It was as devastating as Madonna and Guy, long-winded as Jennifer and Brad, and as depressing as Jessica and Nick. I'm talking about when Buick and Tiger Woods decided to go their separate ways in November. At the time, they cited a struggling economy and the fact that Tiger wanted more time with his family as the main reasons. Now, Buick Invitational tournament director Tom Wilson (not related to Ryan) has been trying everything short of showing up at Tiger's front stoop as a member of a barbershop quartet to try and get Woods to debut at Torrey Pines.
Wilson has been trading e-mail barbs with Woods' agent, Mark Steinberg, just as a friendly way of keeping the Buick Invitational in the conversation when Woods finally does make his decision.See, this is exactly why my grandpa always told me to buy American. "A Toyota will die on ya, but a Buick will never quit."
When Woods and Buick ended their endorsement relationship after nine years back in November, Wilson sent Steinberg a message.
"I said, 'Despite the divorce, we still want him,' " Wilson recalled with a smile.
If Tiger did decide to open his 2009 season at the Buick Invitational (Feb. 5-8), it would be an earlier-than-expected return for the incredible one. Tiger has stated over and over and over and over again that he will not say when he is expecting to come back, because he wants to be completely ready, so I guess we won't find out until just before the Buick kicks off.
One thing we do know -- Tom Wilson would be the happiest man in America if Tiger came back at the last place we saw him. It would be poetic justice. Of sorts.
