There is surely only one argument which can be used against someone who believes that Tiger Woods is the greatest player the game has ever seen.
Tiger Woods changed the game when he arrived onto the scene during the 1990s. Woods took little time to live up to hype, before he completely surpassed it over the next decade. Between 1997 and 2008, he won 14 major titles and looked destined to overtake Jack Nicklaus‘ record.
The fact that Nicklaus remains in front means that the Golden Bear has every right to be considered the best of all-time. But Woods is most definitely in the conversation.
When it comes to moments which stunned the golfing world, no-one was responsible for more than Woods. He arrived at a time when golf was crying out for a new superstar, and he went on to help completely redefine what a global megastar could be.
The most underrated part of Tiger Woods’ game, according to Steve Williams
It is therefore, difficult to imagine that there is any aspect of Woods’ game which is underrated.
He seemed to drive the ball better than anyone else and longer than anyone else. It is hard to recall a putt Woods stood over which failed to go in when it really meant something. And no-one came close to having the same ability to scoop the thousands and thousands of fans following him up in the palm of his hand.
But there is one part of his game which apparently did not get the credit it deserved. Speaking to Fried Egg Golf, Woods’ longtime caddie Steve Williams insisted that he was the very best at getting himself out of trouble.
“One of the biggest attributes that gets overlooked with Tiger, he’s the best player out of rough ever. There’s just no question in my mind. No player has had the skill and the strength and the ability to control the ball out of the rough like Tiger did. And that’s something that gets overlooked,” he said.
“He’s got many, many great attributes of the way he’s played the game better than others, but that’s the one that stands out to me. The iconic shot that everybody will remember is obviously at Pebble Beach on the par five, up over the cliff onto the green, and the famous statement that was heard around the world, which became renowned which Roger Maltbie said it’s just not a fair game. I think that was one of the all-time great statements by a commentator.
“But when you look at that shot there, there’s no other player that can dig that ball out of that rough, get it up over, the strength and the ability to play out of the rough was extraordinary whether it be from 200 yards out or 80 yards out. He could hit short shots out of the rough round the greens, pitch shots from 40, 60, 80 yards around the greens, and the control on them was just amazing, how he had strength and ability to hold that club face square. We all know when you play in the long rough, it twists very quickly, the rough just wraps around the club face, but his ability to play out of the rough was something that was hugely underrated.”
The remarkable stats from Tiger Woods’ 2000 season which back up Williams’ point
The stats from arguably the greatest season of all-time certainly back up Williams’ point.
As reported by Golf Monthly, Woods was 54th for driving accuracy on the PGA Tour back in 2000, having hit just over 71 percent of fairways.
And yet, Woods was first on tour for greens in regulations as he hit more than three-quarters of greens. Quite remarkably, he finished nearly three percent clear of the next best player in that category.
Clearly, Woods would have taken more than his fair share of shots from the rough. And yet, it does not appear to have had much of an impact on when he found the putting surface.
So perhaps there is indeed reason to worship Woods’ game that little bit more than many realised.
Receive exclusive golf news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
