Bleacher Report - Men's Golf

Why Everyone Wants Tiger Woods to Come Clean, and Why He Won't

Michael Fitzpatrick — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:42:18 -0500

“Tiger Woods needs to come clean.”

“Tiger Woods needs to explain exactly what happened on Friday morning and set the record straight.”

“Tiger Woods needs to explain everything right now.”

These are all phrases that you will see written in virtually every article about Tiger Woods and the incident that took place outside of his home at 2:30 a.m. on Friday morning.

But what you have to understand is that the general public, along with the many journalists who are taking this point of view, are not doing so without bias.

Tiger Woods doesn’t need to do anything.

On the contrary. We, the public, as well as the media, are desperately hoping for Woods to come clean and explain everything. It would provide a very entertaining story, and, at the end of the day, entertainment is what everyone is really after here.

No one cares about how Woods’ car managed to roll over a fire hydrant, or what hospital he was taken to, or the extent of his injuries.

Nope—we are concerned with one thing and one thing only: Was his wife, Elin, chasing him down with a 5-iron at the time of the accident?

From a public standpoint, we all want the juicy details of exactly what went down on Friday morning.

However, let’s just for a moment step back and explore the big picture from a PR standpoint.

What is more interesting and entertaining, staring at a blank wall or watching television?

Right now, Tiger Woods is the equivalent of staring at a wall.

There is a complete lack of information coming out of the Woods' camp, and there is unlikely to be any further information released anytime soon, if at all.

We also now know that Woods is not legally required to speak with the police. All he is required to do is hand over his license, registration, and insurance information, which he did yesterday afternoon through his lawyer.

So, if you have had any aspiration of reading all the juicy details in a police report, think again.

Considering the fact that he was in and out of consciousness for at least six minutes immediately following the accident, it’s safe to say that Woods probably suffered a concussion and will not attend his tournament—The Chevron World Challenge—this week.

That basically means that we will not see or hear from Woods until he shows up at Torrey Pines in late January for the former Buick Invitational (now the Century Club of San Diego Invitational).

Can you remember the "big news" from two months ago?

That makes two of us.

And many of those stories two months ago would have certainly been viewed as HUGE news at the time.

When Woods shows up at Torrey Pines in two months, he will respond to questions with well-rehearsed, detail-less answers...once again, the equivalent of staring at a blank wall.

Woods lives in an airtight cocoon that he has spent years constructing to insulate and protect himself from the outside world.

This cocoon is unlikely to crack or spring a leak any time soon.

So, he has two choices.

He can come completely clean about what might be a very embarrassing truth, or he can turn himself into a blank wall.

We, the public, would love nothing more than for him to come clean. It would give us something interesting to read and follow.

When people read newspaper articles, Internet articles, or watch news reports on the "Tiger Woods incident," they do so because they are after some new information that may provide them with some form of entertainment.

How entertaining is it going to be to read articles for the next two months that say, “nothing further from the Woods camp” or “Tiger Woods was not seen again today.”

That’s not interesting, nor is it entertaining. It is, in essence, the equivalent of staring at a blank wall.

And as we all know, people will eventually get bored of staring at a wall, and decide to turn on the television and see what else is going on.

Maybe Woods is hiding something; maybe he isn’t. Needless to say, there are some not-so-small question marks surrounding the initial "accident" story.

But, whatever the case, it’s unlikely that he will provide us with the information we’re all so desperately craving, and that often frustrates the heck out of the media and the general public.

Woods is creating a nightmare scenario for the media and general public; he’s not giving us exactly what we want.

But are you prepared to stare at a blank wall for the next two months?

Me neither.

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Why the World Is Obsessed with the Tiger Woods Story

Michael Fitzpatrick — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 11:37:53 -0500

Let’s be completely honest with ourselves.

The moment we heard the incorrect, and downright reckless news reports that Tiger Woods was in "serious" condition after being involved in a car accident outside of his Windermere, Fla., home, three questions immediately came to mind.

1) Will he be okay?

2) Will he play golf again?

3) Will any of his injuries affect his ability to play golf at the same high level?

The first question was a natural response to hearing about any tragic incident. Believe it or not, most human beings are still at least somewhat concerned with the well-being of others, even those they do not know personally.

However, this initial instinctive response quickly moved toward a more selfish view of the situation.

We were not overly concerned with whether or not Tiger Woods would ever be able to enjoy a game he devoted his entire life to; we were concerned with whether WE would ever again be able to watch him win major championships while witnessing a theatre that no other golfer has ever been able to provide.

