3. Tiger has spent his whole career chasing 18 — was 82 an important number to him?
Bamberger: Eighty-two never captured the imagination, and still does not, because Snead’s win total changed so often over the years, so no.
Sens: It’s not insignificant. But if Tiger’s own subdued celebration today was any indication, 82 does not exactly top his list.
Kerr-Dineen: Important? Of course. As important? No chance.
Dethier: Maybe not now. But it may matter more as time goes on, because it’s a concrete reminder that he has won more PGA Tour events than any other golfer in history, even as memories begin to fade.
Bastable: He said after his win today that he started thinking 82 was gettable after he reached 50 Tour victories, so it’s undoubtedly a target for which he’s been gunning. But given the question marks around Snead’s record and the sanctity of Jack’s achievement, yeah, there’s no doubt 18 stands above all other figures.
4. How does this change your expectations for Woods for the 2019-20 season?
Bamberger: He can win anytime he plays if he can make the swing he made in Japan and putt his ball as he did there, too. You can see him contending one time in five. That doesn’t mean he will win, of course. But he could.
Sens: If he stays healthy, he should be right in the mix at Augusta again.
Kerr-Dineen: For sure. I thought Tiger was going to have an uneventful, rusty return, and I couldn’t have been more wrong. Tiger’s coming back hot. His game’s in good shape, and he’ll be ready to roll by the turn of the year.
Dethier: Yes, it does. Tiger is the No. 6-ranked golfer in the world, and at the moment that actually feels about right. That much was not true when we last saw Woods, when he went WD-T37 in the playoffs and failed to qualify for East Lake.
Bastable: Michael’s right. It’s all about Tiger’s putter. It was like old times this week — he seemed to make everything within 15 feet, just willed the ball into the hole. If his putting stays sharp, no reason he can’t and won’t win three more times before the end of August.
5. After this, Woods has got to pick himself as a playing captain for the Presidents Cup, right?
Bamberger: As Gary Woodland said so perfectly, it’s dumb if he doesn’t. Good for the event, for him, for the team.
Sens: Right. I would not have expected this a few weeks ago but it’s now all but a done deal. Note to self: for once and for all, learn your lesson and stop doubting Tiger.
Kerr-Dineen: There is a zero percent chance Tiger doesn’t pick himself for the team, assuming no major injuries. He’s the obvious pick, and absolutely the right one.
Dethier: Yes. Even better, Woods will have more time to emotionally recover than he did last year in the abbreviated days between the Tour Championship and the Ryder Cup. Forget the captainship, which I find generally overrated. I’m excited to watch Woods take on Royal Melbourne, which should play differently than the Tour courses we see most weeks.
Bastable: Now that he’s playing so well, it would be a truly magnanimous gesture to give his playing spot to one of the kids — Wolff, say, or Morikawa. Tiger has never mastered magnanimity.
6. Let’s end with a non-Tiger question, shall we? Mainstays Peter Kostis and Gary McCord won’t be returning to the CBS golf team in 2020, as both of their contracts will not be renewed. McCord, 71, joined CBS in 1986, and Kostis, 72, came on in 1992. Good move? Was it time for new blood?
Bamberger: It was time for new blood 20 years ago. Yet the familiarity was comforting.
Sens: It was fun while it lasted, and it lasted a long time. A change makes sense.
Kerr-Dineen: Two legends of the game and of CBS, but with the ongoing courting of the PGA Tour ahead of its new rights deal, this was an important message from CBS to the powers that be. Things are getting freshened up for the better.
Dethier: Man, I dunno. I think I was a bigger McCord fan than most, and I thought he made those in-between moments far more entertaining in a way that still felt in keeping with the broadcast. I’m all for freshening up the broadcast, but only if it’s an actual improvement. I’ll remain open-minded, but this isn’t an automatic win.
Bastable: Statler and Waldorf. I’ll miss ’em.
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