Age Related Skillness. That Tiger and Phil "Too Old" Debate Is Rubbish

0 0 GolfCentralDaily September 27, 2018 Edit this post

My tuppence on why the Tiger Phil "too old" is pissing me off royally.

Maybe it's because I'm knocking on myself but that Tiger and Phil are "too old" argument is pissing me off royally. Granted Tiger Woods is 42 years old and Phil Mickelson is 48 but what relevance really has age in modern sport and will it help or hinder in this Ryder Cup?

Don't tell me "older is weaker." That is rubbish. Phil Mickelson averages 300.7 yards off the tee in 2018, Tiger 303.4 with a fused back. Neither are weak. OK?

Related post: 2018 Ryder Cup Betting Preview and Tips

It's even more rubbish given that Golf National is famously set-up to negate the 350 yard bombers. Winners of the Open De France have included names like Olazabal, Larrazabal, Jimenez, Levet, McDowell and Jaidee none of whom are noted for their power.

And maybe more telling was the case of home favourite Jean Francois Remesy winning in 2004 aged 40, and brilliantly defending his title a year later aged 41. Paris was always for the experienced.

I'm 44 myself and having just raced in Ironman Slovenia last weekend I can safely say I've never been as fit as I am now.

And anyone who watched the video of 55 year old Mickey Linden on Twitter not only still playing but scoring an amazing point for his club at the weekend, 27 years to the day after he scored a similar point in the All Ireland Final will be left wondering if age really is a number. Just watch this.

Proof that age is just a number!
5⃣5⃣ year old Mickey Linden scores a superb point for Mayobridge 2⃣7⃣ years to the day that he helped Down to All-Ireland glory. 👏👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/TtCIhAiR1o
— BBC SPORT NI (@BBCSPORTNI) September 17, 2018

I also read a nice piece on the topic of age and peak performance quoting author Jeff Bercovici referencing the increasing success of older athletes likes Federer, Nadal, Serena and co and his philosophy that "if we can manage, postpone or eliminate physical decline, older individuals will have the edge because of increased practice and exposure."

Time will tell how this Ryder Cup pans out but take it from me; it wont be an age related outcome. Form, experience, quality, teamwork yes, but not age.

Here's the voice of reason David Howell talking about the roles Phil and Tiger might play. If there is more of a doubt about Phil, it's form related. He's still a legend, an experienced father figure to balance the youth in the team.