April 14, 2019

"Love people who are great under pressure. What a fantastic life comeback for a really great guy!"

Maybe it's a symptom of Trump derangement, but I can't help hearing him talking about himself:

83 comments:

Ice Nine said...

TDS. Even if Trump is indeed great under pressure.

mockturtle said...

It was a great tournament on many levels with a crowded leaderboard and they managed to finish before the weather system moved in. Watching Tiger hug his little boy and mother and a lot of other people after his win was special. He really was ecstatic, as was the gallery. Love a good comeback!

traditionalguy said...

Trump has made Tiger great again.

Chris Lopes said...

A bad husband and a great golfer. No wonder Trump likes him. :)

Browndog said...

A great moment is sports.

Equal time-

Congratulations, Tiger! To come back and win the Masters after all the highs and lows is a testament to excellence, grit, and determination.

-Obama


Interesting juxtaposition; congratulations from a man that builds 'the best' golf courses all around the world with his own money, and another man that uses them on other people's dime.

Just goes to show Americans of all sorts love a good comeback story.

Big Mike said...

Maybe it's a symptom of Trump derangement, but I can't help hearing him talking about himself:

@Althouse, perhaps you can’t but I certainly can. Huge contrast with his predecessor.

Sebastian said...

Tiger is the only POC who, when asked if he likes Trump, can tell everyone to go ef themselves.

Of course, being a golfer, he can't help but know and like a few deplorable white men.

But it was a great tournament. Makes the win that much better.

Dude1394 said...


Blogger traditionalguy said...
Trump has made Tiger great again”

Damn that was funny. Kudos

Ipso Fatso said...

One of the things that was shocking was when Woods took off his cap and revealed a 40+ year old head of hair. He really has aged. Also he has one of the greatest smiles ever.

Woods was a lousy husband, I hope he has grown up some over the last ten years. It was good to see him win again. There was nothing like him in sports from 1997 to 2008.

Birkel said...

Tiger is a pretty good quasi-golfer.

As a quasi-husband, he should have kept his quasi-dick in his quasi-pants.
Or he should have gotten a divorce first.

Still, Tiger's quasi-comeback Makes Golf Great Again!

tim maguire said...

Seems fair—of all the tweets about Tiger Woods he could have retweeted, Trump retweeted the one that mentions Trump.

MadisonMan said...

I guess his back is better now. I was doing Spring cleaning all weekend, and wasn't paying attention so when someone told me Tiger had won, I was pretty surprised.

Anthony said...

Boooooooooooooooo. . . . . .

Francisco D said...

I only pay peripheral attention to golf, but Tiger Woods was the talk of the sports world before he fell on hard times. He had some bad injuries and made some bad decisions. It looked like his career was over as it is a game of centimeters and you need to have your mind and body together or you are done.

There is almost something religious about a man conquering adversity and triumphing the way he has. Go, Tiger!

Of course, you have to denounce Trump now or you will be shunned.

Bay Area Guy said...

Congrats to Tiger! What a comeback!

Molly said...

(eaglebeak)

It took a lot of heart to come back the way he did, from being virtually crippled to being able to do what he did today.

Birkel said...

This means Tiger is racist.
He refused to win a major while Obama was president.
#sad

rehajm said...

From his usual bonefishing trip during Masters week Jack Nicklaus sent a congratulatory message to Tiger. Wonder if he’ll follow Tiger around like before?

FleetUSA said...

Just like UVA basketball, he came back. The sports gods smiled.

stevew said...

Everyone loves a redemption story, me included. Tiger suffered the consequences of his actions, in his golf game and personal life. From all I've read he's worked hard to correct all those mistakes. Good for him, and glad that he is rewarded.

As a golfer and golf fan I say there is nothing better for the game of professional golf - in terms of interest and promotion - than to have Tiger competing for and winning tournaments. Makes Sunday a must watch event.

traditionalguy said...

Watching the re-play of Tiger's final putt and the gallery at Augusta erupting in cheers giddy and chanting Tiger, Tiger, was like seeing a Trump Rally. Both men are winners in a realty based activity that requires great skill, intelligence and persistence. Trump is on loan to us to be our President that will save the USA and then build some more things.

Earnest Prole said...

He must have gone back to banging strippers in parking lots the way he did when he was The Greatest.

Phil 314 said...

Now he'll have to apologize for getting Trump admiration.

Lucien said...

Until Today Nike was worried that Tiger’s hopes of winning another major were a lost cause.

n.n said...

For a really great golfer, yes.

Yancey Ward said...

Lucien beats me to it. After the disastrous 2017 campaign, I think I wrote here at some point that Woods was unlikely to ever win a major again- in other words, a lost cause.

