"14 Red Shirts" ... can Tiger win another Major Championship?

Back in 2011 I created another limited edition golf art print (released on my gallery site sasgolf.com) entitled, 14 Red Shirts -referring of course to Tiger Woods having amassed 14 Major Championship victories through 2008. (see my original posting about this golf art print)

"14 Red Shirts" (Tiger's 14 Major Championship victories) 

-a limited edition golf art print by artist Steven Anthony Salerno  visit sasgolf.com

(detail) "14 Red Shirts" 

The art image I created was in a grid format, depicting 14 small paintings of Tiger wearing the famous red shirt he always wears in the final round of a tournament... in fact the exact red shirt he wore in the winning round of each of the 14 Major Championships he has won to date.... And in my art image I purposely left a couple blank spaces, which some people observing the art image interpreted to mean that Tiger was done winning any more Major Championships, and others read the blank spaces to mean that he would indeed continue to win more Majors. But could he win 4 more times to catch and tie Jack Nicklaus' total of 18 Major Championship victories? Could Tiger win 5 more Majors and surpass Jack's record?

In the last six years Tiger has weathered devastating personal life issues, injuries, surgery, and all under the scrutiny of the world's eyes and ears. And his golf game suffered. Last year though, healthy again, he won 5 more tournaments, but has yet to win another Major Championship since 2008... though his multiple wins last year allowed many people to begin thinking again that he might still be able to tie or pass the current record of 18 Major Championship victories held by Jack Nicklaus.

This season Tiger underwent another surgery, took time away, and then recently came back to tournament action again... however at last week's tournament he suffered severe back spasms and dropped out of the tournament, thus making people wonder right up to the last minute if he would play in this week's final Major Championship of 2014, the 96th playing of the PGA Championship at Valhalla, outside Louisville, Kentucky.

Tiger did enter the PGA Championship this week, which excited his fans greatly... but he opened today with a lackluster 74 (+3) in the event's opening round, which is not exactly the proper recipe for winning his 15th Major Championship. 54 holes remaining to play is ample enough for a recovery, so hopefully he will have three terrific rounds to offset his over-par start...

Tiger is now 38 years old. On paper this means he still has possibly 12 more years (if he stays injury free) of being able to seriously play... 12 x 4 Majors = 48 more Major Championship events he can play in. Is it conceivable that Tiger could win 4 of 48 Major Championship attempts? 

So, getting back to those blank spaces I purposely placed within my art image entitled, 14 Red Shirts...  I did and still do interpret those blank spaces as meaning Tiger can indeed win more Majors. Don't count him out. Tiger has the experience of winning more Majors than anyone else on the planet, except for one person. And of the professional players actually still active there is nobody who can draw upon past winning experience as Tiger can. 

"Tiger X4" by golf artist Steven Anthony Salerno   visit sasgolf.com

Above is another art image I created of Tiger recently... this one kind of a multiple "Warhol-esque" take on the player, depicting Tiger four times in various shirt colors. The number 4 of course, being the same number of Major Victories he needs to tie the Jack Nicklaus record of 18 Major Championship victories...

Time will tell.

Visit sasgolf.com to see the available limited edition golf art prints by golf artist Steven Anthony Salerno.

Steven Anthony Salerno's golf art and golf graphics have appeared in Golf Digest, Golf World, LINKS, and GOLF magazines, as well as on PGATOUR.com where he created portraits of top PGATour players. His limited edition golf art prints are in private art collections in Europe and the United States.

Tiger By The Numbers

art by Steven Anthony Salerno  visit sasgolf.com

(author's note: since the original posting date on 3/27/13, Tiger won again on the PGA Tour, upping his tournament victory stat from 77 to 78.... so the art image will have to be modified yet again to indicate 01-14-78)

This weeks victory at the Arnold Palmer Bay Hill Invitational Tournament by Tiger Woods marks the player's astounding 77th PGA Tour win, his recapturing of the World Golf Ranking's number 1 position... and has elicited renewed buzz that he may very well be firmly back on track to win more major championships again (he currently has 14 titles) and may either tie or surpass Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 major championship victories.

Posted here is a painting I did a few years ago for the PGA Tour web site's "Player Spotlight" feature section... and at the time the numbers graphic within the art image (I think) was set at  1 -  14  -  71.  So, now I modified the numbers graphics within the art image to be:  1  -  14  -  77.

Of course, the 1 in the artwork is Tiger's world golf ranking, the 14 is how many major titles he owns, and the 77 is how many PGA Tour wins he has. Relative to his golf skills, the man in red has talent, experience far beyond but a few other players in history, a strong work ethic, and clear goals. I personally think Tiger will indeed either tie or surpass Nicklaus' record. And in so doing I think he will win a major at 50 years of age! 

