Tiger Woods' return

SnowDrifts

Love him or hate him, I think most will agree that tournaments are better when he is playing. His agent, Mark Steinberg, released a statement yesterday saying that he is already doing some "light chipping and putting".

He’s doing a little bit more and more each day,” Steinberg told ESPN.com. “He’s getting to the point of light chipping and putting and the doctors and trainers seem to be pleased with where he is. He is on schedule but we don’t know what that schedule means. I don’t know when he intends to be playing competitively.

“But I expect it to be this summer. I know that’s a wide range, but as the weeks go by we’ll be able to pinpoint an approximate time. It’s still a little early for that. Nothing that has gone on from the day of the surgery until today gives me any pause to amend what I said then. I know that’s broad and vague but we can’t pinpoint a specific time until we’re further along.”

I’ve seen a very responsible approach to getting back,” Steinberg said. “This is about the next 10 or 15 years, this is not about the next 10 weeks. This is not about targeting any specific tournament. If he needs to wait one or two or three extra weeks he will. He’s thinking about this very, very long term.”

http://hotlinks.golf.com/2014/04/23/tiger-woods-healthy-enough-to-chip-after-back-surgery-expects-to-return-to-pga-tour-this-summer/

bigtimecharlie

Woods is looking to the next 10 to 14 years not weeks. So more time off now will pay dividends later.

He must want to get to 19 majors badly.

medic087

bigtimecharlie wrote: »

Woods is looking to the next 10 to 14 years not weeks. So more time off now will pay dividends later.

He must want to get to 19 majors badly.

He's wasting his time. Winning one more would be a massive achievement for him. Greatest player ever so it's unfortunate that he won't win the most majors.

SnowDrifts

An unusually open and informative write-up from Tiger today. Although he is doing light chipping and putting, he still can't bend down to pick the ball out of the cup. Greens in his back garden running at "13 on the Stimpmeter every day." :eek:

http://www.tigerwoods.com/news/2014/05/05/73724944/tigers-blog-rehab-going-well-but-is-a-slow-process/

slave1

Great blog, unusual for Tiger...

BigChap1759

SnowDrifts wrote: »

An unusually open and informative write-up from Tiger today. Although he is doing light chipping and putting, he still can't bend down to pick the ball out of the cup. Greens in his back garden running at "13 on the Stimpmeter every day." :eek:

http://www.tigerwoods.com/news/2014/05/05/73724944/tigers-blog-rehab-going-well-but-is-a-slow-process/

I'm just imagining Tiger with one of those claw attachments on the end of his putter to save bending down.......:p

SnowDrifts

As predicted - Tiger will miss the US Open too....

Tiger Woods will not play in the 114th U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 in Pinehurst, N.C., next month, he announced Wednesday. He is still rehabbing after undergoing microdiscectomy surgery for a pinched nerve in his back on March 31.

"Unfortunately, I won't be there because I'm not yet physically able to play competitive golf," Woods said. "I'd like to convey my regrets to the USGA leadership, the volunteers and the fans that I won't be at Pinehurst. The U.S. Open is very important to me, and I know it's going to be a great week. Despite missing the first two majors, and several other important tournaments, I remain very optimistic about this year and my future."

This marks the sixth major championship Tiger has missed due to injuries. After winning the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines in 2008 while playing with a broken leg, he underwent knee surgery and was sidelined for eight months, missing The Open Championship and PGA Championship.

In 2011, knee and Achilles injuries forced him to sit out four months of the season, and he missed the U.S. Open and The Open Championship.
Tiger has not competed since the last round of the WGC-Cadillac Championship on March 9. He fired a third-round 66 that vaulted him back into contention but was in obvious pain and struggled the following day.

http://www.tigerwoods.com/news/2014/05/28/77187042/tiger-will-not-play-in-the-us-open-next-month/

kermitpwee

medic087 wrote: »

He's wasting his time. Winning one more would be a massive achievement for him. Greatest player ever so it's unfortunate that he won't win the most majors.