As I wrote in the overnight thread- during his prime, Woods was so dominant that I never rooted for him to win- I always go for the underdog in such situations. Today, Woods was the underdog. It is good for the game that he has returned to a winning form. Hopefully, I can start treating him as the overdog again.

mccullough said...

Tiger is now one win away from Snead’s 82 tour events win record and three short of Nicklaus’ 18 majors.

Hope he stays healthy. He’s been playing well the last year.

Birkel said...

Snead's record is a goner.
Nicklaus' seems reasonably safe.

Quasi-safe, you might say.

Yancey Ward said...

Four more majors to beat Nicklaus is still doable, but I do think it is unlikely now, but that is better than I thought a year ago when I would have rated it damned near impossible.

pacwest said...

Congrats to Tiger Woods. I always enjoyed watching him and Jordan at their peaks.

Slightly OT, but someone mentioned Bill Russell last night. #1 across the board in my book. Not as flashy, but more championship rings than fingers says something.

Limited blogger said...

Congrats to a guy that Trump really likes, and a guy Trump speaks highly of, and a guy Trump is very proud of today! Oh yeah, Tiger Woods.

Tank said...

How happy was CBS to have Tiger in the last group?

Birkel said...

Tank, but for the weather Tiger would have been in the next-to-last grouping playing in mid-afternoon.
Not sure how that cuts.

Quasi-happy?

Tank said...

Same difference; Tiger in the hunt Sunday at Augusta.

Hagar said...

Tiger thought he had it in the bag after #16 and relaxed and it very nearly cost him the game. This would never have happened in his younger days.
Still, a win is a win, and The Masters' is special so good for him. I am glad to see him back. He certainly played well all four days. The competition this year was very tight and broad-based.

Kevin said...

Maybe it's a symptom of Trump derangement, but I can't help hearing him talking about himself:

Trump and Tiger are friends.

Trump sounds like he’s congratulating his friend without it being “my friend Tiger, blah, blah, blah...”

wbfjrr2 said...

Althouse isn’t the only TDS quasi mind reader on this board.

Couldn’t possibly be that he was just complimenting a friend who showed guts and perseverance.

Idiots.

Anonymous said...

TDS is pervasive. On a University of Maryland message board that I frequent, in the GoT season 8 thread, Joffrey is reincarnated as Ronald Drumpf, and on another thread about much-beleaguered BB coach Mark Turgeon, everyone agrees that they would keep Turgeon for another 4 years if they could get rid of Trump.

Lexington Green said...

As Trump could truthfully say, I wrote Art of the Comeback!

Great to see Tiger overcoming a lot of challenges and bad personal choices. There are limitless numbers of bad husbands, but he is one of the greatest athletes in his sport of all time. Beautiful to see this comeback.

iowan2 said...

I did not know the Masters is a young mans course. Tiger is the second oldest to win there. Nicklaus won when he was 46, IIRC.

After a little research, (very little) Winning any major is not for the older competitors. Julius Boros was 48 to win PGA champ in 1968. Then down hill from there.

Henry said...

He was great. But the audience was very very white.

JHapp said...

I am waiting for Omar to say, "Some person did something".

Anonymous said...

You've correctly self diagnosed.

Kathryn51 said...

Maybe it's a symptom of Trump derangement, but I can't help hearing. . . .

Althouse has Trump Derangement Syndrome? Althouse? WTF - when did that happen.

Michael K said...


I did not know the Masters is a young mans course. Tiger is the second oldest to win there. Nicklaus won when he was 46, IIRC.


Golf is a dying sport. The players, amateur I mean, are getting older. Property on golf courses or in "golf communities" is depreciating or at least not appreciating like other comparable property. Kids play video games and stare at smart phones. It's too difficult to play and that has been a complaint for 15 years, at least, I have seen several high end golf courses in California be torn up and the site developed with homes packed together, I used to play a Jack Nicklaus course in Orange County that vanished a few years ago. It had been planned for a hotel with homes on the fairways.

Browndog said...

Blogger Henry said...

He was great. But the audience was very very white.


"Somebody was very, very something"

rcocean said...

It was a hell of a Masters tournament. The comeback has been incredible. 43 old's with bad backs don't usually win Majors like Tiger has done. I'm starting to think 19 Majors is a possibility. Of course, everyone more less self-destructed and gave Tiger the win. Molanari hit the ball in the water twice. Finau and Koepka did once, and X Shufflboard was tied for the lead, but then kept hitting the ball in the woods after.
14.

