Tiger Woods is the No 1 golfer in the world
April 24th, 2007 by Olaf Bound.s
Tiger is the no. 1 golfer. Ask the press! Ask the golfers! Ask his contemporaries! Ask his fellow peers! Heck asks anybody, they’ll tell you he is the best. But remember three years ago; when many wrote him off due to his “mini” slump. Now, everyone is jumping on to the band wagon. But realistically, where are the other contenders? Remember the Arnold Palmer vs. Jack Nicklaus vs. Gary Player vs. Lee Trevino, Nick Faldo vs. Greg Norman vs. Nick Price. Tiger seems to be on a league of his own. But let’s look at a few guys who might actually give him a good fight for 2007!
Major contenders
No 1 Phil Mickelson
You can’t rule him out! This guy is really talented! Has a great short game and very long off the tee. Crowd favourite. Already notch up a few majors.
Why not?
Loves to take on the perfect shots. Hasn’t been the same since the US OPEN where he opted for a shot off the 18th tee with a driver and lost out to Geoff Ogilvy. Still…….
Contender No. 2 — Ernie Els
My hero! The big “Easy.” What a lot of people will consider as having the perfect swing. Contends well for all the majors. Really knocking at the door.
Why Not?
Suspect at his putting! Also a lot has been mentioned on his mental game. Seem he has a syndrome called “tiger woods”.
Contender No. 3 — Jim Furyk
The man with the awkward swing! But it works! Has a good shot game. Not particularly long though. But a model of consistency last year.
Why not?
Major weakness is his distance. Might actually be an asset though. Hasn’t started the year well but you can never write him off.
Contender No. 4 — Vijay Singh
Famed for working the hardest on his game and swing. Remember 2004 and 2005, he was in contention almost every other week during Tiger’s so called “mini slump”.
Why not?
Changes his putter every so often. Has been through all the putters you can think off! Not exactly a crowd favourite. Especially since the “Annika-gate” incident. But should be ready for a few hurrahs before he joins the Senior tour in a few years time.
Contender No. 5 — Retief Goosen
Great swing! Long off the tee and where do these South Africans get their swing! Great player and mental toughness.
Why not?
Not really a great year in 2006. But this guy is a great golfer and deserves to be up there. His consistency levels are not really great though.
Other Longshots…
Adam Scott
Geoff Ogilvy
Zach Johnson
Charles Howell III
Colin Montgomery (just joking!)
and Michelle Wie (extremely long shot)
But thus far and with only a major done and dusted, and still another three quarters of the golf season to go, I’ll put my money back on Tiger Woods holding and keeping the No.1 status at season’s end.