If Tiger's performance problems aren't "physical", then what are they...MENTAL? Wasn't he considered a paragon of "focus" and 'mental strength' in his heyday?

To steal a line from Yogi, "Ninety percent of the game is half mental". Who could argue with that?

But Tiger was considered a "mental giant" in his heyday. Why is he a mental "weakling" NOW?

Who said he is a weakling? As a player ages it is very common in competitive golf to lose the ability to hyper focus for a full 18 or 72 holes. As to why, life happens, perspectives change, attitudes change, desires change, etc.

Excuses...excuses...
 

Tiger's drastic decline cannot be attributed to the "aging process"...or any other physical "deterioration". His game fell apart once his personal problems befell him...and he is now no-where near the Tiger of old, as far as his mental state is concerned. His self-confidence is gone...and so is any chance of him winning another significant golf tournament. "Mental toughness" is another name for SELF-CONFIDENCE...and Tiger's is no-where to be found. Put a fork in him...

Wouldn't shock me if Tiger won another tournament, but it would shock me if he won another major.

Tiger's personal problems befell him in late 2009 and forward from there. How is it that he won 8 out of 35 starts in 2012 and 2013 with a game that fell apart? It was in late 2013 when his back became a big problem. From 2014 through 2017 he played a whopping 18 tournaments with only 1 tournament played in 2016-2017. He has played 10 tournaments this year and has 2 top 5 finishes. How is he able to do that with NO SELF CONFIDENCE? Of course he is not the same Tiger of old, but there is a wide spectrum of confidence levels that range from no confidence to old Tiger confidence. I think he is closer to old Tiger than to no confidence.

Those "Yogiisms" are somehow accurate if you figure them out! :lol:

I don't think people (Even Tiger himself) realize how detrimental back issues are. I've had the shots (both kinds) and the surgery. You are never the same, even if it feels better.

Driving distance is fine - accuracy is not. Greens hit in regulation not much better. To top it all off the putter isn't exactly hot either. Not a recipe for winning golf tournaments.

Few golfers over 40 win majors
 

Rough break for Tiger in the Open, but I think, to be expected -- believe this was his first major in three years. As he said himself, if you haven't played a major in awhile, you tend to lose sight of the reality that the courses are tougher, the setups are tougher, and of course, the competition is tougher.

It's an open question whether he'll win another major, but, as the article I've linked below suggests, his window is closing fast. Only 24 golfers since 1900 have won a major over the age of 40, only two over the age of 45. In the past 25 years, there have been only five. So, a golfer over 40 wins ca. 1/20 of all majors.

The average and median age of a major winner is 32. And, as one would guess ca. 65% of all majors are won by players between 26-35. Since 1960, more than 75% of majors were won by golfers under 35.

All this jibes 100% with some research for a project a couple of years back (when I was younger and better ;-) about age-related human performance. Intellectual abilities peak at 21 (except for judgement) and for most pro athletes their career peak is 26-30. This shouldn't surprise anyone -- we know this from watching sports. What most pro sports fans usually don't notice though, is that there is a very sharp decline at age 37-38, which most seems to affect reflexes, vision, and hand-eye coordination, in general. One researcher pointed out to me the late career stats of two great players as an example -- Babe Ruth and Derek Jeter. Their hitting stats virtually fell off a cliff at about this age -- other examples abound, but it's most noticeable in players of this order.

As one poster here observes, Tiger was last playing well in 2013 -- in fact he won five tour events (although no majors) and was named Player of the Year -- and this was years after the disruption of his marriage. That year he also turned 37. Since then he's been plagued by the ongoing complications from his back and knee injuries and barely played at all. He said that last year before his spinal fusion, he thought he'd never play again.

So, since Tiger has played so little in recent years, it's difficult to distinguish between the all factors that might affect his play -- not only the effect of layoff time and his recovery from the spinal fusion, but simply the natural decline of the aging process, which affects him in exactly the same way as it would any other human -- forget about athlete.

Those who chalk up his problems to lack of 'mental toughness', should ask whether Derek Jeter suddenly lost his ability to hit due to lack of 'mental toughness'.



https://www.golfchannel.com/article/...f-yes-it-does/

He played in the Masters.

I don't understand...
 

In post #10 of this thread, it was suggested that Tiger is "physically over-matched" against today's top golfers. But in post #12...AndyC was quick to reply that "there is zero evidence" to suggest that Tiger's problems on the course are of a 'physical' nature. So...I subsequently opined that Tiger's problems are "mental". But now it seems that my friend Lansdale has proven ME to be wrong, as well.

So...I ask: If Tiger's problems are neither "physical", nor "mental"...in which category could they possibly fall?

Tiger's problems are both physical and mental.


Find a player on tour right now with as serious of surgeries to his knee and back that are still playing. (You won't find one).


His mental issues are self-produced. The whole sex scandal and divorce were not only scandalous but also devastating to his golf career and public acceptance. He only has himself to blame.


He still has the physical skills and mental ability to win on the PGA Tour. Get in position on a Sunday in a Major, and I'm sure nobody would be surprised if he won.


I think he is mentally unsure right now. That will come with practice and more playing. Especially at that high a level. He loses way too many shots and makes too many big numbers right now. I feel confident he'll win again. He has made some major steps forward this year. He'll keep moving forward. Whether it will be good enough again remains to be seen.

Clearly you haven't competed in golf nor any other athletic events based on your questions. Can you think of a player in baseball, football, golf, basketball, etc. that plays at the highest level every game or event? But let's stick to golf. How can a player go from missing the cut one week to winning a tournament the next? Competing at the highest level requires focus. Some competitors are able to achieve high levels of focus more often than other competitors. Tiger clearly has lost that ability. He has not lost the ability to hit a golf ball as well as anyone playing.

You are right, I have never competed in any type of athletic event in my life...that's why I am asking an athlete like you: What has caused Tiger to lose the "ability to focus"...in your opinion? The only way I can learn new things is by asking people who are smarter than me. :ThmbUp: