Tag: tiger woods

Tiger’s Threat

Tiger Woods made the following comment during the final round of the CA Championship last weekend when a photographer took a shot in his backswing:

The next time a photographer shoots a f****** picture on my backswing I’m going to break his f****** neck.

He apologized for the threat, but not the language. That sounds about right. I don’t have an issue with cussing, especially when playing a competitive sport. It’s just not a big deal. I’ve never sat courtside at a professional basketball game or stood on the sideline of a football game, but I would imagine language can get a little uncouth.

Golf being tagged as a “Gentleman’s Game” is a blessing and a curse. On one hand the visual is anything but that of what you would imagine fierce competition to look like. There’s a bunch of men in khaki pants and tucked-in shirts that can’t even carry their own bags a few miles. On the other hand, there is no other sport that demands so much of a player and, more importantly, fans and media.

There is a huge burden to shoulder as a golf fan. You have to be conscious of when and where you move at all times. Especially, if you are a photographer inside the ropes late on Sunday.

The photographer failed last Sunday and Tiger didn’t handle it well.

Mania This and Mania That

Golf Digest’s Jaime Diaz has in interesting proposition: that pre-1997 Tigermania paved the way for the Barack Obamamania we’re experiencing leading up to the 2008 Presidential Election. He writes:

Obamamania really isn’t all that different from Tigermania pre-1997 Masters. Woods was still mostly promise, although there was a certainty and presence and sense of destiny to the young man, the kind Obama increasingly has demonstrated in his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. Both manias reflect an America willing to trust its gut more than its head. But tellingly, with Woods there was no second-guessing, and the same seems to be true with Obama.

Without getting too political here on Yugflog.com, if Obama is elected President, he will have a lot to live up to. Tiger has far exceeded the pre-1997 hype with his incredible on-course success. On top of that his image and influence reach far beyond the course and affect many reaches of life. By default, Obama will have the reach if he were to take office. The tough part would be backing it up with results.

I Picked the Winner

I was scared watching the first round of the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship. Tiger Woods looked like he was going to confuse his number one world ranking with the timing of his exit – an upsetting first-round loss to the lowest ranked player in the tournament. But, when you’re a maker of golf history, as Tiger Woods tends to be, you don’t confuse such things. Instead you tease those with lesser ability. You lure the television audience into thinking they’re seeing a historical upset, then just before it’s too late you turn it on. You light it up. You blind them with your ability.

That’s just what Tiger Woods did in his first round match against the formidable J.B. Holmes. Then he beat Aaron Oberholser 3 and 2, took two extra holes to squeak past another Aaron (Baddeley), defeated K.J. Choi 3 and 2, and disposed of the defending champion Henrik Stenson 2-up. All of the matches were close. All of the opponents gave it their best — and came up short. Two had already won on tour this year, an accomplishment possible only when Tiger Woods is not in the field.

The final match was over as soon as it started. When I woke up Sunday morning, Tiger was already two up and they’d only played four holes. The lead would only grow throughout the day until the point where Stewart Cink, eight down with seven holes to play, gave Tiger Woods a conciliatory fist-bump when Tiger’s birdie putt to tie Cink’s lipped out. Tiger closed out the match 8 and 7 on the next hole. It was the largest margin of victory in the history of the event. Only fitting that the record was set by Tiger.

With 63 PGA Tour victories, Woods has now surpassed Arnold Palmer to take fourth place alone. He’s chasing Sam Snead with 82, Jack Nicklaus with 73, and Ben Hogan with 64.

Me the Fan of Golf

The World Golf Championship Accenture Match Play is this week. Match play, for those of you who don’t know, is essentially heads up golf. Instead of trying to shoot the lowest score, golfers go head-to-head. The winner of the match moves on. Think March Madness college basketball format.

I filled out a bracket and selected Tiger Woods to win the entire tournament. He did so in 2004 and 2005, but has come up short in the last few years. You can follow my selections and comments on the tournament at my Yugflog golf blog.

Yugflog, by the way, is “Golf Guy” spelled backwards. Now you know.

Tiger vs. Federer

Who is more dominant, Tiger Woods or Roger Federer? Tiger is 30 years old. He’s been playing on the PGA Tour for ten years and has twenty years to go. Roger is 26 years old. He’s been playing on the ATP Tour for eight years and could have five to ten years left.

