Why is it that so many of you doubt Tiger Woods in the 2009 season and beyond? I am gonna go on a bit of a tirade here for a minute because I am so frustrated with all the bullsh*it I am reading about people saying he is done. Please comment back too if you disagree or agree with what I am saying.

First of all this surgery is going to make his knee more stable and he has already said he feels the best he has in 15 years. That should be enough to put people's minds at ease, but of course it isn't. Secondly, he has continued his exercise regiment and the point of rehab is to make the knee stronger which he is doing. He doesn't plan on coming back until the Masters Tournament in April, so that gives him a legitimate 4 months to get his game and swing back into working order. I mean he's taken long breaks before and come back to win the next event, so no worries there. He has gotten his swing to where he and Hank want it, so all he has to do now is work on making it more repeatable and the short game will come around. He might be just a touch off mentally but just wait until Sunday afternoon and he'll get it back.

Tiger won a US Open under extreme physical limitations, I can only image how great he is going to be now that his knee is going to be stable. Plus his new swing is designed for longer-term prosperity as it takes stress off his left side through the hitting zone. Combine that with the fact he is the most physically strong player out there and he has a lot going for him.

Now as far as the tournament schedule, look at where all the majors are for the 2009 season.
1. THE MASTERS, Augusta National
2. US Open, Bethpage Black Municipal
3. British Open, Turnberry Golf Course
4. PGA Championship, Hazeltine

He has won at 2 of them and the other 2 venues will set up well for him. Plus with the shot arsenal he is going to come on tour with next season, I can only imagine how cool it will be to watch him play. He is constantly learning about his game and golf swing, I imagine he will do pretty well for himself over the next 15 years before retirement. And who knows, he could still compete at the age of 50 on the tour if he continues to take care of his body.

With that said, my prediction for Tiger's 2009 season looks like this. If he is able to and decides to compete at all before the Masters Tournament the event which makes the most sense would be the Arnold Palmer Invitational as it is only 2 weeks before. Otherwise, his return will be at Augusta, and don't worry because he knows the course blindfolded. I don't see any reason why he isn't in the top 15. He will make all the cuts for next season as well, and probably play 10 events before the FedEx tourneys. As long as he gets his mental game into shape quick enough there is no reason he can't win 1 or 2 majors.

So to sum it up, 2009 will be the start of the second half of Tiger's career. He will have at least 4 victories and 1 major, which I am arguing will come at Bethpage but I still think the Masters could happen. I would look for him to have victories at The Memorial, US Open, Bridgestone Invitational, and either the Deutsche Bank or Tour Championship. And to top it all off, winning the FedEx cup will make for a pretty nice start to his second campaign.

So for all you doubters out there, thank you for giving Tiger more inspiration.

I think you posted in the wrong topic. 2009 predictions is somewhere else.
Perhaps you should rename this post "How to kiss Tigers a**"?

Anyone who "doubts" Tiger Woods is in for a surprise.

Who here doubts Tiger? I think you are making an issue where one doesn't exist.

I've heard 1 or 2 people say "he's done".

+1

I haven't even heard that many.

I have not seen one response saying "he's done"...

BURKSTAR:

Before you run into a church and yell FIRE, you really should make sure that there actually is a fire - otherwise you just sound foolish! Perhaps your intent was to start the fire to begin with - then play hero & come to his rescue!

If you spend any time on this forum, you will soon realize the majority of Tiger fans are so skewed towards the perception he walks on water that the naysayers are few and far between.

Before someone runs into a church and yells there's no fire to the guy yelling fire before checking himself...

Take a look through this...you'll see some basis of Tiger doubt http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/index.php?sh...=213605&hl=

I think the guy will be back fine. Short game improved because it's the only thing he could work on consistently through the rehab. The doubt comes with the question of will his knee flare up somewhere along the line. I think he'll fight through it though. Just going to have to be careful not to do something dumb.

Sorry, but only three posts question how strong he will be when he returns, but not one hints at him being done!

