Does Tiger Really Need The Tour?

My latest Golfobserver.com column is now posted.

Comments

[Steven T.]

No. I hope he skips the FedEx stuff to be with his wife and child. He doesn't need the PGA Tour. Let's see how the ratings do then and how the sponsors react.

[David Sucher]

Point-of-information for the ignorant: are there enough non-PGA events with tough competition for Tiger to be able to maintain and demonstrate his edge?

As a casual watcher of TV golf, I would think that if Tiger literally left the PGA tour it would close to kill it for the next decade or so (i.e.until he retires.)

[Ford]

good column.

[Joel]

Only a small mention of his retirement points and no mention of his possible pension which could be in the hundreds of millions. Its easy to say he doesn't need the money but even Tiger is not going to pass on $100 million since he earned it.

[Brian]

Tom Pernice Jr. lambasted Tiger Woods to the media at the top of his lungs last year for missing the Tour Championship "once" in his career. Did it do any good Tom? Tiger didn't really care for the International, it wasn't his cup of tea. However, you Tom, "were" a past champion at the International, past tense! Open big mouth insert both feet.


Tiger 1 - - - Tom Pernice Jr. 0

[Steven T.]

Let's see: TW can play in the 4 majors, the WGC events, Dubai and some other Euro Tour events-perhaps the Swedish Masters and a German event, the Buick PGA events and his non PGA Tour Target Challenge, some Asian events and maybe the Memorial. That would give him enough time to be with his family and sponsors and his design company. Not bad.

[R. Thompson]

Tiger joined in 1996, he's been a member longer than 10 years, his pension money is certainly fully vested by now. If he wishes to add to it he'll continue to play as a member of PGA Tour, if he doesn't want to continue as a PGA Tour member he won't add anything to it BUT it will incure and compound until he draws it. It's all his at this point, so pension money, tournament purse money, appearance fee money, what does he care? He only cares about one thing now that he's entered his 30's, catching Jack Nicklaus 18 Major Championships. I look for him to build his LIMITED schedule around doing just that, and after completing that goal I see him shutting it down big time, just as Lord Byron Nelson did.

[ken-one-putt]

I've said for several years that Tiger's Tour membership doesn't really make a lot of sense for him.


He can play at least 20 events worldwide including all the majors and WGC events. And he'd no longer have to put up with the Tour's BS regarding exemptions to play elsewhere.

The other golfer who is in the same situation at this point is Michelle Wie. As long as she wants to play around the world, the LPGA's extremely restrictive policies will make it hard for her to be a member.

K

[charliemac]

No Tiger doesn't need the tour. Tiger is foreshadowing the death of the Tour. Here's how the formalized death will begin:

RRRING!!!

TW: Hello?

"Tiger, this is Jack Vickers. I'm putting together an invitational tournament that will be the week of [insert name of FECES event here], that should work well with your schedule. Sponsorship by UPS, television is being negotiated. I’ve got tentative commitments from Phil, Vijay, and a few others. Looks like the purse will be [insert $$$ figure of Master’s purse], for 30-40 players. It will be first-class all the way. How about an appearance fee of three million?”

TW: sounds good. Hold on, I’ve got another call...

TW: Hello?

“This is Donald Trump, and I’ve got an offer for you…”

[Hawkeye]

He will make it to 15. Trust me. And Steven T., he is never going to set his foot on a Swedish golf course during a European Tour event (The Scandinavian Masters, that is - take the "Masters" bit with a pinch of salt). We've tried, but we simply can't afford him over here. And Steinie won't let him lower the price for sentimental reasons.

[cw]

Well put. I feel fortunate to be alive to watch Tiger and all that comes with him. Don't you think that when it's all said and done and his career is over (if it ever will be), we really ain't seen nothin as of today? I once thought that no one was bigger than the game. Now I'm not even sure it's a fair fight.

[John M]

Interesting column, Geoff. Any chance Tiger starts his own tour?

Small correction. I believe Tiger played 15 tour events last year, not 17.

[Doug D.]

That picture by Craig Jones says it all...you could put that picture above the word "Seething" in the dictionary for a visual definition...

It would appear that Tiger sees through Finchie's line of Attorney Brand Strategy lingo, and it would appear that we're heading towards a showdown at the OK Corral (probably sponsored by UPS)

[BNW]

Tiger should endorse UPS, Timmy's been leveraging Tiger for years, turnabout is fair game.

Tiger, see what BROWN CAN DO FOR YOU!

[Smitty]

Unfortunately for the TOUR, I believe that Tiger is emulating his hero Mr. Nicklaus insofar as his schedule is concerned: Jack cut back on his schedule after 1967, again in 1979, in 1984, and finally in 1990. However, the element of money seems to be more prevalent in Tiger's considerations than Jack had--but it was a different time back then. The tour survived with a limited Jack, but I am not so sure today's TOUR will survive without Tiger--especially after he retires. An apt example was the severe downturn golf experienced after Jones retired. Attendance plummeted and the Depression only added to golf's troubles. I believe that golf will experience the same when the GREAT ONE hangs 'em up.