‘It’s The Craziest Thing In The History Of Sport What Tiger Woods Did’ - Brandel Chamblee Questions 15-Time Major Winner’s Swing Changes During Peak Of Career

Between the late 1990s and early 2000s, Tiger Woods was producing, arguably, the greatest golf the world had ever seen, as he racked up Majors and PGA Tour titles aplenty.

However, according to former PGA Tour player turned analyst/commentator, Brandel Chamblee, the move for Woods to change coaches in 2004 was the "craziest thing in the history of sport."

Speaking on the Dan on Golf podcast, Chamblee stated: "He (Woods) was in the middle of making 142 cuts in a row and he was winning by 12 and 15 and eight shots in these Major championships, and he changed that golf swing.

“So, I am now sitting down for the first time ever at a desk as an analyst (in 2004) and the first question I get is: ‘Why would he change that golf swing?’

“It’s the craziest thing in the history of sport what Tiger Woods did. Absolutely, without question, there is nothing that comes close in the history of sport.

"This would be like if Steph Curry decided to change the way he shoots three-pointers."

Throughout his amateur and early years of his professional career, Woods worked with Butch Harmon, with the pair amassing three consecutive US Amateur victories, eight Majors, which included the Tiger Slam, and also 34 PGA Tour titles.

In 2002, the pair split and, after not winning a Major in 2003, something that hadn't happened since 1998, Woods joined forces with Hank Haney in 2004.

The move yielded six Majors and 31 PGA Tour titles in a six year period, but the move was criticized by Chamblee, with the former PGA Tour winner claiming "it cost him two years of his career."

Speaking on the podcast, the 62-year-old stated: “Hank Haney was telling Tiger Woods how to play golf and Hank Haney had the driver yips. (He) Can’t hit a range and this guy is telling Tiger Woods how to change his golf swing from the greatest golf swing in the history of the game.

"It was my job (as an analyst) to shed a little light on that, and I still maintain that’s the craziest thing in the history of sports... The thing that I think is the largest thing to learn from what Tiger Woods did was it cost him two years of his career, three different times, in the absolute sweet spot of his career.

"No question he would have broken Jack Nicklaus’ Major championship record, no question he would have broken Sam Snead’s (PGA Tour) total wins. Tiger would have had 100+ wins, he’d have 20+ Major championships."

Viktor Hovland's recent victory

Recently, after 18 months of struggle that involved swing and coach changes, Viktor Hovland returned to the winner's circle at the Valspar Championship.

Despite the victory, the Ryder Cup star claimed his game still isn't where he wants it, which caused Chamblee to draw comparisons to Woods' game in the mid 2000s.

"Similarly with Viktor Hovland, (he's) right in the absolute sweet spot of his career, he cost himself roughly two years of what could have been the best golf he’s ever played.

"If you go back to when he won the FedEx Cup and then deciding he wanted to change his golf swing, here we are two years down the road - and maybe he would argue - but he may well just arrive back at the same spot he was at at the cost of two years."

According to Chamblee, there are many factors as to why players may look into a change in terms of swings, with the American calling "the ability to look at video and go into data deep dives" an "epidemic."

"They (players) have so much information, but it’s very, very dangerous. The most dangerous place at a golf course is not Amen Corner, it’s not the Snake Pit, it’s not the Bear Trap, it’s the driving range.

"That is the most dangerous place at any Tour event. More games are killed there than anywhere else."

Brandel Chamblee on Tiger's CRAZIEST decision, LIV Golf's legacy and getting hate on the internet - YouTube

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