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Is it possible Woods has already won his last major?

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AUGUSTA, Ga. – Arnold Palmer never had an easy time winning majors until the last one.

This is the 50th anniversary of Palmer going wire to wire in the 1964 Masters to win by six shots, giving him a record four green jackets. It was his seventh major, significant because it tied him with some of the greats in the game: Harry Vardon, Bobby Jones, Gene Sarazen and Sam Snead. Two more and he could have tied Ben Hogan. Four more majors would have put him alongside Walter Hagen.

Palmer was only 34. He was the King. He was on a roll, winning roughly one of every three majors.

He never won another one.

”Well, of course you never think you’re going to be at your last stop,” Palmer said last week. ”But it was great. I suppose that psychologically I had accomplished maybe more than I even realized by winning the Masters and walking up the 18th hole comfortably. That was something that was truly great for me.”

Tiger Woods was 32 when he won his last major.

Through all these years, Woods has only been linked with Jack Nicklaus when the conversation turns to the majors. They are the only players to win the career Grand Slam three times over. The endless chatter is whether Woods will break the Nicklaus benchmark of 18 majors.

Is it even remotely possible that Woods, much like Palmer, already has won his last major?

Palmer went on to win 19 more times on the PGA Tour. He should have won at least one major and could have won more. Palmer famously lost a seven-shot lead on the back nine of Olympic Club in the 1966 U.S. Open, and then was beaten by Billy Casper in a playoff. He had close calls in 1964 and 1968 at the PGA Championship, the one major that kept him from a career Grand Slam.

Masters Tournament: Articles, videos and photos

Unlike Woods, he wasn’t the best in the world when he stopped winning majors.

Woods captured his 14th major in the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. That was six years ago, and so much has happened since, on and off the golf course. The knee surgery. The collapse of his marriage and change in his appeal. Another swing change under a third coach. More injuries.

And he no longer seems to make clutch putts, which might be worse than an injury.

Woods has won 14 times, two Jack Nicklaus awards as PGA Tour player of the year and one FedEx Cup title since his last major. He is still No. 1, not only in the world ranking but in the eyes of his peers.

Speculation about his future in the majors is fueled by this being the golden anniversary of Palmer’s last major at Augusta National, and the fact Woods isn’t here. He had surgery last week on his back to relieve a pinched nerve that has been bothering him for longer than he cares to reveal.

Woods won’t return until this summer. No telling how many more majors he will miss before he is healthy enough to compete at a high level. His age suggests he is in his prime, but add five surgeries to those 38 years and he seems older.

It’s foolish to suggest Woods won’t win another major. If nothing else he can win one just as easily as Justin Rose did at the U.S. Open or Jason Dufner did at the PGA Championship – not because of who they are or what they were ranked, but simply because they are very good players and it happened to be their week.

Phil Mickelson won a British Open last year when he was 42. Yes, Woods can win another major and probably will.

But there was a time when ”probably” wasn’t part of the equation.

”I probably would have put every last dollar I had on the gamble that he would break Jack’s record pre-2009,” Graeme McDowell said. ”Now, slightly longer odds. I’m not quite sure I’d put every dollar I had on it now.”

McDowell has seen enough of Woods and the shots he could hit to never rule him out. But he has a good eye for the landscape. McDowell believes 30 percent of the challenge for Woods will be physical and the other 70 percent will be the field. The competition has never been this deep.

What made it tougher on Palmer, more than anything, was the arrival of Nicklaus.

There is no one like Nicklaus – other than Woods, of course – in today’s game. Rory McIlroy is the best player in golf when he puts his game all the way back together. But that would be comparing a 24-year-old McIlroy with a 38-year-old Woods who will be coming off the disabled list this summer for the second time in three years.

Callaway, which sponsors Palmer, had made up special golf bags for its players this week with a crown on the side as a tribute to the King and the 50th anniversary of his last Masters. Is it possible that Nike will be doing the same for Woods at the 2058 U.S. Open?

from Caddysview.com News http://ift.tt/1ircXJ6

Is it possible Woods has already won his last major?

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AUGUSTA, Ga. – Arnold Palmer never had an easy time winning majors until the last one.

This is the 50th anniversary of Palmer going wire to wire in the 1964 Masters to win by six shots, giving him a record four green jackets. It was his seventh major, significant because it tied him with some of the greats in the game: Harry Vardon, Bobby Jones, Gene Sarazen and Sam Snead. Two more and he could have tied Ben Hogan. Four more majors would have put him alongside Walter Hagen.

Palmer was only 34. He was the King. He was on a roll, winning roughly one of every three majors.

He never won another one.

”Well, of course you never think you’re going to be at your last stop,” Palmer said last week. ”But it was great. I suppose that psychologically I had accomplished maybe more than I even realized by winning the Masters and walking up the 18th hole comfortably. That was something that was truly great for me.”

Tiger Woods was 32 when he won his last major.

Through all these years, Woods has only been linked with Jack Nicklaus when the conversation turns to the majors. They are the only players to win the career Grand Slam three times over. The endless chatter is whether Woods will break the Nicklaus benchmark of 18 majors.

