[RushFan]

This thread replaces the Tiger Woods discussion that emerged recently.
I was alarmed to discover that many forum users do not view Tiger Woods as an elite athlete or even consider golf a sport.
What is your opinion?

[MLS]

I think Tiger is an elite athlete and that golf is a sport. My problem was with people saying that he has the greatest mental toughness in sports today. How can he be considered for that title when he has never won from behind in the final round of a major.

[RushFan]

You say that like it's easy to do. He hasn't yet but I'm sure he will at some stage in his career.
There are so many other stats that positively support his mental toughness. 43 - 3 when leading into final day of tournaments. 13 - 0 when at least tied for lead after 54 holes in Majors. He has been heralded as "the greatest closer in history" by multiple golf experts.

[MLS]

How can he be the greatest if he can't make a comeback? Your right he may eventually make a comeback but the fact of the matter is he hasn't yet. Every athlete that is considered great in other sports has had to have some type of comeback. You have to be good in the clutch and Tiger needs to prove that he can gets past this block that he has. Thats like a fighter not being able to comeback to win a fight in the last round after he lost the first two rounds.

[wukkadb]

Elite athlete:
http://dontcostnothing.wordpress.com...-in-the-world/

[MLS]

Originally Posted by wukkadb

Elite athlete:
http://dontcostnothing.wordpress.com...-in-the-world/

If we are judging elite athlete's on what they make than Barry Zito has got to be near the top. He has a contract worth $126 million and an $18 million option for 2014, which would bring his contract to $137 million. He is getting about $18 million a year out of this contract yet heis 0-8 this season and had a horrible season last year. The Giants even put him in the bullpen because of how bad he has been.

[swpthleg]

I voted for golf being a sport, but i have to be biased because it puts food on our table.

Yes Tiger Woods is an elite athlete. (dave chappelle as tiger voice) fer shizzle.

[kds13]

Tiger Woods is an elite athlete and Golf is a sport. Are all golfers elite athletes though? Hell no.

Tiger Woods works his butt off in the gym, can lift a ton, runs daily. The man is an athlete, but only because he has made himself one. Golf did not make him an athlete because its not an incredibly rigorous sport. However, it takes skill and smarts and of course its a sport.

Originally Posted by MLS

How can he be the greatest if he can't make a comeback? Your right he may eventually make a comeback but the fact of the matter is he hasn't yet. Every athlete that is considered great in other sports has had to have some type of comeback. You have to be good in the clutch and Tiger needs to prove that he can gets past this block that he has. Thats like a fighter not being able to comeback to win a fight in the last round after he lost the first two rounds.

To be fair, he hasn't been in the position to make a Sunday comeback more than 5 times. He's usually either running away with the trophy already or is more than 5 shots back. Those times he has been within striking distance, he hasn't got it done, but he has never lost ground. Most of the time, it comes down to whoever is in the lead plays a great round of golf on Sunday and he can't make it up.

I agree that a comeback win in a Major will cap off his career, but the dude is already the best without it.

[kamikaze145]

Yes golf is a sport, its a very technical sport. It is not as physically demanding as most sports but it makes up for that with having the technical aspect. Tiger Woods is an elite athlete. He is NOT the toughest athlete. He is a rich kid who has played golf his whole life, that is not tough to me. To me Roger Huerta is tough, horrible childhood, overcame that and is finishing college and shows an extreme amount of heart in every fight. I just dont see how you can say Tiger Woods is so tough, even when you take into consideration mental toughness(which woods has) he isnt number one.

[Lotus]

Tiger is an elite athlete yes but i disagree that golf is a sport per se. I do however believe it takes great skill to be very good at it and it takes a lot of determination and what have you but i just have never been able to call it a sport. A game sure, an activity sure but sport no.