What they said about Tiger back in 1996/97

Editor’s Note: It’s been 10 years since Tiger Woods burst onto the PGA TOUR scene. On the 10th anniversary of Tiger’s debut at the Greater Milwaukee Open, as it was then known, PGATOUR.com begins a series of stories on Tiger Woods’ decade on TOUR covering everything from his debut to what his fellow pros were saying about him then and what they’re saying now to how he’s changed through the years (both personally and professionally) to a statistical breakdown of his career and to what the future holds for the No. 1 player in the world.

Tiger Woods was a 21-year-old phenom when he made his professional debut and the start of his professional career was met with hype never before seen for a PGA TOUR debut.

Looking back, it’s pretty obvious he was worthy of the hype. Some pros early on wondered if he could keep it up, or how he’d deal with the pressure and media scrutiny. They aren’t wondering that anymore.

Here’s what’s the players are saying now about Tiger Woods:

“It's a different kind of shot making. In other words, Tiger is one of the different guys. Tiger was not a big kid when he grew up, and Tiger learned to play a lot of different shots. And that's where he learned to develop a short game and then he got big and strong. So he developed a different way than I did. I developed another way. I was a big kid, I hit it strong and I never bothered to develop a short game, and I probably would have been better if I had. But I had too much fun hitting the ball.”

Jack Nicklaus, at the 2006 Memorial Tournament, on the art of shot-making versus hitting the ball as hard as one can.

Jack Nicklaus (left) and Tiger Woods talk during the 2005 Presidents Cup. (Condon/PGA TOUR/WireImage)

“I would love to play with Tiger, because I'd know I was in great position in the tournament.”

Fred Couples, on his preference of a playing partner.

“Is my record better than (Ben) Hogan's or better than (Bobby) Jones’ or better than Tiger's? I don't know. I had won more majors than they have. I played a lot longer than they have. Jones played a short period of time. Hogan was interrupted by his accident and physically didn't play that long. Hogan really wasn't successful in a major until he was 33, 34. So from that standpoint Tiger obviously is on the same track that I was. He's coming as a young kid.”

Jack Nicklaus, on being called the greatest golfer of all time at the 2006 Memorial Tournament.

“He was doing a clinic at my home course in Cincinnati, about 25 kids, and I got a private lesson from him. Tiger came over and looked at my swing and said, ‘Let me help you.’ And he told me to get more extension on the swing, I tried. I swung and I gained 30 yards. I smiled big, from ear to ear and beyond. He was cool. It was a great experience. I really got a lot out of it.”

Kevin Hall, who’s deaf, but has played in several TOUR events, on meeting Tiger for the first time at the age of 16.

“To be honest, I think if you hold all four of those trophies at once, that's a Grand Slam. I don't care if you win two one year or two the next year, but the purists will always say you have to do it in a calendar year. But I think what Tiger did in 2000, that will never be beaten or equaled.”

Nick Price, on the “Tiger” Slam.

Nick Price (left) and Tiger Woods talk on a tee during the 2005 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championships. (Getty Images)

“What Tiger has done for the game of golf, I mean, it's been amazing. Ten years ago when he came out here, the TOUR was big, but now it's one of the major sporting events. It's right up there with baseball and football and basketball. It's not just something you see on the last page of the sports page anymore, so it's on the front page. You've got to give a lot of credit to (him) for doing that.”

Ben Curtis, at the 2006 Cialis Western Open.

“I have the utmost respect for Tiger. He's an incredible human being, and what he's done for the game is just fantastic. None of us expect anything less from him, really. When he's got a sniff of it, we know he's going to be making some birdies and feeding off the energy of the crowd.”

Trevor Immelman, at the Cialis Western Open in 2006.

“Back when I played in high school, golf was considered nerdy. Now, really good athletes are playing. The game is popular all the way across the board now, from young to old. … When Tiger came on that was a big, big lift. Ed Fiori said it best, ‘Boys, there’s a new sheriff in town’ when he first saw him play. To have the record he has and to be doing what he’s still doing with the depth of the competition now is impressive.”

Fred Funk, discussing Tiger’s impact on the game.