Surely Jack is the greatest player ever??

DuckSlice

kermitpwee wrote: »

Surely Jack is the greatest player ever??

Only if you compare them by major wins. I think tiger needs a few more to be the outright all time competion wins leader. I would think tiger woods is better. That's my opinion though.

FixdePitchmark

I think Tiger is the best - He would have caught Jack's record - only for his "issues". And that is in the modern era - In Jack's time - the majors were not truly global events. Particularly the early part of his career. Also - the game was at a higher professional level during Tiger's time.

If you put Jack in the modern era - perhhaps Jack would have been as good - but I guess that is the problem with debates like that.

The only mistake that Tiger made - was not realising that swinging like that - that hard for that long would impact on his longevity,

Much of the stuff he did - was unnecessary too.

Yes it looked great at the time - but - even when he was younger , there was a curiosity of how long the body can withstand that speed and those forces.

It is not just hindsight - everybody watching Tiger in his late 20s knew he was testing the body to an extreme.

Sadly - I think it has been proven that - the body can not withstand the forces for that long.

There will be a new direction with the golf swing in future (I'm predicting) - it will look at efficiency and longevity - it was all about power and speed from 2000 to now - but the modern game will need a break even between these two.

TrapperChamonix

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

I think Tiger is the best - He would have caught Jack's record - only for his "issues". And that is in the modern era - In Jack's time - the majors were not truly global events. Particularly the early part of his career. Also - the game was at a higher professional level during Tiger's time.

If you put Jack in the modern era - perhhaps Jack would have been as good - but I guess that is the problem with debates like that.

The only mistake that Tiger made - was not realising that swinging like that - that hard for that long would impact on his longevity,

Much of the stuff he did - was unnecessary too.

Yes it looked great at the time - but - even when he was younger , there was a curiosity of how long the body can withstand that speed and those forces.

It is not just hindsight - everybody watching Tiger in his late 20s knew he was testing the body to an extreme.

Sadly - I think it has been proven that - the body can not withstand the forces for that long.

There will be a new direction with the golf swing in future (I'm predicting) - it will look at efficiency and longevity - it was all about power and speed from 2000 to now - but the modern game will need a break even between these two.

FDP, I call B*llsh!t on that.

You've listed a set of criteria where poor Tiger has all the disadvantages over lucky Jack. Equally you could list a set of criteria where Jack was disadvantaged over Tiger.
Jack didn't outhit the field by 30yds for most of his career.
Jack had to play with a different sized ball in the British Open (he won 2 with the smaller ball)
Up until the 80's your Major Career was deemed to be over once you hit 40, now with swing mechanics, physio & fitness and most importantly advances in surgery expectations are that you will continue to win into your late 40's.
etc etc

The issue you raise about how Tigers swing dynamics were not designed for longevity may be valid, but they are not unconnected to the distance advantage he held over the field for 10 years and that was a significant contributor to his success during this time. Its not like he was Ben Hogan and was close to being crippled after being hit head on by a truck and then coming back to win the US Open in Merrion with blood running down his legs. Tigers injuries are linked to how he choose to swing the club.

By the age of 33 Jack had won 12 Majors and Tiger won 14. By the age of 38 Jack had won another 3 and Tiger none. You can put that down to "issues" (I assume you mean off course) but that's on him and no one else. If the media came after him on that then tough.
Hopefully the surgery works and then he will have another 8 to 12 years to win 5 more majors. But right now Jack has 18 Major wins and 19 RU's. Tiger has 14 wins and 6 RU's.

Russman

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

I think Tiger is the best - He would have caught Jack's record - only for his "issues". And that is in the modern era - In Jack's time - the majors were not truly global events. Particularly the early part of his career. Also - the game was at a higher professional level during Tiger's time.

