How do you psyche yourself up to compete with a phenomenon? Do you meekly concede defeat and scrap it out for the best of the rest crown? Do you fire up your own belief by shouting from the rooftops about how you are, indeed, a contender?
A tricky one that. Recent weeks have seen both routes traversed. Both, strangely, with the same outcome.
The latter first. Ian Poulter, for once putting his mouth where his trousers are, predicts that he, and he alone, can face down Tiger and come out on top. The interesting part of Poulter’s approach was that he didn’t for a moment question how good Woods is. Rather he conceded Tiger’s genius and immediately placed himself on the same vaunted pedestal.
The backlash was immediate. Poulter was forced to retract his comments and claim he was misquoted (incidentally journalists should really produce tape recordings or transcripts the minute a sportsmen uses the misquoted argument). A swift turnaround and Poulter was once again bowing at the regal spiked feet of King Tiger.
But could Poulter, misquoted or not, have been on to something? Is the way to beat Tiger to imagine him as a mere mortal? After all, given current form Poulter was really just, verbally, drawing Tiger back into the chasing pack. It’s easier to beat one of your own kind than it is to beat Superman.
The second approach came from Thomas Bjorn. A unique insight this because Bjorn has actually gone head to head with Tiger over four rounds and won. Not just lived to tell the tale, or hung to the divine being’s coattails, actually scored a real victory.
How that experience has translated into how Thomas feels now is unknown:
“The sooner people accept that we are second best, the more chance they have to live up to our potential. If you are trying to beat him, good luck. You are not going to do it. He is not going to let you. I don’t think that is defeatist – it is realistic.â€
As a general rule Thomas might do well to remember that if you have to claim something is not defeatist at the end of the quote then the listening public will probably already have decided that what you said is, in fact, defeatist.
Now of the two approaches let it be said that Bjorn is probably, in his own pragmatic way, right. Woods is miles ahead of the rest. Frighteningly so. But should his competitors say that?
I look at my experience of football: Scottish football, for so long dominated by two big clubs, is beginning to throw up more shocks. The big two still have the clout and the money but the smaller clubs now have a belief that on their day they can compete. Rangers and Celtic still dominate but they suffer more frights now than they have done in years.
That said we would still feel that a manager of another club coming out and saying that they were going to reel them in as a monstrous display of hubris, one which in true Scottish Protestant style, would be punished by said manager falling flat on his face. Yet which supporters would want their manager to say at the start of the season that they had no chance? That is not the message you want to send out.
If Poulter’s words were a mildly amusing irritant to Tiger then surely Bjorn’s are music to his ears. If the field turns up feeling beaten it makes actually beating them a whole lot easier.
So which approach is right? Probably neither: one is to lose before you hit a shot, the other is too look stupid before you pull on your tartan trews.
The right approach? Maybe, just maybe, a dose of Scottish realism will steal the day:
“I am not going to beat Tiger Woods by hitting the ball any further than him or hitting my irons any better than him or by holing any more putts than he does. I am not going to beat him physically or mentally. The only way I am going to beat Tiger Woods is playing like Colin Montgomerie.”
So said the old European warhorse. Once again Monty might be on to something.
Tiger has his off days like everyone else, fewer than most to be sure. Still most PGA players on their best day can beat Tiger on his off days. That’s what everyone has to prepare for and to hope that they can meet Tiger on a day when they have their A game and Tiger dosen’t have his.
I believe you’ve hinted at the secret to successfully competing with Tiger. Note, I didn’t say beating Tiger but, giving yourself the opportunity to defeat Tiger. Your suggestion to play like Colin Montgomery is “spot on”. If you attempt to beat Tiger’s every shot, you’re in for a long tedious, frustrating and losing afternoon. I believe the answer is to play like Colin Montgomery today. With controlled passion and one of the finest games in Golf. Competing with Tiger means bringing your “A” Game not his.
Hi Andy,
I loved the vidio with Tiger playing closest to the pin for a Buick.