin Montgomerie – 20
Billy Casper – 20
Lanny Wadkins - 20
Joe Maria Olazabal – 18
Jack Nicklaus – 17
Tiger Woods – 10

 

Oops.  Not the greatest golfer there either.  Tiger is way down the list there. 

 

However, there is one thing Tiger is close to being the best at when it comes to the Ryder Cup.  Tiger Woods is tied for second for the most Ryder Cup matches LOST by an American.  In other words, Tiger Woods is almost the WORST American golfer ever to play in the Ryder Cup.

 

How about most top ten finishes in majors?
Nicklaus – 73
Woods - 15

 

Not the greatest there either – by a long shot.  Sure Tiger has a long career ahead of him and may log many more top ten finishes; however it’s highly unlikely that he’ll ever come close to Nicklaus’ record.

 

How about runners up in majors?
Nicklaus – 19
Woods – 5

 

Not the greatest there.  He’ll likely add a few more.  But it’s highly unlikely he’ll surpass Nicklaus.

 

I’m a big fan of John Feinstein’s golf books – especially A Good Walk Spoiled.  If anyone could put “the greatest to ever play the game” into perspective you’d think it’d be John Feinstein.  Think again.  John recently told National Public Radio that Tiger Woods was “the greatest golfer to ever play the game”.  Even a professional like John isn’t immune from overlooking the simple facts and relying on his bias in favor of a more recent golfer.  No offense John - you’re just the latest and most high profile example. 

 

The list of writers with a man crush on Tiger Woods is endless.  You’d think they never watched a game of golf before.  You’d think they never saw Nicklaus play.  For crying out loud guys, tune into ESPN Classic or the Golf Channel once in awhile and you can see Nicklaus, Palmer, Player, Trevino, and Watson at work.  Do a little research.  You’re embarrassing our profession.

 

In any event, it’s clear that in almost every major category, Tiger Woods is not the greatest golfer to ever play the game.  Someday, he may very well be the greatest golfer ever.  But obviously he’s not there yet.

 

Aside from the empirical data I’ve presented above, there’s one more ‘intangible’ category we need to discuss:  competition.  One of the keys to Tiger’s success has been the lack of competition.  His competitors routinely fail to man up.  In other words, they consistently choke.  Tiger needs better competition in order to attain the title of greatest golfer ever.  I wish some real men would step up and give him that competition.  Please see my column Tiger Woods: The Competition Will Determine His Place In History for a complete discussion.  Suffice it to say, Tiger falls woefully short in this category as well.

 

Just as I expect Tiger’s competition to man-up, I expect the same from professional sports writers and analysts.  They need to man up and do their job objectively and professionally.  Consider the facts before speaking of Tiger like you were a teenage girl watching the Beatles for the first time.  Leave your man-crush at home where it belongs – buried in a drawer right underneath your man make-up, hair color, tanning spray, and panties.

 

Now get back out there and write about sports – like a man.

 

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