I was at a museum bar this past week, playing some pool with a buddy when golf came up in the conversation between us and our playing competitors.
One of the guys, slightly inebriated, lambasted me with this theory – Tiger Woods is killing the PGA Tour.
No, there were no bigotry in his voice, he didn't care if Woods was black, white or the color of Paula Creamer's golf ball, he just believed that the onslaught of Tiger fans has brought down the competitiveness and interest of a regular PGA Tour event.
At first I thought this guy was a complete moron. I hit my pool shots, had a sip of beer and mused over the idea that the best thing to ever hit golf could somehow be bringing it down? Hogwash, I thought.
It didn't hit me until Saturday afternoon, on the golf course for my lemming-like weekend tee time, when I realized this guy might be on to something.
Maybe Tiger is killing the tour. No, he isn't killing golf, he's turned a sport reserved for higher class businesspeople into a global phenomenon. He's changed the pot-bellied golfer into a gym rat. He's merged two types of golfers, the one that bombs it off the tee and the one that chips and putts well around the greens, into one golfing freak. He's brought mock turtlenecks, Nike Golf, the first pump and red on Sundays to our regular conversation.
Tiger has changed golf, which is obviously clear.
With that said, has he killed the PGA?
The ratings for the Monday playoff between Woods and Rocco Mediate were the highest golf ratings in 30 years, but what happens there without Tiger?
Are people huddled around the office television? Do people with actual jobs (gulp) take the day off to go home and live blog the whole thing for less fortunate people with important jobs? Do people care if a guy that everyone in the world knows isn't shooting for major number 14? Does the internet almost break?
The argument can be made mainly because the PGA Tour is at the highest talent level in the history of golf, yet nobody takes notice. There are players like Kenny Perry, Hunter Mahan and Ryan Moore that most casual golf fans couldn't pick out in a lineup, even though they're accomplishing things that would have made them top golf stories years ago.
Phil Mickelson, among all the mixed feelings and constant roller-coaster ride, is arguably the most talented golfer since Jack Nicklaus not named Tiger. Ernie Els, Sergio Garcia, the list goes on and on.
Vijay Singh won nine times on the PGA Tour in 2004 and instead of people talking about the emergence of a guy to counter Woods dominance, it was more "When is Tiger going to extinguish this chump?"
In almost every conceivable sports scenario, people look for a counter-balance to greatness.
The Duke Blue Devils have North Carolina. The Yankees have the Boston Red Sox. The Red Wings have Colorado. Now, even Roger Federer has Rafael Nadal and the Patriots are battling the good-guy Colts.
Tiger is the only dominant athlete or team that doesn't have a rival. The strange thing is, people like that. Sports fans root for Tiger to win when they would never do that for anyone else.
The PGA Tour has a chance to hand our trophies to a larger audience (like Rocco) and people "do not want." Fans root against the underdog for Woods. They want him to rip the heart out of Bob May. They love to see him run away from the field like Pebble Beach or 1997 Augusta National. Tiger winning is all people care about.
So, is he killing the PGA Tour? In a way, I'd say yes. I think people that used to love the variety have slowly emerged into the everyday golf fan, caring about Woods and nobody else.
Is this going to be a huge problem with Tiger is finally done playing? That I don't agree with. I think the longer Woods plays on tour, the more opportunity there will be for a young guy to wake up and reach his potential. I think that the next great thing might not even be out on tour yet, but things recycle and this will be one of those.
This break without Woods will be refreshing for the tour. Sure, people aren't extremely interested in the "other" PGA Tour, but I believe people will care about the British Open and upcoming Ryder Cup. It will be fun to see what golfer rises to the occasion. It's crazy, but Woods has been in every major championship (sans the missed cut in the '06 U.S. Open post-Earl passing) since 1997. (It's also crazy that he's finished out of the top-30 exactly once when reaching the weekend, but that's for another column praising the hell out of him again.)
Maybe someone new will emerge, or another big name will seize the moment, but whatever happens, one thing is a certainty – Woods can't come back soon enough.
Comments (Page 1 of 1)
The flaw in that theory is that if Tiger never came along at all, where would golf be? Hanging out with Hockey in the ratings abyss. Still a fine sport, but not a big ratings draw. So, Tiger comes along and ratings go up, and at the same time he's to blame when no one watches when he's not playing??? Maybe it would make more sense if a have a few beers and re-read the article...
Futher - one could argue that outside of clay - Federer has no rival either. IF Nadal can actually beat him at Wimbledon in a few days, may be it would be a valid analogy. Until then, Fereder's (like Tiger's) main competition is with the record books.
Very simple of Tiger killing the golf tour. Just insult him over his looks and race and you will taken to the woodshed. Just ask Fuzzy Zoeller.
I don't think Woods himself is killing the tour, all he s doing is playing the best golf he is capable of, but I think the whole media obsession with him is. By focussing all their marketing effort on Tiger, TV companies, tournament host, sponsors etc are going to see a decline now he is out of action. Perhaps a more balanced approach whilst he is on the sidelines will be better in the long term.