I'm sure the press will question his comeback to a degree..........it makes for a much better story when he comes storming back and starts winning tourney's again.

People need something to talk about.

The "doubt" that you are referring to is the one that might linger in Tiger's mind. No one is questioning his ability. The people will question whether he is mentally over the injury himself. Unless you have had major injury yourself (and maybe you have) you don't know what goes thru the mind. The joint (injury)just feels different. It used to feel one way and now it just feels different. Everything you do now with it feels different. Maybe it feels better, but it still feels different. It is very hard to get used to and depend on that feeling. That's probably why people have questions about Tiger. It has been twenty years since I had knee problems on the basketball court. It ended my competive playing days. I still play recreationally 3 times a week. And every time I play I get a twing here or a funny feeling there. I would like to say that those twinges don't affect the way I play now. But they do. You're always wondering if the next time you go up that knee is going to blowout. Maybe it will or maybe it won't. It's always in the back of your mind. Golf is no different. With Tiger we will have to wait and see.

MAK2525,

Dude I didn't post this as being specific just to the golfwrx site, but for anyone out there who has been a Naysayer. I know I come off very strong on any issue I post about but that's because I have so much respect for him as a person and athlete. I am just very frustrated with people just looking for any issue to try and put him down, to me that is an extreme sign of disrespect. Just the same as they did with him when he got married and having children. I just wish people would not be so quick to doubt. Oh and trust me, at this point in time the first couple of church pews are on fire based on media and people's mindsets. Eventhough we may not be doubtful, I was talking to the people who do. So I don't mean any offense.

I am assuming that you were referring to my statement?



This was a Prediction. This is how I feel. Thats it...

Then why not post your rant in a place where the naysayers actually are? If you are frustrated with people just looking for any issue to try and put Tiger down, that goes double for people just trying to use Tiger as an excuse to stir things up.

Discussing the potential difficulty Tiger may have returning from his knee injury is far from disrespectful. Discussing how having a family may have made Tiger re-focus his energy on something other than golf is not unreasonable.

In the world of golf, that equates to No One. Tiger will win, win big and win a lot sooner than anyone expects...

It seems like you are a bit hypersensitive to the topic of TW's status. I have not heard much about him having a bad 2009. There may have been some people wondering how his 2009 will go, but I haven't heard any "naysayers" say he will have a bad 2009. Then again, I might not be looking for an issue to rant about.

The way I see it is if he has a great comeback and wins a few tournaments, great, more people will tune in to see him. If he comes back and does poorly or average, great, some new rivalries and story lines will develop. Either scenario will lead to an interesting year.

Sorry, but not everybody thinks the sun shines out of Eldrick's a**e. I don't disrespect him, but I don't worship him either. Do you know him personally? If not, how do you know what he is like as a person?

Great player to be sure, and will probably win plenty more tournaments but unless you are a psychic and a highly experienced sports physician, then your opinion on how stable his knee will be, and the effect of other parts of the swing isn't worth much.

There is only one sure thing about Tiger's career - sooner or later his win rate will slow down. You can bet the farm on that.

It wouldn't surprise me if Tiger comes back and wins the Masters in his first event after his layoff. In fact, I kind of expect it to go down that way. It stuff of legends. It's things that the greatest athletes in history do. They overcome adversity and do things that are impossible in other people's mind.

Few out there would predict doom no matter the scenario if for no other reasons than to go against the trend, and then hope to say I told you so on the off chance they are right.

As for TW, why would anyone expect him not to be dominant again? It's not like anyone else on tour is showing the ability to dominate over the long haul. It cracks me up when someone brings up the mental aspect of the injury, the so called 'doubt'. We're not talking about Manny Ramirez, we're talking TW. Tiger is going to doubt himself? Going to doubt ability because of his knee? Totally laughable. The guy only knows confidence, no matter what the situation. And don't give me the 'well, you don't know if you never had an ACL' speech.....whatever. I don't need to know, I know what TW does from watching it over and over and over and over......