Tiger Woods: Is Tigermania Finally Beginning To Wane?

Despite colorful 21-year old phenom Rickie Fowler tying a 36-hole scoring record at The Memorial (13-under 131, which was set by Scott Hoch back in 1987), the man formerly known as Eldrick was the one who stole the headlines on Friday evening.  

Tiger Woods finished the second round at three-under-par for the tournament, just inside the cut line and 10 shots behind Fowler, yet ESPN.com’s main headline in their golf section was “Making The Cut”, with a large picture of Woods.  In the bottom right hand corner was a tiny grey box with “Memorial: Rickie Fowler Leads, Tiger 10 Back” inside of it.

Golfworld.com’s main headline read “Hanging Around: Tiger Looking to Build Momentum at Memorial.”  Fowler’s 36-hole scoring record didn’t even make it into the top-three stories listed on the site.

Foxsports.com’s main golf story was entitled “Long Way To Go”, which was, needless to say, about Woods. 

Golf.com was about the only major golf website that got it right with their lead story being “Red-Hot Rickie” and “Tiger’s Game Still a Work in Progress” being the third story down.

The bad news is that Fowler did not receive the attention he deserved after 36-holes at the Memorial.  The good news is that it’s looking as if we’ve finally seen the end of Tigermania, at least until he starts playing some good golf.

By Saturday evening, Woods was a minor story on most websites and received only a line or two in most newspaper articles.

On Sunday afternoon, CBS televised virtually every shot Woods hit, but the usual analyzing and downright worshipping of the man had greatly diminished.  It was quite evident that Woods was on television simply because the big wigs at CBS had mandated that every shot Woods hit during the coverage window be shown.  The commentating team at CBS was just going through the motions while covering Woods on Sunday, and it came across that way to viewers.  

By Sunday evening Woods was a minor blip on golf’s radar screen.  The biggest news surrounding Woods was that he hit three fans with errant tee shots during his final round.

The main attention was focused on Justin Rose, who carded a bogey-free round of 66 to win his first PGA Tour event by three strokes, and young Rickie Fowler who came up just short but showed the world that he is not just a flash in the pants, he’s here to stay.

From Monday through Wednesday, golf fans may be interested in Woods.

What’s the latest gossip?

How will Woods perform in his next tournament?

Will Woods win a major in 2010?

But come Thursday, golf fans are interested in good golf…and Woods' lackluster 282 (12-strokes off the lead) is just not that exciting.

Golf fans want riveting finishes, and Woods conducting post-round interviews before the leaders even make the turn is not what most people would consider “riveting.”

Woods was playing terrible golf heading into The Memorial and now he’s playing a little better…end of story.

Justin Rose and Rickie Fowler stole the show on Sunday afternoon, as those in contention on Sunday afternoon should.

For a weekly recap of all PGA Tour action, check out The Tour Report's Monday Backspin Blog.