I started to think recently about Tiger’s almost impeccable ability to close out tournaments on Sunday and win from the lead.
He has won something like 52 out of 56 leading-after-third round chances.
He does exactly the opposite of what almost every other golfer does—he wins from the lead when most golfers choke on the lead like a dog on a pork chop!
I figured it out—Sunday on the PGA Tour is as close as it gets to match play. Even though its not match play it is stroke play. It boils down on Sundays that a few players are in the hunt for the title—you do not actually compete against the entire field. There simply has never been a better match play performer than Tiger in the history of golf.
Witness his three consecutive USGA Junior titles in a row and then followed that up with three consecutive US Amateur titles in a row—six years in a row he never lost a match play USGA match!
His resolve to triumph when going head-to-head is what separates him from all of the other great golfers of today—they do not know how to close the door. I believe he approaches final rounds with the thought that it is match play and he is virtually untouchable in that format.
Tiger is officially the greatest “door slammer” of all time.