If you put Jack in the modern era - perhhaps Jack would have been as good - but I guess that is the problem with debates like that.

Yeah, but how to compare Jones with Hogan with Nicklaus with Tiger..........impossible. I think Tiger himself said that all anyone can do is to be part of that discussion and if you're part of it, then that's enough really. If he gets 18 majors and then one day gets the 19th, IMO it doesn't mean that overnight he's better than Jack, same way as if he finishes on 17, its not automatic that Jack was better.

Put Jack in the modern era......who knows, then again give Tiger clubs from the 60s & 70s, who knows (yes I know he practiced with persimmon once upon a time, might even still do).

Hopefully Tiger has realised he's not as young as he once was and he won't have too many more chances after this one for another long injury break should it happen, and make sure he's fully recovered before he returns. I think if he's got realistically, say, 20-25 more majors where he'll be truly competitive, missing a few more months this year isn't that big a deal in the bigger picture (plus it gives him a great excuse to avoid the Ryder Cup, now that would be ironic, he misses 2008 and US win, he misses 2014 and.........:D). He'll even need to have half an eye now on how his body will be when he finishes with golf.

Personally I don't think he'll win 5 more majors, the competition is too good these days and most aren't intimidated by him like most of his peers (thankfully not all of them) were in the early 2000s, but I still hope he recovers fully from injury and gets back on tour.

Slicemeister

Strong rumours of him recuperating at JP Mcmanus' in Martinstown house. Locals here love their bit of fame here so they do....

OT why can't JP buy a golf course??? :-)

TrapperChamonix

etxp wrote: »

Only if you compare them by major wins. I think tiger needs a few more to be the outright all time competion wins leader. I would think tiger woods is better. That's my opinion though.

Its difficult to understand how you could do anything other than use Majors as a yardstick.

If you want to use different criteria, then you can make an equally good case for casting Hogan who following a crippling car accident in 1949 won 3 Majors in 1958 and was denied the opportunity to win the USPGA cause it was on at the same time as the British Open. He also revolutionized the understanding of the golf swing dynamics with his Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf. Which incidentally was voted the most influential golf book by the Teaching Pros of America in 2000 (can't remember exact year).
Or why not Bobby Jones who won the Grand Slam (British Open, British Amateur, US Open & US Amateur) in 1930, thus bringing his majors to 13 and then effectively retiring at the age of 28.

Tiger may ultimately be the best golfer ever, but imho its the next 10 years that will decide it.

Rippeditup

TrapperChamonix wrote: »

Its difficult to understand how you could do anything other than use Majors as a yardstick.

If you want to use different criteria, then you can make an equally good case for casting Hogan who following a crippling car accident in 1949 won 3 Majors in 1958 and was denied the opportunity to win the USPGA cause it was on at the same time as the British Open. He also revolutionized the understanding of the golf swing dynamics with his Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf. Which incidentally was voted the most influential golf book by the Teaching Pros of America in 2000 (can't remember exact year).
Or why not Bobby Jones who won the Grand Slam (British Open, British Amateur, US Open & US Amateur) in 1930, thus bringing his majors to 13 and then effectively retiring at the age of 28.

Tiger may ultimately be the best golfer ever, but imho its the next 10 years that will decide it.

Thats like comparing chalk and cheese.. Tiger played/is playing in a time when golf has become more main stream, being a pro is the goal for most good juniors so competition is higher than ever.. Every tournament there is about 30+ guys who can win where before it was 4 or 5.

I am not saying Tiger is the best ever as we will never know but he single handily brought golf to the masses and to another level with the way he played during the 90's/00s.

PARlance

TrapperChamonix wrote: »

its the next 10 years that will decide it.

Personally, I don't think we'll see much of Tiger over the next 10 years.
His body has taken such a battering and sadly I think we'll just get to
see a few failed returns, hampered by injury, before he finally calls it a day.

I'm surprised there hasn't been more talk about this being the begining of the end for Tiger.

