[PThomas]

will this be the new trend, now that Tiger has won 2 in a row this way?

[JESII]

Interesting question.

My guess is no. Not many players are as proficient with their mid and long irons as he. I do think we will see this approach more from him.

[Jim Nugent]

Interesting question.

My guess is no. Not many players are as proficient with their mid and long irons as he. I do think we will see this approach more from him.

I'm sure you are right, on any course that punishes off-line driving.  What do you think he will do at ANGC?  Throttle back like at Medinah, or pull out driver on most holes?  Up till recently that was probably a no-brainer, but with the changes they have made is that still so?  

[JESII]

I guess there it'll depend on the state of his game. I think these two performances will make it very clear to him that playing from the fairway really does have tremendous value and he'll likely try to do so every week. I've never been to Augusta, but there seems to be much more width off the tee there (even with the recent growth of a second cut) than Hoylake or Medinah.

[Mark Pearce]

It will also depend on the firmness and speed of the greens.  Even Tiger would struggle to hit and hold the right parts of the Augusta greens to allow him to shoot low scores if he's playing his approach shots with mid to long irons.

[Jim_Kennedy]

Paul,
I hope it does catch on, it may make for more interesting play.  

[Phil Benedict]

In his pre-tourney news conference Tiger said Medinah didn't allow him to use driver very much, whereas Augusta does.  At Medinah he based club selection on distance to the turn of the dogleg, indicating that he didn't want to try to shape a driver around the doglegs.  On many holes this dictated 3 or 5-metal.  Even at Augusta, he uses a 3-metal on 13 and 14 to shape his shot right-to-left.  Tiger takes what the course gives him, because he is so confident in his shotmaking with his irons, even from 200 yards out.

I doubt that Tiger's course management will affect the way other pros approach major championship golf.  He's playing a different game than they are with vastly superior skills.

[Tony_Muldoon]

Paul,
I hope it does catch on, it may make for more interesting play.  

Jim I hope it does catch on, all over.  How many here have played a round with a high handicapper who continually sprayed drives all over the place, even on short par 4's.  Hopefully they will think that if Tiger can score from the fairway then they can too.  For this to happen we will need the TV commentators to repeatedly point out that he's prepared to give up distance for accuracy.

I didn't see it put so boldly as this on here, but did Tiger forsake the driver at Hoylake because
a) he wanted to steer his way round the course, avoiding trouble?
or
b) he didn't know where the driver would take him?

Either way the lesson for the rest of us is clear.  Wayward drivers cost us big time.

[JR Potts]

In his pre-tourney news conference Tiger said Medinah didn't allow him to use driver very much, whereas Augusta does.  At Medinah he based club selection on distance to the turn of the dogleg, indicating that he didn't want to try to shape a driver around the doglegs.  On many holes this dictated 3 or 5-metal.  Even at Augusta, he uses a 3-metal on 13 and 14 to shape his shot right-to-left.  Tiger takes what the course gives him, because he is so confident in his shotmaking with his irons, even from 200 yards out.

I doubt that Tiger's course management will affect the way other pros approach major championship golf.  He's playing a different game than they are with vastly superior skills.

Mr. Arnold:

I am going to personally put Tiger's play to test this Saturday.  I am going to try to play Course #3 the same way he played in on Sunday.  I will report results.  Hopefully it works for us mere mortal.....I have to buy a 5-wood first though.

[Brian Noser]

How does it make it more interesting?? I would rather see guys hit shots out through trees out of bunkers then from the middle of the fairway. The fairway is boring. I hope it does not catch on. I hit it all over the course, I like to see those guys do it as well.

[Phil Benedict]

Private Ryan,

From the same tees he played?  It helps if you hit your 5-metal 270 and your 3-metal 290, don't you think?

BTW, my old man rescued the family name in WWII!

[cary lichtenstein]

Game plan, something Michelson doesn t get, even though he spends lots of time preparing for these majors...that one reason Tiger is in a league by himself...he learnt from his driver mistake on 3 at Augusta

[Phil Benedict]

Game plan, something Michelson doesn t get, even though he spends lots of time preparing for these majors...that one reason Tiger is in a league by himself...he learnt from his driver mistake on 3 at Augusta

Tiger may think better but he also he also executes better and has superior physical abilities.  Put another way, if Phil hit the same club as Tiger off the tee on every hole, who do you think would win?  I'm betting on Tiger.

[JR Potts]

Private Ryan,

From the same tees he played?  It helps if you hit your 5-metal 270 and your 3-metal 290, don't you think?

BTW, my old man rescued the family name in WWII!

I can hit my 3-metal 290....I've never hit a 5-metal before.

The only problem is, God only knows where these shots are going.

[peter_mcknight]

One would have to think Tiger may have to use driver on 7 holes at Oakmont next year, probably on holes 1, 4, 7, 9, 12, 15, 18.  The 3 metal would be used at 3 and 10.  A long iron would be used at 2, 5, 11, 14, 17.

At Carnoustie, driver would be used on holes 2, 6, 9, 10, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18, up to nine times if windy, perhaps less depending on the direction of the breeze.

At Southern Hills, he could get away with only a driver on the 5th hole and the 16th, then leave it in the bag the rest of the round.

[Mark_Fine]

Don't you think Tiger would hit his driver more if he could hit it as accurately as some of the other guys?  It was not like he was running out of room on some of the holes at Medinah.  He was playing safe and to his strengths.

[Matthew Schulte]

This is far from a new strategy.  This is a page out of the Nicklaus book.  Jack hit a great many 3 woods off tees in majors in his career.  The bomb it and slash it out of the rough approach that works at most PGA tour stops doesn't work in Majors.  That is one of the things that makes Majors different.  They should be set up to test a players whole game.

[PThomas]

This is far from a new strategy.  This is a page out of the Nicklaus book.  Jack hit a great many 3 woods off tees in majors in his career.  

you are certainly correct Matthew ...I remember reading an article written before the 71 Open at Merion where it was discussed how Jack wouldn't hit all drivers...which he felt was perfectly fine, i.e., that just because you don't doesn't mean the course is "bad"

and Jack's tee shot on the 72nd hole in the 86 Masters?  

a perfect 3-wood fade to position A

which reminds me on the playoff Norman lost to Mark Calcavecchia for the Open championship...remember when Norman pulled out driver on the last hole of the playoff and Jack, before he hit, so he wasn't second guessing him , he was first guessing him, said "why is Greg going to hit driver here?  all he's doing is bringing the firght fairway bunker into play"

on cue, Norman drove his ball into that very bunker

if only Phil would have hit a non-driver at WF this year......

[Jim Nugent]

This is far from a new strategy.  This is a page out of the Nicklaus book.  Jack hit a great many 3 woods off tees in majors in his career.  The bomb it and slash it out of the rough approach that works at most PGA tour stops doesn't work in Majors.  That is one of the things that makes Majors different.  They should be set up to test a players whole game.

You're right, Matthew, I just wonder how many others besides JN and TW can pull it off?  Who today could do that?  

[John Keenan]

My guess is this will be true of the winners. Those with the hit and go find it style will not overall do well in the  Majors.

Odd more players and their coaches do not see this. Tiger and Hank seem to

Could it be the rebirth of the 2 iron?

[Phil Benedict]

On GolfDigest.com Hank Haney said that driver is becoming a specialty club for Tiger because he hits his 3-metal 290 now, whereas his 290-club a few years ago (ie with the Butch swing) was a driver.  His new swing along with the latest ball and metal technology has enabled Tiger to approach courses differently.

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