We were concerned with whether or not we’d see Tiger at Augusta next June or at next year’s US Open at Pebble Beach where he demolished the field back in 2000, or at the British Open at St. Andrews, where he was won twice already.

The moment we found out that the initial reports about Woods being in "serious" condition where way off base and that he was treated and released from the hospital, our thoughts immediately darted towards a possible scandal.

Where was he heading at 2:30 a.m. on Thanksgiving night?

How could his wife have carried a 180-pound man out of the car?

How could he have possibly hit a fire hydrant and tree that he’s managed to avoid for the last 10 years?

Why are he and his wife refusing to speak with police?

The story, or lack thereof, has now reached epic proportions.

It’s the National Enquirer meets US Weekly meets ESPN.

If there’s anything we love more than sitcoms and sporting events, it’s watching athletes and celebrities fall from grace.

It makes us feel a little a little better about ourselves and our own lives. We can’t hit a golf ball like Woods, we don’t have $1 billion and a massive house like Woods, we don’t travel in a private jet like Woods, at least we can watch him suffer through an embarrassing situation.

It brings a big smile to our faces.

Come on, how many of you weren’t painted with an ear-to-ear smile upon hearing that A-Rod had used steroids?

How many of you didn’t just love seeing the Giants ruin the Patriots undefeated season back in 2007?

How many of you didn’t laugh hysterically when Steve Phillips admitted to having an affair with an intern?

How many of you didn’t thoroughly enjoy watching David Letterman try to weasel his way out of why someone was trying to extort him?

We love it and we can’t get enough of it.

There’s a reason why the National Enquirer is still going strong after 73 years.

There’s a reason why US Weekly is one of the top-selling magazines in the country.

There’s a reason why “Tiger Woods affair” and “Tiger Woods mistress” are two of the top searched phrases on Google over the past two days.

There’s a reason why at 7 o'clock every night, channel 2, 4, 5 and 7 are filled with celebrity gossip shows such as Entertainment Tonight, Entertainment Weekly, E-News, etc.

And there’s a reason why Tiger Woods is now appearing on the front pages of magazines and web sites whose writers didn’t know a golf ball from a baseball just 72 hours ago.

Who cares about the football games today when we might be able to hear the 911 tapes from Tiger Woods' accident?

Who cares about college basketball when there’s a chance that we might find out why Tiger Woods drove into a fire hydrant early on Friday morning?

It’s a sad, sad world, when most of the general public thoroughly enjoys watching others fall from grace.

Now, I won’t pretend to sit here on my high horse.

I too will be checking the Internet and news stations throughout the day to see if there’s any further information about why Tiger Woods drove into a fire hydrant at 2:30 on Friday morning.

Why?

Because unfortunately that’s just human nature.

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10 Reasons To Be Thankful That You're a Fan of Golf

Michael Fitzpatrick — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 08:51:58 -0500

Although Thanksgiving should probably be a day of mourning as it pretty much marks the beginning of the end for American Indians, it has somehow become a national holiday where we all get together with our families and celebrate what we are thankful for.

If you’re a golf fan, here are ten reasons you should be thankful.

10. International Competition

Golf is one of the few sports that transcends borders.

Whether you’re in South Dakota or Malaysia, a golf course will never be far and a PGA Tour event will be on television.

Most professional golfers play in tournaments around the world, and there is an international team competition held each year—the Ryder Cup or the Presidents Cup.

9. It’s an Olympic sport

Baseball, football and several other popular sports are currently not included in the Olympics. Golf has officially been named an Olympic sport beginning at the 2012 games in Rio De Janeiro.

8. Players don’t sit out because they want larger contracts

You won’t see Tiger Woods not playing in the US Open because the purse has been decreased. You won’t see Phil Mickelson forgo the FedEx Cup because he wants the winner to be paid $12 million instead of $10 million.

Just doesn’t happen in golf.

7. No Taunting

I think it might actually be written somewhere in the NFL and NBA rule books that upon dunking a ball, or catching a long pass, you are required to taunt your competition.

Aside from a first pump or two (which is more of a celebratory act anyway), you don’t see much taunting during a professional golf tournament.

6. No whining to rules officials

Kobe Bryant and LeBron James may be the best basketball players in the world, but their also professional whiners. When was the last time you saw Bryant or James miss a layup without immediately darting towards the referee and complaining about a foul?

Doesn’t happen in golf.