For some reason The Masters almost always has the most exciting tournaments, with 3-5 playser battling for the win on the closing 9 holes.

rcocean said...

"Golf is a dying sport."

Yeah, they've been saying that for 30 years. Supposedly, it was on its last legs in the 1990's because "People of Color" felt excluded - and then Tiger came along. For some reason, every time some sport of hobby stops growing by 5% a year, then some people get hysterical. As America gets Greyer and older, Golf will do well enough.

Browndog said...

So many golfers in contention with 4-6 holes to go. Odd, that CBS never mentioned Dustin Johnson's name until he was one stroke back from the lead.

rcocean said...

Tiger seems to have gotten smarter in his old age. He cant' outhit everyone anymore, so he's trying to hit fairways and use his irons to win. I love that he went for the center of the green on 12, while his 2 opponents tried a risky shots that went into the water. He won this one with his head, just as much as with his talent.

rcocean said...

Tiger being found in his car, stoned on pain meds, seems like a million years ago. Next to Hogan's coming back from a crippling car accident, this is the greatest Golf Comeback ever.

iowan2 said...

Golf is a community. I think our culture, at this time, has lost its ability to sustain community. Churches, the Elks, Veterans groups. All declining, the people see no value in community.
It starts obviously with the disintegration of the the family. No perception by people that family has value. If you see no value in putting the work into sustaining family relationships, expending effort to build a community of people, is far down your list of emotional investments you are willing to undertake.

Ken B said...

Arnold Palmer still earns 40 million a year, dead.

mockturtle said...

For some reason The Masters almost always has the most exciting tournaments, with 3-5 playser battling for the win on the closing 9 holes.

Rcocean, I remember many years ago when Tom Watson blew a comfortable lead on the 17th hole of the British Open. Golf is a cruel mistress. As a former golfer, I can appreciate the sheer agony the game can cause, though I still watch the majors and the Ryder Cup. Happy for Tiger! Discipline and hard work brought him back.

rcocean said...

"I remember many years ago when Tom Watson blew a comfortable lead on the 17th hole of the British Open."

Had 59 y/o Watson won in 2009, that would've been one of the most amazing feats in sports history. Alas, it wasn't to be. I used to gamble a bit on golf, but stopped. I couldn't take the pressure of making those 3 foot putts with $100 or $200 on the line. That the Pros the can do it, with $500,000 at stake is amazing. Tiger has never collapsed under the pressure. Same with Jack Nicklaus, everyone else seems to have had their moments. Greg Norman was the worst.

mccullough said...

The PGA has gotten better over the years.

They moved the PGA Championship to May starting this year. And cut one tournament out of the FedEx playoffs.

Golfers are stronger and in better shape these days do they can compete at a high level for longer.

Tiger won The Tour Championship last year. That’s the top 40 players.

This was no fluke. If he’s healthy, Woods is top 5 player still.

heyboom said...

Golf is a dying sport.

Yeah, try and get a tee time on any given day here in SoCal. And the junior participation is strong and growing, especially with females.

The state of the health of golf is tied directly to the health of Tiger Woods.

tim in vermont said...

Yeah, try and get a tee time on any given day here in SoCal. And the junior participation is strong and growing, especially with females.

Nobody plays anymore because the courses are always too crowded.

tim in vermont said...

If he was half the putter he was as a young man, none of these tournaments would be close.

tim in vermont said...

Daytona
Opening Day
Masters
Kentucky Derby
OK, Stanly Cup Playoffs.

We should have a poll.

PackerBronco said...

My favorite Tiger Woods statistics is that at his peak, my golf rating score was closer to the #2 player in the world than the #2 player was to Tiger.

... and I didn't even play golf.

Churchy LaFemme: said...

I don't know about the state of golf in general, but many Myrtle Beach area golf courses have been closed and the land repurposed.

readering said...

A favorite piece of golf trivia: most runner up finishes in majors- Jack Nicklaus 11.

mockturtle said...

Tiger has never collapsed under the pressure. Same with Jack Nicklaus, everyone else seems to have had their moments.

Both Tiger and Jack display a fierce will to win. No one else in my memory was as determined as those two.

mccullough said...

Nicklaus was runner-up 19 times in majors.

The tour is much deeper now but Nicklaus played against some of the all time greats.

Here are the guys he competed against during the 25 years between his first major victory (1962) and his final major victory (1986):

Arnold Palmer — 7 majors

Gary Player — 9 majors

Lee Trevino — 6 majors

Tom Watson — 8 majors

Seve Ballesteros — 5 majors

Raymond Floyd — 4 majors

Billy Casper — 3 majors

Hale Irwin — 3 majors

tim in vermont said...

