As I get ready for bed tonight, the first round of the Bay Hill tournament is complete and Tiger appears to be back in the groove.
He is three shots off the lead--currently held by one of the worst physiques in the game; Jason Gore. In fact, who is in 2nd? None other than the WORST BODY to ever squeeze into golf pants: Tim Herron. The man's nickname is LUMPY for God's sake!
But what is ALWAYS intriguing to me is how (pardon my language) FAT guys always seem to be in contention after the first or second day but then rarely hang around long enough to take down the fit guys like Tiger. Even Phil Michelson didn't start winning consistently until he peeled off some doughy goo around the middle.
That's not to say that a fat guy doesn't win every now and then, but in the days of P.T. (pre-Tiger) golf, you certainly saw more of it than you do now. But Tiger brought a new attitude to the course---and now you rarely see the chunk-style wins.
And why is that? Because when EVERYONE smoked and drank beer and ate red meat and drank whole milk and ate enriched flour and....well you get the picture...EVERYONE faded on day 3. It was the more skilled player that USUALLY prevailed because everyone was crashing. Go look at the final round scores in the years before 1997---in nearly every season, the final round scores were MUCH higher than the first or second rounds---
However, since 2000 the final round scores actually level off quite a bit from the second day scores and in the case of the really fit guys--their scores actually DROP in day 4!
So WHY would Jason Gore, given the money and facilities and time available to him, choose to walk around like that? He clearly has the skill to compete with Tiger and Camillo and Immelman and Harrington and Poulter (and the dozens of other guys who started winning when they started hitting the gym). But Gore and his ilk are content to take their 25th place check week after week---get an occasional win in minor tournaments like Baskin and Robbins Invitational or the Dunkin' Donuts Classic.
Sorry for the rant--but laziness makes me sick. And when (everyday at my gym) I see obese people TRYING THEIR HARDEST to get control of their lives but don't have the money or the time or the access to the kinds of facilities that these guys have---well I just get upset.
So root for the fat guy if you want to. Maybe it makes us feel less inadequate when they do well---but for me, I am gonna root for the FIT guy---he is the one setting the example of what happens when you care for and nurture body as well as your talent!
See ya!
Kit
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