5. Players call penalties on themselves

An NFL defensive back may grab a player’s face mask and drag him to the turf while a pass is en route, and that defensive back will still jump up and raise his arms above his head as if nothing happened.

If that were golf, the defensive back would have approached the ref and called a penalty on himself.

4. Popularity is growing around the world

Although we may be going backwards in terms of the number of Americans playing golf, which has more to do with a terrible economy and our middle class being on the road to extinction, golf is growing by leaps and bounds around the world.

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are ranked number one and two on Forbes’ list of the highest paid athletes on the planet. That doesn’t happen if golf is not an extremely popular sport around the world.

3. Players are accessible

You don’t need to pay $500 or attend a $5,000 a plate fundraiser to get an autograph from Phil Mickelson. He’ll stand around and sign autographs for 45 minutes after virtually every round.

Although some players don’t take the time to sign autographs, most will take a significant amount of time out of their day to sign autographs for the fans.

Fans at golf tournaments can get close enough to talk to the players, and believe it or not, they may even talk back.

2. Tickets are cheap.

You want to go watch the Barclays (a FedEx Cup event), it will cost you $30 for the entire day and you will get the opportunity to stand within five feet of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Padraig Harrington, etc.

You go to Yankee Stadium that same night and it will cost you $2,000 to get anywhere near the likes of Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, etc.

Anyone can go to a golf tournament and watch the best players in the world from just a few short feet away.

1. NO STEROIDS

Aside from Doug Barron, who was recently suspended for using banned substances that he was taking due to a heart condition and low testosterone levels, steroids are non-existent in golf.

This era of power golf will not be tarnished in any way by the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

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Top Five Moments of the 2009 PGA Tour Season

Michael Fitzpatrick — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:32:32 -0500

He’s Baaack

At just after 7am on a cool February morning in Arizona, Tiger Woods stepped onto a PGA Tour practice range for the first time in more than eight months.

He was walking a little slower, and he wasn’t attacking the ball with the same ferocity as he once did, but it was still Tiger Woods.

And if you thought your eyes were deceiving you, the hundreds of cameramen and reporters out at 7:15am on a Wednesday morning would have been enough to make you believe.

Woods’ much anticipated return was cut short when he was defeated by South African Tim Clark in the second round of the Accenture Match Play Championship.

For a guy who had won 65 PGA Tour events and 14 major championships before going down with a knee injury, there was only one way for him to prove he really was back—and that was to win.

Less than a month after his initial return, Woods overcame a five-stroke deficit in the final round to defeat Sean O’Hair at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

The sun had set, Arnold “The King” Palmer was looking on from just off the side of the green, and Woods was lining up his 25-foot putt in almost complete darkness.

As Woods went through his tedious pre-putt routine, one could not help but think back to the last time he faced a must-make putt. It was on the 72nd hole of a little tournament known as the US Open, and we all know how that turned out.

The moment Woods struck his putt, the green was illuminated by the flashes of hundreds of cameras. As the ball began closing in on the hole, Woods began slowly back peddling before unleashing one of his trademark fist pumps upon seeing his ball disappear into the cup.

He’d done it again.

After an eight month hiatus, excitement had finally returned to the PGA Tour.

Woods vs. Michelson Showdown at Augusta

Although Angel Cabrera, Kenny Perry and Chad Campbell would compete in a three-way playoff, most golf fans began enjoying their Easter ham upon the conclusion of the Woods/Michelson showdown.

Longtime golf announcer Jim Nantz later said that after watching Woods and Mickelson walk off the 18th green, he had to take a deep breath and remind himself that there was still a golf tournament going on.

Woods and Mickelson began the day well behind the leaders. But it didn’t matter. These two heavyweights could've begun the day tied for last place, and their pairing would have still been the tournament’s main event.

Heck, television could have shown their final round on pay-per-view, and millions of households would have gladly accepted the charges.

After Mickelson birdied six out of his first nine holes and Woods was three-under-par at the turn, it was beginning to look as if one of these guys might actually pull off a comeback comparable to Nicklaus at the '86 Masters or Palmer at the '60 US Open.

For Woods, it would have been yet another jaw-dropping accomplishment in a long list of jaw-dropping accomplishments.

For Mickelson, it would have defined a career.

But it was not to be.

Michelson double bogeyed the par-three 12th and then missed a short eagle putt on the 13th.

Woods on the other hand continued his charge by birdying the 13th, 15th and 16th before the greatest closer the game has ever seen inexplicable bogeyed the final two holes, which eliminated any hope of a fifth green jacket.

