Tiger Woods Smart to Expand Influence with Short Trip to India

Sometimes a little effort goes a long way, which is what Tiger Woods is hoping happens following a recent exhibition match in India. 

Woods joined Indian golfers Shiv Kapur and Anirban Lahiri, along with Hero Motors chairman Pawan Munjal, for a charity skins game at the Delhi Golf Club. 

According to GolfingIndian.com, Woods was paired with Munjal, while Kapur and Lahiri teamed up on the other side.  Incredibly, despite scoring 10 birdies and just one bogey, Woods didn't win the skins match, as they duo of Kapur and Lahiri were on fire. 

Already one of the most famous people in the world, Woods saw a chance to potentially help the sport of golf grow in India. Per the report, "The funds raised through the skins match will be submitted towards golf charities under the Delhi Golf Club."

Woods hopes the event will help grow junior golf in the area of Dehli, he told the crowd afterward in a YouTube video distributed by Golfing Indian.

A bit later, he elaborated on Twitter:

Woods also marveled at the extremely narrow fairways featured at the Delhi Golf Club, which were a bit intimidating. 

The quick trip to India was Woods' first, and he was reportedly paid handsomely for showing up to the exhibition. According to Ewan Murray of The Guardian, "The continued commercial appeal of Tiger Woods will be endorsed this week, with golf's world No1 making an appearance in India reckoned to be worth a seven-figure dollar sum."

In addition to the obvious "commercial appeal" the appearance and its fee illustrates, Woods is clearly eager to use his international clout as a means to bringing the game of golf to those who otherwise wouldn't have access to it. 

Woods has always been one to look at how he can impact the golf world with maximum effectiveness, and he surely knows that growing the game is part of one's legacy.

Phil Inglis/Getty Images

"Tiger's visit to India is going to make a huge impact and there is a big buzz already not only in Delhi but the whole country," said Kapur before the match, via The Guardian. "I know the members at my club are very excited and there are going to be people climbing all over the walls just to get a glimpse of Tiger."

With the money raised, junior golf will grow in Delhi. With the growth of junior golf in India, perhaps the next Tiger Woods will be able to trace his roots back to the day Woods came to visit. 

In every possible way, this trip was a win-win for Woods and for the state of international golf growth. 

Follow me on Twitter @JesseReed78