When we look at majors in golf, Jack Nicklaus holds the record with 18. Tiger has won 13 in ten years. Pete Sampras holds the most major titles in tennis with 13. Roger has won 12 majors in eight years as a pro.

In half as much time since his first major win, Federer has accumulated just one less major championship title than Woods. Federer has also won three majors in one year three times. Tiger has done that just once.

For four years running, Federer has won two or more majors. Tiger has only won two majors two years in a row in 2005 and 2006.

It looks like Federer is more dominant, but it is unlikely he will finish his career with more majors than Tiger. After all, the Champions Series, which is the tennis version of the Senior PGA Tour, has a minimum age of 30. The minimum age for the SPGA is 50.

The PGA Tour Season Is Cooked

The 2007 PGA Tour season is cooked. Done. Finis. The Fall Series has finally limped to a close and the top 125 spots are set. You would have had to win at least $785,180 to make keep your card. Even more impressive, ninety-nine players made over $1,000,000 this season. I don’t know what the expenses are, but even after taxes, travel and caddy expenses, they’re making a good living. (Their job is golf – I would kill for that.)

Stephen Ames won at Disney yesterday. He seems like the kind of guy who should win “Disney.” Nice, big smile – really big smile.

So, what now?

I suggest you take some time away from the boob-tube and play some real golf. If it’s too damn cold out, here’s the Silly Season line-up:

ADT Skills Challenge – Played on November 5 -6, but not aired until December 29 -30. This is like The Golf Channel’s Big Break with PGA Tour pros.

Why I’ll watch: Greg Norman is slated to play.

Wendy’s 3 Tour Challenge – November 12 – 13. I’d like to see more tournaments that pit the three major U.S. professional golf tours – PGA, SPGA, LPGA – against one another. Or some combination thereof. It’s fun to see the strengths and weaknesses of the women vs seniors vs men.

Why I’ll watch: Cool to see the three tours playing on one course.

OMEGA Mission Hills World Cup – November 22 – 25. This isn’t so silly, but it’s not that big of a draw for players. Boo Weekley, who would rather be hunting, and Heath Slocum will represent the U.S.

Why I’ll watch: The event is being played in China.

LG Skins Game – November 24 -25. This is the grand daddy of all the off season. It’s like the off season major, but it means absolutely nothing, except maybe to Freddy Couples who dominates this event year after year.

Why I’ll watch: Couples is playing. Again.

Merrill Lynch Shootout – December 7 – 9. Greg Norman hosts as player-pairs vie for silly season glory in three rounds of alternate shot, better-ball, and scramble play.

Why I’ll watch: Good field and fun format to watch.

Target World Challenge – December 13 – 16. This is Tiger’s tournament and it will be his first appearance after his longest break as a professional. The purse is $5.75M for a invitational field of eighteen.

Why I’ll watch: Tiger Woods will be playing.

Gatorade Tiger – Biggest Athlete Ever?

Woods to Unveil ‘Gatorade Tiger’ in 2008 – New York Times:

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, although Golfweek magazine reported last month it was for five years and could pay Woods as much as $100 million, moving him closer to the $1 billion mark in career endorsements.

This reminds me of a debate I had about who was a more prominent athlete, Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan. I’m a golf fan and I’m biased. I’ve also grown up following Woods’ accomplishments, starting with his U.S. Junior Amateur three-peat. I’m not a basketball fan, and thus cannot fully appreciate Michael Jordan’s accomplishments on the court.

However, Woods seems to have the edge over Jordan off of the course / court. What would be a good measure? Name recognition? That may be biased because Woods is a contemporary athlete while Jordan’s playing years are history. Who earns more isn’t a great measure, either because of inflation and other market forces.

There’s just a gut feeling that Woods is the bigger athlete. He’s consistently ranked as one of, if not the, most influential people in the sports world.

The drawback to Woods’ career, with respect to being a popular athlete, is that golf being the game that it is, Woods’ impact and image may fade faster than Jordan’s. We still see Jordan in Gatorade and Hanes underwear commercial (among other places). If Tiger remains healthy and his drive to compete continues, he could compete well into his 40s on the PGA Tour. Tiger has already played on the PGA Tour for eleven years. He’s easily got another ten to fifteen years to go. Jordan played fourteen seasons, total.

What do you think?