Rooting for Tiger

How I wish I was at this stage of my life 4 years ago. Not because there was some unsolved problem at that time on which I fancy my chances, but because that was when the storm called "Tiger Woods" was sweeping through golf. Looking at the way Tiger is playing currently, it's tough to get a clear picture of the extent of Tiger's domination at that time. Consider the raw facts of his performances in 2000 - wins the US Open by 15 shots, wins the British Open by 8 shots and wins 3 of the 4 majors - Phew! Winning a major by 15 shots - that's pretty much unimaginable for me atleast. Even Els has admitted that back in 2000, whenever he teed off with Tiger, he was just competing for the second spot. He knew he had no chance of coming anywhere near Tiger.

Now, coming back to the present, all that seems a fairytale. Tiger has won just one strokeplay event this year. He hasn't been anywhere close to winning any of the majors (Ok, he came a wee bit close in the British Open but ended up making bogeys at just the right times!). He not only got dethroned from the No. 1 ranking a couple of weeks back by Singh, but he is also on the verge of being replaced from No. 2 if Els wins the ongoing Amex World Golf Championship where he is leading after 54 holes. On the whole, it's certainly a sorry state of affairs considering the heights of 2000.

I usually tend to support underdogs and hate sportspersons who dominate their sport - prime example: Michael Schumacher - but seeing Tiger struggle over the past one year has somehow given him a humane touch. As I have not had the privilege of watching Tiger's exploits in 2000, all my analysis for his downfall has been from what I have read. According to my sources, the main reason for Tiger's domination back then was that his swing carried much farther than anyone else. But now the sport is filled with power-hitters, all of whom can give the ball a mighty whack and easily outdo Tiger. It was appalling to see even the Ryder Cup rookie, Paul Casey's swing go farther than that of Tiger! I don't know whether this can be attributed to the development of golf equipment, but from what I've seen over the past year following Tiger both on TV and online is that his driving accuracy back in 2000 must surely have been better than what it is now. Nowadays, more often than not, his swing off the tee ends up in some bushes way off the fairway and it's quite an achievement in itself that he still manages to save par on most occasions. What pains me the most in this whole affair is that Tiger still doesn't admit to being in a slump. He keeps pointing to the fact that he still manages to finish in the top-10 almost always and his record of 'most number of consecutive cuts made' is still going on and on. However, after the dizzy heights that he went to in 2000, obviously we expect making the cut and then finishing in the top 10 as a formality for him. Anyway, I for one am certainly hoping that he makes a return to form next year and gives Singh, Els and Lefty a run for their money. Come on Tiger ...