SnowDrifts

I read a very interesting article on the topic last year. I think there is more to be considered than just majors. Again, not gonna try say who was/is better, but the following stats are compiled very well and so I will quote in full.

Who is the greatest golfer of all time: Tiger Woods or Jack Nicklaus?

Now seems like a good time to reinvigorate the debate. You might be wondering, Ryan, why would you bring that up now, before the PGA Championship?

Well, for a very good reason. This week is the last major in Woods' 38th year. His birthday is Dec. 30. What better time, then, to reevaluate where the current world No. 1 stands against the Golden Bear?

It would seem like this should be a short piece. The scoreboard reads: Jack 18, Tiger 14. Game over.

I submit, however, that there's way more to consider in declaring the G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time) than wins. After all, even the best golfers in history lost almost 75 percent of their starts. It's impossible, then, to disregard what a player does almost three quarters of the time.

So, then, here's a more nuanced rubric to determine golf's ultimate champion.

We'll compare Tiger and Jack (or is it Jack and Tiger?) as they both stand just before through the last PGA Championship before they turned 38.

For simplicity's sake, we'll award a single point for each win, splitting the point for a tie, and add them up at the end.

Majors won: Jack Nicklaus 14, Tiger Woods 14.

Nicklaus won four majors after 1977: the '78 Open Championship, the U.S. Open and PGA Championship in 1980 and, of course, the '86 Masters.

Average margin of major victory: Tiger Woods 4.14 strokes, Jack Nicklaus 2.29 strokes.

The combined margin of three of the first four majors Tiger has won is greater than the number of strokes by which Jack won all 14 of his majors to this point in his career.

Number of 54-hole leads in a major: Tiger Woods 14 (14/15), Jack Nicklaus 10 (10/12).

Final-round comebacks to win a major: Jack Nicklaus 6, Tiger Woods 0.

Top 3 finishes in majors: Jack Nicklaus 37, Tiger Woods 24.

PGA Tour wins: Tiger Woods 79 (and counting), Jack Nicklaus 64.

PGA Tour win percentage: Tiger Woods 25.99%, Jack Nicklaus 19.39%.

Top 3 finishes in PGA Tour events: Jack Nicklaus 136, Tiger Woods 126.

PGA Tour top 3 percentage: Tiger Woods 41.45%, Jack Nicklaus 41.21%.

The Players Championship titles: Jack Nicklaus 2, Tiger Woods 2.

Jack won his last Players in 1978. The event began in 1974, meaning Nicklaus won three of the first five Players ever contested. It didn't move to TPC Sawgrass, however, until 1982.

PGA Tour money list titles: Tiger Woods 9 (likely 10 after this season), Jack Nicklaus 8.

Vardon trophies (awarded to player with lowest scoring average): Tiger Woods 8, Jack Nicklaus 0*.

*Turns out that Jack Nicklaus rarely played the then-required 80 rounds to qualify for the award. If the modern standard of 60 rounds (equal to playing the PGA Tour minimum of 15 events to remain a member), then Jack would have won eight Vardon trophies.

Career PGA Tour scoring average: Tiger Woods 69.39, Jack Nicklaus 70.29

Final count: Tiger Woods 8.5, Jack Nicklaus 4.5.

If you've made it this far and either (a) hate Tiger Woods or (b) swear loyalty to Jack Nicklaus, then you're wondering how on earth I could count major wins the same as all of these other categories. Fine.

Even if Jack gets an extra point for every major Tiger doesn't have, Woods still ties him. Obviously, the Woods advantage would fall apart the more emphasis put on winning majors.

Golf isn't that simple, and a legacy isn't that easy to define.

Jack Nicklaus finished on the medal stand in a major an incredible 45 times. That's almost twice as many as Tiger, though Jack's last stand in a major was still nearly nine years away from the end of the 1977 season.