The shouted phrase "GET IN THE HOLE!!" is evidence enough for me that, if not actually killing it, Tiger's dominance has made the Tour pretty ill. Or maybe that's my own nausea talking.
Tiger has definitely spoiled alot of people. He has made the PGA Tour ,TV execs,and many "journeymen" golfers multimillionaires. Look what he has done for Nike. They had a fledgling golf division until Tiger came on board. He is the PGA Tour.
Tiger "killing the PGA?" That is almost as laughable as saying Michael Jordan "killed the NBA!"
There have been "once in a generaton" athletes in every sport - Tiger happens to be one of those in my opinion. Like him or not, should he feel bad because he is simply better than everyone else? Yes, there ARE many great golfers on the PGA...it is not Tiger's fault they don't rise up when he plays. Sure he is beatable. Sure he is promoted. Sure he grabs most of the headlines...if you listen to the pros, they say Tiger has been GREAT for the game.
I do agree that NOW is the time for the other great players to have their chance to step up and perhaps get noticed. Let's face it - every sport has a "mega star" who seems to get all the notice.
I think the facts speak for themselves - Tiger is 3rd on the ALL TIME WINNNING LIST of tournaments and he is 32....14 majors, etc....
You can comment about anything else he says, does, acts like, etc if you don't like these aspects. One thing you can't argue about is HIS RECORD. THAT speaks for itself.
There will those who will slam Tiger for being "this or that", "product of promotion", "spoiled", etc.. But, if you think about it, Tiger STILL HAS TO PERSONALLY TEE IT UP AND PERFORM AND EXECUTE EVERY SHOT OVER A 4 DAY PERIOD, just like everyone else. His results just happen to be much better.
Phil is a GREAT GREAT PLAYER! But, in my opinion, he "thinks" too much on the course instead of just letting his amazing talent "take over." As great as Phil is, he has one 30+ tournaments (phenomenal achievement)- Tiger has won 60+ tournaments and 11 more majors than Phil. Is that Tiger's fault?
If Tiger is so bad with the fitness issue as 1 point in the article suggested, why is Phil himself and many many others getting themselves in terrific physical shape now? Could it be possible that Tiger has inspired this? The media is fixated ONLY on Tiger...but, that is the media and this is what they do in ALL sports where there is a "superstar." Is this objective reporting and fair to other great players? Probably not.....
Putting aside personal issues/dislikes, etc., about Tiger, everyone on tour, at the beginning of every tournament has the same chance to "tee it up" and play and perhaps win. At the end of the tournaments, who holds the trophy up depends on who out plays everyone else. Thus far, over the last decade, this person happens to be Tiger most of the time.
With Tiger away, who will "step up" and grab the headlines? Any number of the 150 on tour have always had that same opportunity when Tiger played..
All the talk, hype, etc, gets old at times, but when on the course, it comes down to who executes. Each player has to hit their own shot with no help...None of the talk, opinions matter during tournaments...it comes down to performing and executing...Like him or not, Tiger just happens to have done this better than anyone else on the present tour...
I'm 48. I remember feeling the same way about Jack, Arnold, Lee, Payne. In every spoet there comes a great every few years or so. I only watched basket ball when Jordon was playing. I enjoyed foot ball when Joe M was playing. A whole new set of fans spring up every year. I couldn't even tell you who the top quarter backs are now. Or other then Kobe and Shaq I don't know who's playing basket ball. Tiger is exciting, he is a nice looking man, nice smile. We love that, doesn't matter the race, color etc. Plus the true skill all top players bring to the game. we all remember playing sports and wanting to be this good at it. A dream of having the skill and the attention.
Tim - Yakima WA
The media has turned the PGA tour into The Tiger Woods Show, starring Woods on camera almost all the time, along a glimpse of one or two other players once in a while. It has ruined watching on TV for avid long time fans like me. I want to see many competitors, but instead we get Tiger warming up, Tiger in the men's room, Tiger picking his nose, Tiger highlights from yesterday's round, last year, when he was 2 years old, and so on. Can't watch a tournament when he is playing.
Tiger Woods is the best thing that has happened to the PGA Tour, without him the exitement is gone.
That does not mean that there are not some other very good golfers but there is no one that can be as consistent as Tiger or as mentally disciplined.
The phrase HE NEVER GIVES UP says it all.
I am waiting for the year he can win every tournament, something no one has ever done, if anyone can its Tiger.
I'm 66 yrs old been watching golf since Arnie put it on tv. What do you want? Tiger to start giving strokes to even the playing field. Thats what they did with football(parity) and it stinks compared to the days when teams dominated. 95% of you people posting on these boards are from the political correctness generation which means you don't have a clue about life. Everything isn't even steven like you think. Only the strong survive in this world boys and girls. If you think otherwise your a moron. The proof is in the pudding. 95 % of the morons 20 to 18 back Obama. What logical reason can you give except he's black and an underdog.