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Originally Posted by JohnnyFlame
Wow how did you extrapolate that out of the post? The players he is playing against have technical skill but no cajones. He has both. Nicklaus had both and played against guys who had both.
Very solid argument actually and one that is often made as in where is his chief competitor. You can't name him because he does not exist. Is he that far above them skill wise? I don't think so. But he is mentally strong and they are weak. The same wasn't true in Jack's day and he didn't finish second a lot because he played poorly but because there were guys who could go toe to toe with him and not flinch.
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I disagree and I don't think you have any particular knowledge base to evaluate the "cajones" of golfers back then versus today's golfers.
The "Chief competitor" is an argument that I've heard before but I chalk it up to "grasping at straws" rather than "very solid."
Is Tiger that far above everyone else skill wise? Absolutely. Some of the shots he even attempts are beyond the ability of most golfers, but to do them consistently? No one can match him. No one has caused the game to change as much as Tiger. He embarrassed the Masters so they lengthened the course dramatically (this was before Tiger adopted new age equipment - remember Mickelson's comments?). At the British Open in approximately 2006 Tiger played irons off every tee and won the tournament because (a) he's smart enough to keep the ball low and out of the wind and (b) he could drive it far enough that it wasn't a huge disadvantage.
Not to mention, Tiger's work on the greens? How many clutch chips or putts has he made? Do those go in because the rest of the field choked?
Tiger is, IMO, already the greatest golfer in history. Once he passes Jack, it will be solidified. But, I guess there will always be those who will dress up a weak argument and discount all other factors just for argument sake.