# If Tiger Wins the Next Masters...

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-tiger-wins-the-next-masters/32827>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 11, 2000, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-tiger-wins-the-next-masters/32827 "2000-09-11T22:08:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\
**Post date:** [September 15, 2000, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-tiger-wins-the-next-masters/32827/21 "2000-09-15T21:17:23Z")

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Thanks, **BobT**. I thought that was more likely the case.

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**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\
**Post date:** [September 15, 2000, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-tiger-wins-the-next-masters/32827/22 "2000-09-15T21:34:18Z")

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See, it wasn’t lying. It was just a mis-recollection. But I think I was close enough. 🙂

My main point was: nobody goes out on the PGA Tour with balls that aren’t legal and lives to tell the tale (figuratively that is.)

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**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\
**Post date:** [September 15, 2000, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-tiger-wins-the-next-masters/32827/23 "2000-09-15T21:50:05Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by johnson \*  
> **There’s obviously no question that Tiger’s whipping everyone right now. I go back and forth between whether the contenders are as strong as they used to be. Are Els, Lehman, Singh, Duval (one-time wonder, in my book), Mickelson, Montgomery, Clarke and several others the level of Jones’, Palmer’s, and Nicklaus’ competition? It strikes me that the fields certainly are a lot deeper these days, but I think that say, the top ten players of most other eras were far better as a group than the top ten today. (Tomorrow I’ll think differently, probably.)**

I tend to think that Els, Duval, etc. would indeed be as good as Player, Trevino, Watson etc. if Woods weren’t around. Nicklaus wasn’t better than his competition by more than a stroke or two, and the best ones always knew they could win any tournament they entered if they had a few good rounds. That knowledge helped add to their own competitive spirit and motivation to practice.

But Woods is so much better than the rest that it has to be discouraging. Els, Duval, et al. have to know in their hearts that it doesn’t matter how well they play; they can’t win unless Woods lets them. It has to deaden a little piece of their souls to know that, and take off a little of the edge they might otherwise have. Some of the comments they made after the British Open reflected that.

I guess it’s a further reflection on Tiger’s greatness that he not only is the best by an inconceivable margin, but that he has actually made his opponents worse.

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