When Tiger's life became a tabloid feast a handful of years ago, and his personal and public world was crumbling... it seemed his golden train in golf had been permanently derailed. No one can avoid catastrophic periods in their life, whether they come from illness, outside forces, or are even self created.... but sometimes one can truly heal, can learn, can become stronger than before. Second chances are available but must be earned. Maybe Tiger indeed is becoming better both on and off the course. And his new prowess on the course suddenly has everyone thinking his golden train is on a very fast track once again.

"OHIO FATS" (AKA: Mr. Nicklaus)

latest limited edition print, "OHIO FATS" -visit SASgolf.com

Back in the early 1960's, when a young Jack Nicklaus began his professional golf career (and began winning tournaments over established stars such as Arnold Palmer) hecklers in the tournament galleries shouted derogatory names at at Jack, such as "Fat Jack" and "Ohio Fats" -including cheering whenever he missed putts, all in an attempt to get under the young player's skin. Little good it did to derail him, because not only did Nicklaus apparently have very thick skin, but he also possessed a superior game that produced winning scores over the next 25 years which earned him a record 18 major championship victories and the title of being the best player on the planet to ever have played the game of golf.

And his record may very well stand forever, if Tiger Woods who currently has 14 major victories (and is the only active player remotely close) cannot at least tie the record. My feeling is that if Tiger does not tie or surpass the 18 majors mark within his career, that no one in the future will either. There is such a growing depth of superb top professional players around the world now, that for any one player to amass more than 18 major championship victories will be virtually impossible. There may be a cluster of current and future superstar players who may all attain 4, or 6, or 8 major wins, and maybe a couple astounding superstars will reach 10 major victories... but to surpass Sir Jack's golden number 18 will probably never happen. That is, of course, unless the "man in red" can indeed fabricate a Second Act which produces 4 more (or 5 more!) major championship victories. And if you read my previous post (about my golf art print entitled, "14 red shirts") then you know I think Tiger can indeed match or surpass it.

(posted above) My new golf art print now available entitled, "OHIO FATS" depicts a young, stocky Jack Nicklaus in the early 1960's at the top of his powerful back swing. Above his head is the phrase "OHIO FATS" ...but the insult has no effect on the player who has a protective halo of cool blue color around him, representing the strength of his concentration and single-minded focus to play the course. Floating out in front of the player is the burning red number "18."  The original art was created with pencil, gouache, oil crayon and pastel.

Visit SASgolf.com to see this new limited edition print created by golf artist Steven Anthony Salerno, located in the exclusive edition gallery.

fourteen red shirts (a new golf art print of Tiger Woods)

"fourteen red shirts" by golf artist Steven Anthony Salerno     -visit SASgolf.com

Back in 2009, when the PGA Tour's official web site pgatour.com was showcasing many of my golf art portraits of top Tour players in their Player Spotlight feature section... I had started a somewhat ambitious "portrait" of Tiger Woods, which was going to consist of fourteen very small gouache & watercolor paintings (each one is only about 3.5" tall) of the (then) world # 1 ranked player. The concept for this art image was to depict Tiger Woods in his recognizable Sunday red shirt from each of the final rounds of his 14 major championship victories... but I didn't finish the project, and put the paintings aside, some finished, but many were not. Then, a couple weeks ago I finally decided to go ahead and finish all these small paintings... wanting the resulting piece, a new limited edition golf print entitled "fourteen red shirts" to express my view that Tiger is still a top contender and still the one to chase down the record for the most major championship victories held by Jack Nicklaus. 

(detail view) "14 red shirts" by golf artist Steven Anthony Salerno     -visit SASgolf.com

From a graphic standpoint the art print is a simple grid of the 14 little vignette portraits of the star player. Each pose depicts his swing, putt, or stride -from the actual final round action of the corresponding major championship event, as well as the specific style red shirt he was wearing when he won the tournament that day. Underneath each painting is text giving the year and site of the event. At the bottom of the print I purposely left some blank spaces, to pointedly imply that Tiger's record of 14 majors is not going to end there... he will certainly be adding more major victories. When people view my print "fourteen red shirts" I know some will read an opposite meaning to the blank spaces... that Tiger has imploded and his major record will remain at 14. Time will only prove them wrong.