Is it even remotely possible that Woods, much like Palmer, already has won his last major?

Palmer went on to win 19 more times on the PGA Tour. He should have won at least one major and could have won more. Palmer famously lost a seven-shot lead on the back nine of Olympic Club in the 1966 U.S. Open, and then was beaten by Billy Casper in a playoff. He had close calls in 1964 and 1968 at the PGA Championship, the one major that kept him from a career Grand Slam.

Masters Tournament: Articles, videos and photos

Unlike Woods, he wasn’t the best in the world when he stopped winning majors.

Woods captured his 14th major in the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. That was six years ago, and so much has happened since, on and off the golf course. The knee surgery. The collapse of his marriage and change in his appeal. Another swing change under a third coach. More injuries.

And he no longer seems to make clutch putts, which might be worse than an injury.

Woods has won 14 times, two Jack Nicklaus awards as PGA Tour player of the year and one FedEx Cup title since his last major. He is still No. 1, not only in the world ranking but in the eyes of his peers.

Speculation about his future in the majors is fueled by this being the golden anniversary of Palmer’s last major at Augusta National, and the fact Woods isn’t here. He had surgery last week on his back to relieve a pinched nerve that has been bothering him for longer than he cares to reveal.

Woods won’t return until this summer. No telling how many more majors he will miss before he is healthy enough to compete at a high level. His age suggests he is in his prime, but add five surgeries to those 38 years and he seems older.

It’s foolish to suggest Woods won’t win another major. If nothing else he can win one just as easily as Justin Rose did at the U.S. Open or Jason Dufner did at the PGA Championship – not because of who they are or what they were ranked, but simply because they are very good players and it happened to be their week.

Phil Mickelson won a British Open last year when he was 42. Yes, Woods can win another major and probably will.

But there was a time when ”probably” wasn’t part of the equation.

”I probably would have put every last dollar I had on the gamble that he would break Jack’s record pre-2009,” Graeme McDowell said. ”Now, slightly longer odds. I’m not quite sure I’d put every dollar I had on it now.”

McDowell has seen enough of Woods and the shots he could hit to never rule him out. But he has a good eye for the landscape. McDowell believes 30 percent of the challenge for Woods will be physical and the other 70 percent will be the field. The competition has never been this deep.

What made it tougher on Palmer, more than anything, was the arrival of Nicklaus.

There is no one like Nicklaus – other than Woods, of course – in today’s game. Rory McIlroy is the best player in golf when he puts his game all the way back together. But that would be comparing a 24-year-old McIlroy with a 38-year-old Woods who will be coming off the disabled list this summer for the second time in three years.

Callaway, which sponsors Palmer, had made up special golf bags for its players this week with a crown on the side as a tribute to the King and the 50th anniversary of his last Masters. Is it possible that Nike will be doing the same for Woods at the 2058 U.S. Open?

from Caddysview.com News http://ift.tt/1ircXJ6

Tour's stars lament loss of Tiger at Augusta

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AUGUSTA, Ga. – OK, so Tiger Woods isn’t at the Masters. It’s the first time since 1994 that the game’s biggest draw won’t play Augusta National. But that doesn’t mean that he’s not a hot topic.

Here’s a smattering of comments from top players Tuesday about Woods’ absence this week:

Adam Scott: “It’s a big loss for the tournament any time a world No. 1 is not going to play. It’s a huge loss. But it’s the nature of sports, and guys get injured and it’s an unfortunate timing for that. And you know, like I said, it’s going to be missing the top player in the game.

“But, as every year here, this event produces something special no matter what. It just has a way of doing it, and it’s not going to involve Tiger this year, but it will involve someone else and it will be a memorable event anyway.”

Rory McIlroy: “Having Tiger in a tournament definitely creates more buzz, more of an atmosphere. You know where he is on the course by the crown and the gallery that follows him.

“I think people will miss him at the start of the week, but by the end of the week, when it comes down to who is going to win the golf tournament, there’s going to be a worthy winner and it will produce a lot of excitement.”

Phil Mickelson: “It’s a weird feeling not having him here isn’t it? He’s been such a mainstay in professional golf at the majors. It’s awkward to not have him here. I hope he gets back soon.

“I hope he’s back for the other majors, and as much as I want to win and I know how great he is and tough to beat, it also makes it – it makes it special when he’s in the field and you’re able to win.”

Justin Rose: “It’s a shame for the tournament. I know that people are very excited to watch him play golf. Win, lose or draw, he’s a very big draw for the game. People are eager to see how he’s going to chase down Jack Nicklaus in every major championship. That’s a countdown to that.

“Obviously for him on a personal level, it’s never nice having to watch the tournament when you’re banged up and hurt a little bit. So no doubt it will just fire him up even more for the rest of the year.”

Henrik Stenson: “We all know his record around here. When he’s playing well, he wouldn’t be your No. 1 pick to have breathing down your neck on the back nine at Augusta would he?

“Of course he’s going to be missed at this event and he would’ve been one of the challengers whether he’s playing his absolute best of playing average. You would still not count him out around this golf course.”

from Caddysview.com News http://ift.tt/Q0qgcs