Woods, though, has been more dominant in his major wins. He often took them in style, rarely leaving much in doubt. If Woods' major-championship approach didn't evolve into a more conservative style, he likely would have proven even more dominant than his record already suggests.

Then again, Jack has been -- far and away -- better at charging on Sunday than Tiger has in majors. Nicklaus won nearly half of his 14 majors through 1977 by coming from behind. Woods has never done that.

Jack holds the edge in the majors, but Tiger is by far the best player in PGA Tour history. He wins more often and scores better than Jack by considerable margins.

There is one ding, however, in Woods' PGA Tour win record. Of Tiger Woods' 79 PGA Tour wins, 41 have come on just six venues: eight wins at Firestone C.C., Torrey Pines and Bay Hill, with another handful at Muirfield Village and a quartet at Augusta National and Doral, respectively.

That still leaves Tiger with 38 wins at other courses -- an outstanding career that almost any golfer would take.

Of course, this is just one prism through which to view two incredible careers. But the numbers don't lie: Tiger has been better than Jack.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/tiger-woods-vs-jack-nicklaus-settling-best-time-214600044.html

TrapperChamonix

Rippeditup wrote: »

Thats like comparing chalk and cheese.. Tiger played/is playing in a time when golf has become more main stream, being a pro is the goal for most good juniors so competition is higher than ever..

I'm not trying to say who is the best, all I'm saying is that saying Tiger is the best is BS on so many level. As you say its comparing chalk and cheese.

Rippeditup wrote: »

Every tournament there is about 30+ guys who can win where before it was 4 or 5.

Less competition in the old days. I'd call BS on that as well. Jack and Tiger are very similar as when at their best it was "Jack v's the rest of the field" or "Tiger v's the rest of the field". But lets try and deal with some facts with this one. I took at random (you'll have to trust me on this) 2 periods 61 to 70 and 01 to 10 and a random Major in the US Open.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Open_%28golf%29
61 to 70 - Littler, Nicklaus, Boros, Venturi, Player, Casper, Nicklaus, Trevino, Moody & Jacklin. Jack x 2 plus 8 other winers
01 - 10 Goosen, Woods Furyk, Goosen, Campbell, Ovilgy, Cabera ,Woods Cabera & McDowell. Tiger x 2, plus 7 other winners.
Not conclusive to me.

Rippeditup wrote: »

I am not saying Tiger is the best ever as we will never know but he single handily brought golf to the masses and to another level with the way he played during the 90's/00s.

Tiger did a hell of a lot to widen the appeal of golf, but did he do more than Palmer to popularise the sport? Not a chance.
Did he bring golf to a different level? Absolutely! But so did so many golfers, Sarazen invented the SW, Hogan I mentioned before, Palmer, Nicklaus, Hagen, Slammin Sammy all brought the game forward. Bobby Jones created a Major.

FixdePitchmark

Trapper. Don't know that you can call an opinion about Tiger being the best as B'S.
A bit harsh. Sport is about opinions and debate.

Look at the era that multiple major winners came from . They are not from modern game.
Just have a think about why that is.

The fact Tiger did in modern era is key for me.

In relation to popularisation.
No debate there at all. EA sports . NIKE campaign.

What Tiger did in relation to widening appeal is phenomenal.

I will give you an off post opinion . Tiger by a long long way.
Importance and best player.
In fact another sport all together.

TrapperChamonix

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

Trapper. Don't know that you can call an opinion about Tiger being the best as B'S.
A bit harsh. Sport is about opinions and debate.

Look at the era that multiple major winners came from . They are not from modern game.
Just have a think about why that is.

The fact Tiger did in modern era is key for me.

In relation to popularisation.
No debate there at all. EA sports . NIKE campaign.

What Tiger did in relation to widening appeal is phenomenal.

I will give you an off post opinion . Tiger by a long long way.
Importance and best player.
In fact another sport all together.

