So who needs Tiger, anyway?
'if the US PGA Tour bend over any further backwards, they'll be auditioning as contortionists'
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Woods - seeds of a world circus
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Watching the 'Tiger Show' from Lake Nona this week - a Tavistock Cup exhibition match between the celebrity residents of the Florida enclave and Woods' mates in the Isleworth community - it has turned golf into a circus act.
Having been outplayed by Henrik Stenson and Chris Di Marco, the ringmaster didn't hang around to greet his team-mates off the course and instead was helicoptered home to his pregnant wife, while the fawning Golf Channel picked up the pieces.
I think what we're seeing here are the first seeds of the Tiger Woods Tour, where the man responsible for the outrageous purses pro golfers are earning now, ships his close friends around the world glad-handing major sponsors and smashing course records in a birdie fest.
Already the US PGA Tour is discovering that they need Tiger Woods more than Tiger Woods needs them and have had to introduce a Fedex Cup series of invitation-only events at the end of the season to tempt their benefactor to make a handful of appearances.
Meanwhile in Europe even the world's biggest bank can't afford to have Tiger pick and choose when he wants to play their HSBC world matchplay tournament at Wentworth. The writing was on the wall when he lost prematurely before the tournament hardly got started.
It was like the performing white Tiger escaped!
Only the traditions of the Open Championship and Tiger's single-minded attempt to beat Jack Nicklaus's 18-major haul turns Tiger's head towards the UK.
So it begs the question: Who needs Tiger? Does professional golf...does golf itself?
It seems without Woods in the field, the major sponsors who support the US Tour are not interested in backing multi-million-dollar events where Phill Mickelson, Ernie Els and Vijay Singh.
Send in the clowns and the acrobats.
As for Woods, he's not bovvered - unless the fields are limited to say 60 invitations among the world's best, because, he says, it helps to keep play moving.
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Greg Norman - wanted to start a world tour
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Some years ago, Greg Norman threatened to set up a breakaway World Tour (on the lines of the top European Football Clubs wishing to organise their own Billonaires League at the expense of the minnows) which forced the various Tours in Japan, Asia, Australasia, Europe and the US to introduce the current World Golf Championship series.
But despite the WGC tournaments offering huge lucre to limited field events, exclusively at US venues, Tiger's still not wholly supportive. And if the Tour bend over any further backwards, they'll be auditioning as contortionists.
I'm convinced Tiger has an agenda, that's not altogether good for golf and golfers.
As a prelude to his likely move towards politics, he'll continue to establish a new major title mark - of at least 25 by the time he's 40 in nine years time. He will also organise more events similar to his own Target Tournament around the world acting in an ambassadorial role for his educational programme... in other words a Tiger Tour.
So who needs Tiger?
Certainly in Europe we have enough talent to survive without him with the likes of Stenson, Donald, Poulter, Garcia, Casey and Rose.
With only a limited support commitment from Tiger, the US PGA Tour is bound to suffer with the purses they can offer and the TV audiences they can attract and are destined to play a increasingly less dominant role in world golf.
And if they continue to get a battering in the Ryder Cup we might be looking for some other group of nations to give us a game.
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Discuss this story
I like John Evans point and would take it a step further. Not only is it not Tigers fault but the blame can be firmly laid at our own feet. I don't personally know anyone that believes that golfers, footballers & pro sportspeople in general, are worth the fantastic sums they command. Yet how many people overcome their apathy or ignorance and actually take a stand on this. Write to the sponsors expressing your displeasure, boycott products/companies, but don't just whine that it's not fair. Do some maths, work out how much you could save in real terms if corporations weren't paying such massive sponsorship deals. Remember that they only pay these believing they can recover that and more from us. I enjoy watching a sport played well but never enough to want to give the participants millions of pounds!
The likes of Tiger are creatures of our own creation. The cult of celebrity, coupled with sums of money most of us can't really imagine, will always lead to this. Is Tiger getting too big for his boots? Not yet but, given your average 'Diva' track record, it's only a question of time.