A lot has transpired for Tiger from the time I first started the paintings in 2009 (he was still ranked #1), to when I recently completed them in 2011 (Tiger is now ranked about #17th in the world), all which has required him to catch his emotional footing and to redefine himself. Relative to his quest to reach and possibly surpass the record of 18 major championship victories, Tiger's fall from grace, injury, and the simultaneous rise of new younger players has lead many to believe Tiger's magical momentum is not just interrupted, but gone. A better person arises when getting up after a fall... so don't count him out. Tiger is young, his body will repair itself. He will continue to regain stability within his personal and public life...

(detail view) "14 red shirts" by golf artist Steven Anthony Salerno     -visit SASgolf.com

So, whether it is later this year, or next year, or even the year after, at some point Tiger Woods is going to start playing well again...and when he does, his experience of 71 victories and 14 major championships is going to kick back in. He is a different person now, and will have to find a corresponding different way to get it done on the course... I suspect in a similar manner to when Hogan had to find a new way to win again after a major car accident altered his personal landscape. Can Tiger win at the same pace he did before? The answer is no, but does it really matter? If my math serves me correctly, to date as a professional, Tiger has played in about 61 majors and won 14 of them... an astounding win rate of about 23%! 

Hypothetically, let's assume that Tiger does not play in the remaining majors of 2011. So, at age 36, if Tiger then plays in every major until he is 46 years old (the same age that Nicklaus won his last major championship), this is 40 more major events in which to compete. Therefore,Tiger will need to win 10% (4 victories) of these remaining 40 events to tie Nicklaus. Most players would love to win 4 majors in their entire career, so as a mere "next segment" of Tiger's golfing career, a task of winning 4 more majors could seem daunting if not impossible... but considering he has the experience of already winning 14 out 61 majors, it begins to seem possible that such a great player could now go on to win 4 out of the next 40 majors. There is also the possibility that Tiger could effectively contend in even more majors, until he is 50 years old (channeling the spirit of Sam Snead) which would mean he'd only have to win 4 out of the next 56 major events to tie the Nicklaus record.

(detail view) "14 red shirts" by golf artist Steven Anthony Salerno     -visit SASgolf.com

At age 22 Rory McIlroy just won his first major championship. And understandably the critics are already predicting he could very well be the next superstar player to attack the Nicklaus majors record. Again, using the age of 46 as a hypothetical "competitive stop date" for competing in majors, if Rory plays in every major for the next 24 years (96 events), he will have to win about 18% of them to attain a total of 18 majors by the age of 46. There is sound reasoning at this early stage to believe that Rory's amazing talents could make this all happen... but if one can imagine such a magnificent future career arc for Rory, one would also have to concede that 4 wins out of 40 for the likes of a Tiger Woods is just as distinct a possibility as well. 

Whatever transpires, golf fans are in for some amazing championship tournament golf over the next couple decades, and Mr. Jack Nicklaus could still be sitting on top when the dust clears. 

This new golf art print, "fourteen red shirts" signed and numbered by artist Steven Anthony Salerno is available in an exclusive edition (limited to only 100 prints) at SASgolf.com in the "exclusive edition" gallery. Each print is printed on 100% cotton archival fine art paper with vivid permanent pigment inks.

Tiger in 2011... Q: Can He Attain Major #15?

(click on image to see full size)        Visit sasgolf.com to view limited edition golf prints by artist Steven Anthony Salerno

Short answer: Yes.

In 2011 Tiger is set to add yet another major championship to his current list of 14 major titles. Of course, now there are several new top competitors on the scene with the ability to nab a major, so from this point forward getting into the major winner's circle again is going to be an even more difficult task for the man in red, but he will get it done. I don't think we will see Tiger winning majors by quite such large margins as he has done in the past. Those days are gone, but it only takes one less stroke than the closest competitor in a championship to attain the victory anyway, so what does it really matter what the winning margin might be?

The other top contenders don't have what Tiger does, which is the momentum of being on a powerful inside track to break the Jack Nicklaus record of 18 majors. Tiger is still the ONE, and it's an advantage. Some may argue that Tiger's momentum has been stripped away due to his personal upheaval over the past year. This momentum has merely skipped a beat. It's still there, and well in tact.

People want Tiger to win more major championships. They want to see him rise up, and be the one who surpasses a seemingly unattainable record. With a fresh current of energy from the golfing public helping to once again propel Tiger forward, combined with the fact he is in the prime of his golfing powers including immense experience to draw upon, getting into the major winner's circle again (and again) is inevitable.

My artwork posted here originally appeared in the Player Spotlight feature section on pgatour.com, the official web site of the PGA Tour, and depicts Tiger in his putting pose. Since showing his Sunday red shirt alone visually informs the viewer that it is Tiger Woods, I purposely did not even show his face, to push the minimalist effect of the composition. To the side are his current stats: 14 majors and 71 tournament victories, which has remained the same over the past year since he did not get a win in 2010. (you may have to click on the above art image to see the full composition)

Look for those stats to tick upward in 2011...