Mickelson’s final round 67 landed him in alone in fifth place while Woods’ 68 put him in a tie for 6th.

Oh yeah, and Angel Cabrera won the Masters with a par on the second sudden death playoff hole.

The Twilight Zone (aka The US Open)

Lucas Glover and Ricky Barnes were battling it out for the US Open title; David Duval was right on their tails; Hunter Mahan was making a run of his own before his perfectly struck approach shot on the par-four 16th happened to ricochet off the pin and roll clear off the front of the green; and it began pouring rain every time Tiger Woods stepped foot onto the golf course.

Bethpage Black might as well have been the twilight zone during that memorable week back in June.

The only part of the 2009 US Open that didn’t come as a complete shock was Phil Mickelson finishing second for the fifth time in his career.

Glover played the back nine on Monday—yup, that’s right, on Monday due to the monsoons that swept through the New York area that week—in even par, which was good enough to give him a two-stroke victory over Phil Mickelson, Rickey Barnes, and David Duval.

During the trophy presentation, Barnes turned to Mickelson and told him that he could take the second place medal. Mickelson calmly replied by telling Barnes not to worry about it...he already had four of them at home.

Y.E. Yang Slays the Tiger

Tiger Woods had never lost a major championship when holding at least a share of the 54-hole lead.

That’s worth repeating.

Tiger Woods had never lost a major championship when holding at least a share of the 54-hole lead…until he ran into Y.E. Yang at the 2009 PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn.

When Woods sent his tee-shot on the par three 17th, clear over the back of the green, thus virtually securing Yang’s victory, he put his hands on his knees and hung his head down in defeat.

It was a scene reminiscent of Rocky Balboa cutting the seemingly invincible Ivan Drago in Rocky IV.

Golf’s most dominant prize fighter of all time had been cut…and it was a bad cut.

Not since a driving range pro by the name of Jack Fleck defeated Ben Hogan in the 1955 US Open had golf seen a more shocking upset.

Yang, a former Korean power lifter, celebrated by hoisted his golf bag over his head on the 18th green, while the rest of the PGA Tour was undoubtedly hearing the voice of Tony "Duke" Evers (Rocky Balboa’s trainer in Rocky IV) screaming, “You see, he’s man! He’s not a machine…he’s a man!”

Watson Comes Within a Hair

Every player at the 2009 British Open was competing against a field made up of the best golfers on the face of the planet. Well, every player except one.

Tom Watson was not only competing against 157 of the top players in the world, he was also competing against a far more ruthless and unforgiving opponent—Old Man Time.

And he came within a measly two yards of conquering them all.

All eyes were on Watson as he teed off on the 72nd hole at Turnberry holding a one-stroke lead. After all, it’s not every day that you see a 59-year-old man about to win a major championship.

When Watson found the right side of the fairway, the excitement began to build as his win looked inevitable.

Inevitable because Watson is from a different era in the game, an era when professional golfers were more likely to win tournaments rather than lose them.

Exactly 30 years earlier on the same hole, Watson stuck his approach shot to five feet and then proceeded to sink his birdie putt to defeat Jack Nicklaus in what is now known as “The Dual in the Sun.”

However, things did not go as smoothly for Watson on this day.

With the pin placed on the back of the green, Watson’s approach shot landed towards the front of the putting surface and sprung clear off the back edge of the green.

He pitched to around six feet and began lining up his putt.

As Watson stood over his six-foot putt to win the British Open, one could not help but question the pure cruelty of the golf gods.

You see, Watson’s days of winning ended when he lost his ability to make putts from inside of 10 feet.

So, what’s standing between Watson and arguably the greatest achievement in sports history?

That’s right, a six foot putt.

The massive crowds surrounding the 18th green at Turnberry uniformly winced as Watson’s putt came up three feet short.

He tapped in for a bogey five and began preparing himself for a three-hole playoff with Stewart Cink.

By then, however, Old Man Time had broken through the front lines and Watson appeared both physically and mentally broken.

Cink won easily, and golf fans will forever remember the 2009 British Open as another one of those “what if” moments in the game’s long and illustrious history.

Other Memorable Moments:

Henrik Stenson shoots a final round 66 to win The Players Championship by 4 strokes.

Phil Mickelson wins The Tour Championship while Tiger Woods wins FedEx Cup.

Ryan Moore finally breaks through at the Wyndham Championship.

Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Steve Stricker dominate the Presidents Cup.

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