Why are people taking Tiger SERIOUSLY as a golfer?

Basically the answer, yes. There are better golfers right now, but Tiger was far better than everyone in his prime. Part of that was distance, which is no longer to his advantage. Tiger was/is an awesome putter too. So if the short stick is working, he always should be "among" the favorites. If it isnt, then no way. Lefty's game isnt what tigers is, and he pulled off the right game/ right time/ right tournament upset at the PGA last year. So if you looking for proof, look no further than same tourney 1 year ago.

Terrible analogy. Dude, Tom Watson almost won a major in his 50s...WITH A HIP REPLACEMENT! One stroke away! Aging, legendary level golfers who get the putter going for a weekend have a chance. That's golf. And yes, lots of hype too.

Admittedly I couldn't find the "down vote" button quick enough after reading this response. So I looked for the betting odds, and sure enough he was at the very least a top 5 betting favorite:

actionnetwork.com

2019 Masters Betting Odds: Rory McIlroy the Favorite to Win at Augusta | The Action Network

@actionnetworkhq

See full betting odds for the 2019 Masters at Augusta National. Rory McIlroy is the favorite to win the Green Jacket, with Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson and Justin Rose not too far behind.

Link:www.actionnetwork.com/golf/2019-master...

So, your take wasn't a bad one.

Currently at +2 thru 13.

Not looking to so good for Tiger. Going to need a good Friday just to make the cut with the way things are going.

Tiger has some nice holes to go 2 under early. But then he had a bogey for 4 out of 6 holes.

Times have changed. Tiger should NEVER be in the conversation again in terms of winning a major golf tournament. It just gets to be embarrassing when these so called experts know so much less than I do. Tiger is FINISHED. This is obvious.

Times have indeed changed. We will NEVER in 100 years, see a man win four professional majors in a row like Tiger did. Not gonna happen. Jack couldn't even do that.

Golf isn't even a sport. What is he too old? Elderly people can play golf. It's easy.

As usual you have a hot and ridiculous take. Elderly people can run too. Is running a sport?

Believe it or not, there were actually sports before Tiger Woods. Ben Hogan was in a car accident in 1949 that nearly killed him. He was in the hospital for 2 months. His leg injuries were so severe that he could never play golf in the same way again. But he won every major he played in 1953. And no, Woods winning was not the greatest comeback in sports history. Many golfers have had back issues. Lee Trevino was struck by lightning and came back and won the PGA championship. I'm amazed at the ignorant posts on this site. I thought most of you knew nothing about running. But you prove that lack of knowledge extends to other sports as well.

Tiger has a lifetime exemption as a prior PGA championship winner. He gets to play the tournament whenever he wants.

Tiger did not look good today. He was favoring his leg walking up 18. That may not have been an issue as he was actually pretty solid off the tee and struggled with irons and out of the sand. And those struggles were very bad for Tiger. Even if Tiger is physically able to play the majors, I think he still needs to play other tournaments to be competitive. Even Tiger needs to maintain a rhythm to his game and cannot just go from 0 to beating the best in the world on the hardest course setups of the season. He has to be able to play a few warm up events to come to the majors and be competitive. Everyone around him is just too good. These aren't the days when Tiger lapped the field with his power and precision. But he probably isn't physically capable of playing much more than a few events a year. So, we will probably be stuck watching Tiger suffer through these events unless he makes some major progress in recovery (which may not happen because he may be setting himself back too much at these majors).

Nice troll and I bite since I am a gambling junkie when it comes to golf.

If this were his 1st tournament since the accident where he should have selected a driver, I'd agree. But he played respectably in Augusta and made the cut. I thought he would post a high 70s round 1 there and get bounced. He didn't. Dude can still play.

I bet every golf major every year and although I would not bet on him @ 50-1 (some have him at 60-1) this week, I can't fault anyone for taking a flyer on those odds.

Also a huge difference between taking him seriously to win and using him as a marketing tool. He is the biggest draw in golf for obvious reasons that other posters have noted. He is also arguably the GOAT and there's no argument he was the most dominant golfer (and biggest shmuck) of all-time in his prime. Show some respect.

Tiger is ONE of the greatest of all time. Tiger does not respect others or himself. I will speak the truth. Tiger is FINISHED. I will not lie to protect your feelings.

It's a game of small margins, especially at Majors. As I write this, DJ is at 3 over. Jon Rahm, who was a co-favorite on betting odds coming in, is 2 over. I doubt Tiger makes the cut but he's certainly been more competitive this year than I expected.

You join every golf thread to express your under privileged upbringing . Pro golf takes many hours of practice . Pro running , you just take nandrolone , move your legs and hope for the best .

The same reason people think Bekele will come back and win a major marathon.

The Wayne Gretzky family forced DJ to marry their floosy daughter. DJ is pissed and will miss the cut .

If you're so sure you're right, how come your name's grey?

Eldery people running is not a sport either, if you insist on being proven stupid.

The reason that take him seriously is because he is Tiger MFing Woods.