Sorry if I was unclear. To clarify, someone thinking Tiger is the best of all time is entirely reasonable and lots of arguments to support that.
I was calling BS on was the
He would have caught Jack's record - only for his "issues".
&
the game was at a higher professional level during Tiger's time.

The 1st one is a woulda, coulda shoulda. Come on.
The 2nd one discounts prior achievements based on a measurement against current parameters. On that basis the modern player will always be better. Certainly there is a higher professional level now, but if Nicklaus operated in the environment today he too would be an entirely different player.

The concept that cause he did it in the modern era is flawed. As a man of science I can't believe you make a blanket statement like
Look at the era that multiple major winners came from . They are not from modern game.
Just have a think about why that is.

There is nothing that suggests that there was a period in the game where there was a glut of multiple major winners and that somehow it was easier to win then than now.
Lets say the cut off point for comparison is 7 majors or more (after all we are comparing all time greats). Here is the list and the decade they one their 1st Major in: Nicklaus (60's), Woods(90's), Hagen(teens), Hogan(40's), Player(50's), Watson(70's), Sarazen(20's), Palmer(50's), Snead(40's), Jones(20's), Vardon(1890's). Or to put it another way about 1 every 10 years. So only the 50's producing 2 players who would rank as all time greats.
If you want to extend it to include all players who one 5 or more (lower than this isn't worth it). Trevino(60's), Faldo(80's), Michelson(00's), Neslon(30's), Ballesteros(70's), Braid(1900's), Taylor(1890's) & Thompson(50's).
In order words there is nothing that points to any period having significantly more multiple majors. And who's to say how many players today will break into the top echelon; Bubba, Rory, Speith, Scott, Rose etc. We won't know that till 15 years from now

And before we get too carried away with how difficult it is to win in the modern era, lets not forget Watson nearly won a major at the age of 59. So how hard can it be:D:D:D:D:D

Anyway, I'm done with this. I like Tiger & I like Jack and I suspect that Tiger will surpass the 18 majors and all debate will end.
For me my favorite is Watson and my hero is Hogan.

Keano

I'd be shocked if he plays again this year tbh. Tom Watson is probably planning without him for the Ryder Cup too.

SnowDrifts

Tiger woods back hitting full shots, including the driver.

Don't call it a comeback, at least not yet, but Tiger Woods teed it up this weekend.

According to Golf Channel's Tim Rosaforte, Tiger Woods was hitting full shots, including driver, at Medalist Golf Club near his home in South Florida this weekend.

Woods had previously been limited to just light chipping and putting as he recovers from back surgery on March 31, but in what Rosaforte hails as "great news for the world of golf," especially since both of the Tiger-less majors so far this year have suffered abysmal television ratings in his absence, Woods has since taken his rehab process to the next step.

"We should not read too much into this, as it relates to next week or the Open Championship," said Rosaforte. "Just because he's hitting balls does not mean that he's ready to be tournament competitive, however, obviously, this is tremendous news as it relates to the condition of his back and his overall health, the fact that he's out there taking full cuts."

In May, Golf Channel reported that Tiger Woods had targeted the British Open for his return to competitive golf, but Woods' agent, Mark Steinberg, has said only that he "expect it to be this summer."

http://www.golf.com/tour-and-news/tiger-woods-advances-recovery-hitting-full-shots-including-driver?sct=hp2

Jazzzman

Can't come back soon enough.

slave1

US Open Sunday's TV audience was 70% with Tiger missing, he really brings in the bucks

Ed Winchester

slave1 wrote: »

US Open Sunday's TV audience was 70% with Tiger missing, he really brings in the bucks

I'd guess that would have something to do with the very dull Kaymer and the fact that it was just a procession after Friday.
It also coincided with some attractive World Cup matches. Probably not a big deal in the states, but would have had a big impact in the rest of the world.

