I definetly agree about how good he is. Some of the stuff he's done is just amazing. The thing a year or so ago sacrificing the club to make a shot bocked by a tree was impressive and creative all at once.
And yes, he;s great for golf right now.
And we'll have to wait to see who comes along that started golfing because of him. Although I have my doubts you don't often hear about a new young phenom. Michelle Wie is pretty close, but nowhere near ready yet, and might never be really ready because of how her early efforts were handled.
But long term, or near term if he retires early?
A scenario - Tiger makes a comeback. Wins back sponsors, reaches a few career goals. But he still takes heat for his mistakes off the course. 3-5 years from now he gets tired of the travel, tired of the publicity, tired of the scrutiny. And he realises that he's still pretty young, absurdly rich, and doesn't have to golf to have enough money to live on. So he retires young, not pursuing the extra 25 years or so of career he could have left. He leaves a load of money on the table to be sure, but becomes a happier guy.
And golf goes one of two ways. Either it becomes a lively sport of rivalries among equals, or it becomes a vast wasteland of mediocrity.
Neither has to happen, and reality is that he'll probably be forgiven and chase the money for another 20+ years. But either could happen, and in the case of the latter course it could be that his early retirement would be horrible for golf in the long run.
I work in a bike shop, and I've actually seen a decline in knowledge and interest in the sport, at least in the US and it's mostly because of Lance. And he's as good as Tiger, and was as good for cycling as tiger is for golf when he was winning. But a decade of him has set the sport back a lot both in the public eye, and in the business end of things.
Steve
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