more on tiger

I was out in sunny California over the weekend, and just about every one of my friends (most who don't even play golf) wanted to know what I thought about Tiger. It's amazing how much legs this story has.

Well, here are a few more thoughts I have about the Tiger situation.

1. I won't defend Tiger's decision to go without a swing coach. If I were in his position and my driver were consistently acting up, I would get someone to help me fix it. I would not call Butch Harmon, though. That relationship appears shot.

2. I would get rid of my Nike Ignite driver and switch back to Titleist, serious clubs for serious golfers. 983K.

3. As a student of the game, Tiger should know well what happened to Nick Faldo, a 6-time major winner. Faldo revamped his swing in 1985 under David Leadbetter, which took about two years of adjustment. Faldo then won 5 majors in 5 years. After he fired his coach David Leadbetter in 1998, Faldo never won another major again, his last being the Masters in 1996.

Sound familiar? I think Tiger's got more game than Faldo ever did, so the situation is a little different. And Faldo was 41 years old at the time of the split. 28-year old Tiger has too much talent and too many different shots, particularly in the short game, to be in a slump for too long. But Tiger can't just rest on his laurels. He's losing precious years in his 20s by not having a greater sense of urgency with his driving woes. If Sergio Garcia and Phil Mickelson are keeping it in the fairway more often, it's time to make a change.