PARlance

slave1 wrote: »

US Open Sunday's TV audience was 70% with Tiger missing, he really brings in the bucks

He certainly draws in the crowd but I don't know how much of that 30% is down to Tiger.
Possibly a bad time to judge as there were two other big factors.
World Cup and Kaymer more or less having it won

SnowDrifts

I was actually surprised to hear figures were as high as 70% for the weekend. The Tiger effect has been very evident so far this year since he has been out. Both the Masters and Players and every other Tour even has been massively down on viewership.

You can say that the 2 majors were not very exciting final days but Sunday at Sawgrass was a great finish and figures were down 54% on last year and the lowest in 15 years. That, is the Tiger effect.

SnowDrifts

This article states that Sunday's US Open viewership was down 46% which is more in line with previous events.

http://www.golfdigest.com/blogs/the-loop/2014/06/tiger-woods-is-back-hitting-fu.html

slave1

SnowDrifts wrote: »

I was actually surprised to hear figures were as high as 70% for the weekend

Apologies, 70% according to an article I read on flipboard but when I went to look for it again there appears to be reference to down by around half...

SnowDrifts

Tiger finds a new sponsor... "MusclePharm". Bit of a brave collaboration considering the world will be watching his recovery process.

Tiger Woods signed an endorsement deal on Wednesday with sports supplement and nutrition brand MusclePharm.

The brand will appear on Woods' bag when the golfer, who hasn't played a competitive round in more than three months due to injury, returns to the course.

"MusclePharm is a company that has always been about athletes, and Tiger was one of the first pure athletes to come into the pro game," his agent, Mark Steinberg, said. "Now all the golfers are athletes."

Steinberg said the brand will use Woods to appeal to a new demographic with him scheduled to appear in ads for the company.

Shares of the publicly traded MusclePharm jumped nearly 10 percent in the first hour of trading on Wednesday after news of the announcement.

But the biggest boost for the brand could come if Woods uses the company's product while the eyes of the world are on him.

Steinberg said he and Woods will work with the brand to make Tiger-specific products "and if we do that, we're not going to hide them."

The company's product line includes protein powder, creatine, and fish oils, among others.

The deal replaces Fuse Science, which was also on Tiger's bag. Despite Woods' endorsement, the company had trouble bringing its energy rub and droplets to mass retail. For the first three months of this year, Fuse reported it only had $50,000 in gross sales and that it needed $3.5 to $5 million to continue its plans.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and New York Jets wide receiver Eric Decker also are MusclePharm endorsers.

Steinberg reiterated that it is not clear when Woods will return to the course, but he is getting better since he had surgery for a pinched nerve in his back.

http://espn.go.com/golf/story/_/id/11102091/tiger-woods-musclepharm-strike-endorsement-deal

getoffthepot

Tiger is back hitting full shots in practice including driver.

SnowDrifts

Didn't expect the return so soon but great news for golf!

Golf.com ‏@si_golf

"Breaking news: Tiger Woods announces he will play next week at Congressional. "I want to play myself into competitive shape."



From his facebook
"After a lot of therapy I have recovered well and will be supporting my foundation next week at the Quicken Loans National. I've just started to hit full shots but it's time to take the next step. I will be a bit rusty but I want to play myself back into competitive shape. Excited for the challenge ahead."

First Up

SnowDrifts wrote: »

Didn't expect the return so soon but great news for golf!

Golf.com ‏@si_golf

"Breaking news: Tiger Woods announces he will play next week at Congressional. "I want to play myself into competitive shape."



From his facebook
"After a lot of therapy I have recovered well and will be supporting my foundation next week at the Quicken Loans National. I've just started to hit full shots but it's time to take the next step. I will be a bit rusty but I want to play myself back into competitive shape. Excited for the challenge ahead."

Nike must be losing market share.

m r c

SnowDrifts wrote: »

Didn't expect the return so soon but great news for golf!

Golf.com ‏@si_golf

"Breaking news: Tiger Woods announces he will play next week at Congressional. "I want to play myself into competitive shape."