Only God can compare eras.

Michael K said...


Golf is a dying sport.

Yeah, try and get a tee time on any given day here in SoCal. And the junior participation is strong and growing, especially with females.


I haven't tried lately but courses I used to play are gone and the real estate industry is down on golf course properties.
Show me your references and I will show you mine,.

PackerBronco said...

The tour is much deeper now but Nicklaus played against some of the all time greats.

Those all-time greats might not have won as many majors against a deeper tour. Nor might have Jack ...

mccullough said...

The all time greats, including Jack, wouldn’t have won as many against Tiger in the field.

They would have against McIlroy, Spieth, and Dustin Johnson.

Tank said...

Nobody said...

If he was half the putter he was as a young man, none of these tournaments would be close.


This occurred to me too.

AllenS said...

One thing that I noticed this tournament, was the fact that Woods for the first time was chewing something like gum. He also seemed quite calm, and didn't exhibit any slamming his gold clubs into the ground. I demand a piss test.

Fen said...

"The all time greats, including Jack, wouldn’t have won as many against Tiger in the field."

I'm not sure, the technology has changed the field too.

tim in vermont said...

Watch a putt sometime on those old time tournaments. Agronomy has changed too. Those putts jiggled and bounced their way to the hole.

Bill Peschel said...

Golf is harsh on the mind. Greg Norman choked in the last round of the Masters in '96 after tying the course record on the first day.

It's also weirdly hard on the body. You're working to balance the motion of the shoulders, back, hips, and knees while hitting a 2-inch ball with a club head. Physical damage in any of those areas can throw you off by a half-inch, turning a powerful drive into a powerful slice.

So good on Tiger for persevering. He worked hard, and he'll still have to work hard to contend the next time.

The adulation surrounding Tiger was really grating when he came out. Everyone wanted to jump on his bandwagon, and would do anything to drag him over the finish line. Of course, no one wanted to report about his off-course doings, until he brought it on himself.

Yesterday, I read about Deion Saunders, who had the same kind of success, indulged in all the treasures money and fame offered, and despaired because it was an empty and hollow life. He drove his car off a cliff in a suicide attempt. Now he's turned his life around.

I hope Tiger's found something equally meaningful to him.

Bill Peschel said...

AllenS: Didn't he laugh on the course when he saw the guy wearing his mug shot on a T-shirt? That's a good sign.

rcocean said...

Yeah, its tough to compare eras. The mammoth drivers and hyped-up golf balls, have made it a lot easier for the average golfer, but also it possible for the Pros to hit the ball 30 years farther than they did in the 1980s. Tom Watson said he came in 2nd in the British open in 2009, because the new equipment allowed him to hit the ball yards farther at Age 59.

The huge drivers also increase the margin of error. So a big lug like Dustin Johnson or Keopka can bash away. With the old drivers, they'd have to be much more concerned about hitting the center of the club. Its taken away from the game. It used to be "going for the green" in 2 shots was a big gamble at the Masters. I can remember Watson hitting a 3 wood to get on green at 15, in 1981. Now, its a drive and a long iron. The only question is whether they will eagle or birdie the hole.

rcocean said...

And I agree the talent is deeper than it used to be. However, I don't remember Watson, Nickluas, Trevino, or Player hitting the ball in the water with a Major on the line.

tim in vermont said...

Everyone wanted to jump on his bandwagon, and would do anything to drag him over the finish line

You must be talking about a different Tiger. I don’t remember the old Tiger needing any help winning tournaments.

tim in vermont said...

Dion Sanders was another who was incredible to watch. I am very happy I lived in a time that I got to see that guy play too. Still, handling the fame is a problem for a lot of people.

Krumhorn said...

My favorite scene was watching Tiger and his son walk together (strut, actually) to the scoring tent in matching hats and red shirts emblazoned with the Nike logo. It was cute as hell and minted gold doubloons to Nike which stuck with Tiger after Elin took a 7 iron to his cheatin’ ass and all the hard times since.

- Krumhorn

mockturtle said...

after Elin took a 7 iron to his cheatin’ ass

Was it a 7 iron? I thought it was a driver.

Krumhorn said...

Was it a 7 iron? I thought it was a driver.

It’s not entirely clear. In her interview with the police afterwards, a detective asked her “So as you ran after him swinging a golf club, do you recall the number?”

She is said to have replied “I dunno. 4? 5? Maybe 6. Hell, I’ll take a 5.”

- Krumhorn

readering said...

Can't argue with Woods deserving Presidential Medal of Freedom, but it usually comes in retirement, and Woods seems a long way from retirement. Will Brady get one next>