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GLENN

SHEELEY

COMMENTARY

MAJORS SHOULD BE KINDER

TO TIGER WHEN HE TURNS 50

I know it sounds a little crazy, but at 50 Tiger Woods should be performing better in the Majors than he is now at 48.
 

Provided his bionic right leg and ankle can gain a bit more strength and somehow hold together, when Tiger turns 50 he plans to play on the Champions Tour.

This wouldn't have been the case for arguably the best player in history before his near-fatal car accident, but it is now.

And when Tiger gets to the Champions Tour, that's when you're going to see the big difference in his overall tournament play -- especially in the Majors.

The golf cart will be Tiger's best friend. Known for his mammoth Nike deal of decades ago, now Woods might long for a record contract with Club Car or E-Z-GO.

The golf cart will allow Tiger to play tournament rounds in real competition prior to showing up at the majors or his Hero Challenge,  instead of the minimally meaningful activity of playing for fun with his buddies. 

Even with 15 majors and 82 PGA Tour wins, Tiger Woods still needs to practice the feeling of a shot actually meaning something more than a side bet.  The shots with historical consequences are the only ones that really matter. 

Indeed, Tiger Woods can still make all of the shots.  He just can't get to them comfortably.  And  even when he manages to limp to the ball in real tournaments, he's often fatigued or inconsistent.

As things are now, Tiger's only tournament rounds are at the majors -- or maybe the occasional PGA Tour event -- and that's not a realistic preparation even just for making cuts.  And it's showing.

But with the golf cart literally being his wheels, you are more likely to see Tiger springing enthusiastically from his upholstered seat and bringing new energy to his game.

It's been pretty sad watching Tiger limp up a hill or wince after an off-balance shot.  Not that many years ago he was practicing all day on the course and working out before and afterward. There was a time when he even took early-morning runs around the very courses which these days are nearly unnavigable.

Yes, of course, he will still have to walk at the majors, but the cart will allow him to gather tournament rounds in between them and take agonizing stress off his body.

"I'm a great cart golfer," Woods said recently.  "Not good at the walking part.  So (when I turn 50), I get to ride the buggy like all those guys out there."

Although good friend Jack Nicklaus has reminded Tiger that his injuries would qualify him for a cart on the PGA Tour, the purist in Woods won't allow it.  

"I'm not going to do that (now)," Tiger said.  "When I get to the Senior Tour, I will."

We can't wait, and neither can he.