From his facebook
"After a lot of therapy I have recovered well and will be supporting my foundation next week at the Quicken Loans National. I've just started to hit full shots but it's time to take the next step. I will be a bit rusty but I want to play myself back into competitive shape. Excited for the challenge ahead."

This is great news for golf, wether you love him or hate him there wasn't the same buzz without him.

Keano

First Up wrote: »

Nike must be losing market share.

This line gets trotted out on here but it's not the case. The money they make from golf is peanuts when compared with their other sports

SnowDrifts

m r c wrote: »

This is great news for golf, wether you love him or hate him there wasn't the same buzz without him.

That's true alright. It will probably only be 36 holes I'm guessing. Great news for The Open next month though provided everything goes well.

First Up

Keano A Legend wrote: »

This line gets trotted out on here but it's not the case. The money they make from golf is peanuts when compared with their other sports

There is still a golf product team at Nkke losing out in the bonus race that needs some action. This gets the brand back on screen and the US media will go into frenzy mode to capture the "Tiger" market.
I have no idea if he is ready or not but based on the information out there, this smacks of a media stunt.

Ed Winchester

This is great news. Hopefully he'll be up to speed in time for The Open.

seligehgit

medic087 wrote: »

He's wasting his time. Winning one more would be a massive achievement for him. Greatest player ever so it's unfortunate that he won't win the most majors.

Yes I'm with you I can't see Tiger reaching the magical 18 mark..hard enough to see where he'll resurrect another major win at the moment.
Hugh McIlvanney had a super article in the Sunday Times some time ago re the whole greatest player debate.He came down firmly on the side of the Golden Bear..even if Tiger did equal Jack's 18 major wins,Jack wins hands down on his top 3 major finishes which was his other criteria when casting his vote in this never ending debate.

Slicemeister

m r c wrote: »

This is great news for golf, wether you love him or hate him there wasn't the same buzz without him.

There's far more coverage of other players since he pulled out of the tour, which is a great thing imo. I don't hate him, he's one of the all time greats. Just nice to see the wider choice in coverage.
Don't know the full in and outs but it's still very hasty coming back to the game so soon. Hopefully he sees the season out playing competitively.

SnowDrifts

Tiger's press conference from today below. Had to laugh when he was talking about his first games back when he was "only pumping an 8-iron 135 yards - which was no fun!" .... Welcome to my world Tiger

http://www.pgatour.com/video/2014/06/24/tiger-woods-news-conference-before-quicken-loans.html#ooid=A1MHNmbjq_hxAGIhmSYavgfNIQaOLBE1

slave1

Well he's now back, bogey on his first hole early AM stateside

SnowDrifts

+4 for 9 holes. Gonna need something special from now on if he is to think about making any cut.

He was hit a few 300+ drives so I'm sure it's not a swing restriction that is costing him, more so rustiness I would say especially with the short game.

allybhoy

SnowDrifts wrote: »

+4 for 9 holes. Gonna need something special from now on if he is to think about making any cut.

He was hit a few 300+ drives so I'm sure it's not a swing restriction that is costing him, more so rustiness I would say especially with the short game.

Seen him on telly hitting a good few balls in the range yesterday, he didnt look right to be honest, maybe he was just being protective but he certainly looked like he had restrictive movement in his swing, especially his driver.

ssbob

allybhoy wrote: »

Seen him on telly hitting a good few balls in the range yesterday, he didnt look right to be honest, maybe he was just being protective but he certainly looked like he had restrictive movement in his swing, especially his driver.

Might be good if he had restricted movement, keep him in play off the tee:rolleyes:

SnowDrifts

Stats so far for today.....

Driving distance ... 299.50 yards
Driving Accuracy ... 70%
GIR ... 41.67%
Strokes gained putting ... -2.84

GIR and short stick is definitely what is costing him today.