Tiger 101? College prof explains the 'Woods effect'
Top players play worse against Tiger Woods. You can measure it, which is what Northwestern professor Jennifer Brown did. Her conclusion, related in Jonah Lehrer's Frontal Cortex blog, is that players don't believe they can win when Woods is in the field, resulting in worse performance.
Despite the individualistic nature of the sport, the presence of Woods in the tournament had a powerful effect. Interestingly, Brown found that playing against Woods resulted in significantly decreased performance. When the superstar entered a tournament, every other golfer took, on average, 0.8 more strokes. This effect was even more pronounced when Woods was playing well. Based on this data, Brown calculated that the superstar effect boosted Woods' PGA earnings by nearly five million dollars.
Brown argues that this phenomenon is caused when "competitors scale back their effort in events where they believe Woods will surely win." After all, why waste energy and angst on an impossible contest?
Lehrer, whose Frontal Cortex blog is one of the best out there, has a different take on the Woods effect. Instead of giving up, Lehrer believes pros playing against Woods have the opposite problem.
I'd argue that the superstar effect has more to do with "paralysis by analysis" than with decreased motivation. I'd bet that playing with Tiger Woods makes golfers extra self-conscious, and that such self-consciousness leads to choking and decreased performance. The problem, then, isn't that golfers aren't trying hard enough when playing against Tiger -- it's that they're trying too hard.
Another guy who thinks this? PGA Championship winner Y.E. Yang. After he outlasted Woods at Hazeltine in August, a reporter asked Yang how he was able to wrestle a major from Woods when so many others had failed. Yang's response jibes completely with Lehrer's explanation of the Woods effect: "I think that the good players, the great names that you've mentioned, when they tee off with Tiger, they try to -- their competitive juices sort of flow out and they go head to head and try and win. For me, I don't consider myself as a great golfer. I'm still more of the lower than average PGA tour players. So my goal was today to just hit at least even, not go over par. I think probably that's the different mind-set that I had."
Posted by: Joel C., Portland Oregon | Nov 24, 2009 1:49:06 AM
Tiger doesn't HAVE TO LEAVE THE GREEN - the CROWD starts moving to get a good viewing spot on the next hole, which usually means somewhere NOT near the tee, but just a short 300 yd run/jog down the next fairway, which causes a bit more background noise for his playing to partners to putt out with.
Posted by: Jon | Nov 19, 2009 5:58:32 PM
It was not whether Y.E.Yang was good or Chris DiMarco was bad; it was simply, when Tiger's driving was 'off' and his putting was 'on', he wins the tournament or 'Top 10' and when his driving is 'on' and his putting is 'off' he losses the tournament or outside of 'Top 10'; but when his driving is '50:50' and his putting is 'on', he wins half of those tournaments, and when both his driving and putting were 'on', he won all those tournaments!!! Tiger is a typical golfer who does not play the other golfers who ever they might be or the course which ever they may be but he plays against himself; he is either his biggest foe or enemy...
Posted by: Marty | Nov 19, 2009 5:10:59 PM
I concur Mike. I remember it being noted that Tiger left the green early on Y.E. I don't remember if it was several times though.
Posted by: D | Nov 19, 2009 1:10:49 PM
I agree with DJ. There are too many variables involved to jump to the "0.8 strokes worse, therefore the other palyers are intimidated" conclusion. His intimidation is there, but it is more subtle...this doesn't prove it
Posted by: UserK | Nov 19, 2009 1:08:40 PM
If you play to beat Tiger then you are automatically putting yourself below him in your mind. That's why everybody play worse near him.
Posted by: Michael | Nov 19, 2009 12:22:22 PM
@Rallones
you're wrong. he did it to Y.E. Yang at the PGA multiple times.
Posted by: Rallones | Nov 19, 2009 10:41:33 AM
What are you talking about, Golfwatcher? I have been watching Tiger since he joined the Tour, and have NEVER seen him or any other pro (except Rory Sabbatini) leave the green before the other players in the group putt out. Your scenario has no basis in reality. Get a clue.
Posted by: Ernie | Nov 19, 2009 10:35:55 AM
Forget the good doctor there's one thing all of you are missing. Since Hank Haney is Tiger's swing coach, what type of swing does Hank Haney teach, he teaches Ben Hogan and the Ben Hogan Philosophy. If all of you have read your books about Ben Hogan he didn't care who he played aganist all he wanted to do was beat your brains out and by the way he played he got into everyone's head. Tiger does the same thing. Once you are paired with him he's already in your head. Hank Haney didn't teach him this his father and mother did. I once heard his mother in an interview say that Tiger must kill his oppents that is the only way to win. Ask Rory Sabatini he cleaned his clock. General Patton once said "You are defeated only if you admitt it" as soon as your paired with Tiger you have already have admitted I have lost. Advantage Tiger.
Posted by: Bob | Nov 19, 2009 10:14:03 AM
DJ i think you nailed it - the difficulty of the courses he plays will have some impact on the scoring effect.
Posted by: Golfwatcher | Nov 19, 2009 8:58:23 AM
Also notice this the next time you watch golf. Tiger has soo many spectators that give no regard to his playing partners as well. They are not going to cry about it; but I wonder how many times it affects their putting when he holes out and starts leaving the putting green to head to the next tee and the gallary start to follow him while his opponent is still putting. I think in some cases he even does this on purpose, (not that i wouldn't) those greens they play on are so slick that a fraction off and you missed the putt even if it's a 4 footer.
Posted by: Sam Sjodin | Nov 19, 2009 7:40:28 AM
I wonder what conclusions the good professor would have arrived at if she had used Freudian psychology to explain the Tiger phenomenon; whether sex has anything to do with it.
Posted by: TrojanHorseV | Nov 19, 2009 2:04:06 AM
DJdeebles hit the nail on the head. This professor definitely doesn't watch golf. Just another one of the number crunchers. This sort of stuff gets too much hype, not only here, but in all of the fantasy sports related b*&%s*&t all over the sports media.
Posted by: DJdeebles | Nov 18, 2009 9:34:50 PM
Interesting opinion. However, the professor fails to either remember or know that when Tiger plays it is usually in a big tourney played on difficult courses (Majors, Wold Golf Championships, etc.) He also plays a maximum of 15 events on a yearly basis. The difficulty of the courses he plays during his brief schedule would cause at least a decent part of that 0.8 stroke per round differential.