Capelle On Golf

The same poll has appeared recently at Fox Sports, a haven for mainstream sports fans, and at Golf Digest, home to the true devotees to the sport.

Here is the question: How many majors will Tiger Woods win this year? And the results:

#   Fox   GD  (%)
0 –10   26
1—26   27
2—37   31
3—14     9
4—13     7

Only one in 10 Fox readers think Tiger will get shut out this year in the Big Four compared to one in four at Golf Digest. At the other extreme, about one in eight Fox voters (13%) expect a Grand Slam while one in 14 Golf Digest voters (7%) are looking for a sweep from Tiger.

The Fox audience is more optimistic for a multiple major winning season as 64% are looking for two or more from Tiger as opposed to 47% from the folks at Golf Digest. Given that Tiger’s had four multiple major seasons in 12 tries (33%), both camps seem a bit overly optimistic.

The Fox crowd’s exuberance is understandable because, to them, Tiger is golf. The Golf Digest fan’s over optimism shows that even savvy followers are susceptible to Tigermania.

There are two ways of looking at their forecasts. With his repaired knee Tiger could be better than ever, which should improve his chances of winning two plus. Or his chances for two or more could be lower than normal because he’s got to get used to some swing changes, and to competing again after essentially a ten month absence (excluding the US Open).

So do these Tiger boosters know something more rationale heads don’t? Or are these polls just a sign that the fans are excited at the return of their conquering hero? The answer will unfold over the next six months.