I like to remind myself that Tiger just happens to be the best at putting a small ball in a hole. He hasn't cured a disease, saved a life, erradicated poverty, created world peace, invented a fantastic labour saving device or advanced human society in any other way. Admitted he is now in a position where he can give of his time and money to help others. But maybe if the likes of him weren't sucking so much out of the economy in the first place this wouldn't be necessary!
Posted: 27/03/2007 18:02
Tiger Woods, He is simply the best player to play the game. I wasnt around to watch the other greats, I caught the end of Faldo when growing up. But this guy has taken the game to a whole new level.
I saw a comment on Golf Night last night, that he was 5 different flight paths for each club. The way he pulled out of the swing on his down swing is nothing short of awsome. Most of us carnt even stop a swing, if were sitting on the tee and just feeling uncoftable addressing the ball.
Yes Tiger picks and chooses his events, but he has every right to as he has earned it as world number 1. Most of the Top 20 do it. He is still part of the USPGA Tour and must fill his minimum quota of events like everyone else. Its just more often or not he wins it. So like the avergae tour player doesnt need play 3 weeks out 4 to help maintain his card for next year.
Sponsers want to throw money at him, this happens to all the top class sportsman in the US and even Europe. Look at Micheal Shuemacher. People will pay for these guys to endose their products and for appearance.
They have earned the right to do this, through hard work and dedication. It hasnt just landed on their lap. I think a lot of people forget about this.
Personally now, i think the in terms of player quality, the european tour has the better players, my only worry is that a lot of them are being seduced to the USA because of the huge sums of money over there and we will see less and less of them in europe, eg Donald, Stenson and Rose.
As long as Tiger is on the scene, Golf will have a WOW factor
Posted: 28/03/2007 10:45
Paul
I take it you are joking? Do you really need someone to list all his world wide victories,including the British Open last year without a driver and the WGC? I assume that was a laugh on your part,if not it was a hilarious post unintentionally,no offence intended.But come on,lets keep things in perspective.No one needs to 'deal with' Tiger,I find that an amazing notion tbh.And of course the European Tour needs Tiger,any tour needs the world number one to come over and play their tour.Can they survive without him,yes,do they also need him,yes,it simply isn't a case of one or the other.If it was he wouldn't have got paid 3 million for turning up in Dubai every year,which he has won incidently but he doesn't win outside the US does he? :).
Posted: 28/03/2007 10:53
Tiger has the same right as everyone of us to pick where he works and how often he does it. If sponsors want to throw cash at him so he picks their tournament over anothers so be it.
If, as is being reported, Tiger is demanding more and more there comes a point where he is open to charges of prostituting himself. When that time comes it will only be so long before his credibility wanes.
Golf doesnt need Tiger, the US tour perceives it does, pre 97 it was going along very nicely on its own, indeed if Tiger hadnt come along many tour events would be more interesting with the likes of Mickelson, Singh, Furyk and many others battling it out, rather than the procession we see all to frequently.
I like Tiger he is as good as it gets but Golf(pro) is about competition.
IMHO if Tiger wants to be considered truly "Great" he needs to put more effort into giving back more to the game he has earned so much from. Whether that is supporting his tour and fellow professionals or encouraging grass roots development.
Lastly, just an off the wall idea, and bearing in mind his 'power' and association with Nike, How about him advocating a reduction in the distance the golf ball travels. The USPGA seem to be toothless in addressing the problem.
Posted: 28/03/2007 11:53
I was only talking about last years open, an iron from every tee ect.
Dull as ditch water golf! clever? .. yes but dull, it's like you or me thinking lets play it safe on this par 4 and hitting two 5 irons to the green, then the next hole............ then doing it for another 4 rounds, it's DULL golf!
Yes Tiger is awsome, yes he's great but the game is so different now to what it used to be that I still don't think he's a patch on the old guys in their prime, ball development ect larger sweet spots longer shafts new materials ect have all but killed shots that were common place and really took skill to learn and master.
Personally people talk like Tiger Woods IS golf, he's not, but lets faced it he's worshiped by some people ect... but to me? well all I see is a spoiled brat that was groomed to be nothing less than a golfing great, chances are you could take a 1 legged child give them the same chances coatching, support ect and they would be playing on tour too.
Posted: 28/03/2007 23:33
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