Visit my on-line golf gallery at sasgolf.com, where you can purchase signed, limited edition golf art prints.

2010... A very long year for Tiger Woods

see Steven Anthony Salerno's golf prints at sasgolf.com

Back in July of this year, I was commissioned by GolfWorld magazine to create a painting to accompany their BUNKER column article on Tiger Wood's onslaught by the media during 2010 and more specifically how he may now need to be more accessible with reporters than in past years. Since the article was appearing in the issue surrounding the British Open, I depicted Tiger as a lone figure within a battered castle, his TW flag tattered in the relentless wind.

I wonder if Tiger did indeed feel like the depiction in my art image during the course of the past twelve months. He probably did at some point, but 2010 is coming to a close now... and time and effort does indeed heal all wounds, bringing new opportunities. Tiger, as with many of us, are definitely looking forward to 2011 being a much better year.

Undoubtedly Tiger will be more balanced in every way in the new year, so certainly a victory (or two, or three) is lurking around the next couple corners for him. Yes, in the past year the roster of superb players with the capability to win the big tournaments during the Tiger-Void has grown longer. (names like Martin Kaymer, Graeme McDowell come to mind) Although having one major under your belt is a supreme achievement and both players cited will certainly not be limited to just one, but when a veteran player with FOURTEEN majors under his belt begins to prowl near the top of the leader board again (who is a mere 35 years young), it is still all the others players who'll have the most pressure to contend with.

Steven Anthony Salerno opens his web golf art gallery

I've been a professional illustrator all my adult life... and have played golf since I was a young boy. I played well enough as a teenager to win the Vermont State Junior Amateur Championship, and as a young man worked in the golf business for several years, first as an Assistant Professional at the Yale University Golf Club, then at Racebrook Country Club, both in Connecticut. During that time I was also a registered apprentice in the PGA, passing their playing ability test (PAT) and also completing the first stage of their business school.

In my illustration career I create images for clients in magazines, advertising, children's picture books, product packaging, etc... However the golf drawings, paintings and graphics I also created over the years were made just for myself, never as an assignment for a commercial client. Very few people knew I even created golf related images.

In 2009 the US Open conducted by the USGA was to be played at the Bethpage Black Course in Farmingdale, Long Island, just a short distance outside of Manhattan (NYC) where I live. The Black Course is a course I've played before, so I decided to create a pretend design of a US Open/Black Course poster just for the fun of it. I created one, then another and another... having such a fun time that in the end I created seven different "mock" poster designs showcasing the Black Course as the 2009 US Open Championship venue. I presented a few of them in February 2009 to the Marketing Director at the USGA, Mary Lopuszynski, but they had already selected an official poster/print for the 2009 US Open event and in fact had already passed the date for finalizing all their merchandise selections.

These test Bethpage Black Course images I created made me decide that I'd pursue another new direction with my artistic talents by joining my life long interest in the game of golf with my artistic talents. Since I continue to work in the illustration field using my name Steven Salerno, I therefore decided that I'd promote my golf art images using my full name Steven Anthony Salerno, just to create a bit of an identity separation between my continuing career in illustration and my budding golf art career. The name of my golf art web site is SASgolf.com -which are my initials, S.A.S.

So, next I tentatively posted these 2009 Bethpage Black Course golf art images onto my illustration blog site, while I figured out how I was going to promote my golf art. In June of 2009 from out of the blue I received a call from Mike McAllister, golf writer and the Managing Editor of the PGA TOUR official web site. He explained that he'd seen my golf art images, and asked if I'd like to create art images of the tour's top players every week in their Player Spotlight feature on pgatour.com. Of course I did! So throughout the rest of 2009, every week, I created portraits of many of the tour stars, including Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Padraig Harrington, Steve Stricker, Camilo Villegas, and others...

This project connection with the PGA TOUR further propelled me to want to make the leap into going beyond my career in illustration and also becoming the best golf artist I can be... so, I created and launched sasgolf.com to display and sell limited edition golf art prints reproduced from my golf art drawings, paintings and graphics.

Visit sasgolf.com to view all the various "galleries" of my prints available to you, for display in your home or office. If you love the game, you'll certainly find a print you'd enjoy owning. These striking prints are printed on 100% cotton rag-based archival fine art papers using vivid permanent pigment inks. The superb inkjet printing process, called Giclee, is the same ultra-fine printing process now used by many museums to produce highly accurate reproduction prints of drawings and paintings in their collection.

Posted above are a couple of my "test" Bethpage Black Course poster designs I initially created.