Thomas Bjorn is on the long list of victims of Tiger Woods’ greatness.
The Dane is a 15-time winner on the European Tour, and famously beat Woods at the 2001 Dubai Desert Classic while Woods was at the peak of his powers, but he’d also be a major champion if it weren’t for the greatest player of all time.
Bjorn finished second at the 2000 Open Championship at St Andrews, where Woods won by a record-breaking eight strokes over the rest of the field.
Woods burst onto the scene in the 90s to snatch the hopes and dreams of countless players who were forced to play against him in that era, and Bjorn revealed what he thought about Woods when they first played one another.
‘This is different’, what Thomas Bjorn thought about Tiger Woods after seeing him play
Bjorn played most of his career on the European Tour, but rumours made their way across the Atlantic about a young kid who was about to take the game by storm.
But speaking to Dan Rapaport, he didn’t believe that Woods was going to live up to the hype.
He said, “On tour, you hear, ‘Oh, there’s this kid coming. There’s this great player.’ And you’re like, ‘Yeah, well, you know, we’ve seen that a million times before, and very rarely are they that good.’
“People build them up when they’re young, and when they come out, there’s a reality check. And I think everybody felt a little bit like that. Like, ‘Oh well, you know, he’s going to walk into a reality check out here.’
“The first time you saw him play, you know, actually the first time you are in his presence or playing yourself, ‘Yeah ok, this is different’.
Thomas Bjorn explains why he is happy Tiger Woods played in his era
He was prevented a major championship victory by Woods, but there’s no bitterness at all from Bjorn. He explained why overall, he is glad to have played against the great one.
He said, “But I’ll also say this: As much as it sometimes annoyed you that every time you showed up at the majors or the World Golf Championships, after one or two rounds you realize, okay, he’s got that game this week and then he’s probably going to win.
“That would annoy you at times. Because you felt like, for the rest of us, it was a bit of a let-down.
“But on the other hand, the privilege of playing at a time when he played at his best, I’m very grateful that I experienced that.”
It’s a great perspective, and it makes sense that it’s coming from Bjorn’s mouth. His greatest accomplishment was beating Woods at the peak of his powers, and that’s nearly as valuable as a major championship is.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
