Tiger: "Plus I've been struggling with Sean. Hitting my short irons so *&^%$# far."

I asked earlier if Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, who were obviously wearing microphones during their Monday exhibition, knew that their conversation could be heard. After watching this Golf Channel clip it's hard to believe Tiger thought this was going out live.

I base this assumption on the number of casual f-bombs that were dropped. (Deep, I know.)

You be the judge:

Update on Tuesday, October 30, 2012 at 01:01 PM by Geoff

**Bob Harig on Tiger's comments, included this:

It is no secret that, despite the progress Woods has made in the past year, the short irons have yet to come around. He often hits his approach shots just as close to the hole with his long irons as he does with the short ones.

For example, Woods ranks second on the PGA Tour this year in proximity to the pin from 175 to 200 yards, averaging roughly 30 feet from the pin. Yet, from 125 to 150 yards, he ranks 69th at roughly 22 feet.

Another way to look at it: He is first in greens in regulation percentage (65.13 percent) from 175 to 200 yards, but is only 115th (70 percent) from 125 to 150 yards.

Comments

[Mike Urann]

As someone who dislike's Tiger because he never gives away anything about himself, I have to say that this clip was great. Also not surprising that Rory isn't much of a curser.

[Ryan]

"17 weeks in a row. I don't see me doing that" - That was really funny

[Josh Parks]

It sounds like Tiger could be trying to subtly woo Rory over to Nike. Either way hearing them in the casual demeanor is pretty neat because most of us never hear Tiger give anything other than his well rehearsed responses exchange with Alex Micelli not withstanding.

[D. maculata]

How lame is it when Tiger can't fix the short clubs on his own? I'm pretty sure what the legends of the game that are dead would say. Not so sure about the living other than Lee Buck. Is this a second chance opportunity for Johnny "brush the grass" Miller? Nah, not enough oxygen on the range for both of them. Too bad Boros isn't available. I've yet to see a pro produce the long paper thin bacon strips that he did. Hands that good don't come around very often, and I've been watching this game a long time.

[Duck!hooker]

The PGA tour can't assert a copyright claim over this one

[johnnnycz]

Good post d maculata....LOL about the oxygen remark. Agree 100%

[Amen Coroner]

They should mic these guys a la NFL Films every week.

[Amen Coroner]

Golf.com reporting Rory and Titleist are kaput citing statements from both. If Rory follows Tiger to Nike I really hope he doesn't also ever find out about Caroline's backhand action...

[elf]

@amen if they did you'd hear a lot more casual cursing (when GC wanted to mic guys last year, there was a lot of resistance to it, bc guys were worrying about their image). Tiger has been mic'd before (at some skins games here and abroad), would be somewhat surprised if he knew he was mic'd and didn't think the audio would get out. But who knows what the agreement was

[COB]

"Plus I've been struggling with Sean, hitting my short irons so #@&*%! far."

That says it. He's struggling with his short irons, but in his mind he's struggling with Sean. Tiger doesn't have a golf swing, he has Sean.

[AK47]

Sean O'Donaghue needs to know the first rule of broadcasting - when the stars are talking like this STFU in the booth. I don't want to hear you tell me they're talking about Rory playing in Japan, I heard Rory say that!

[Amen Coroner]

Elfie- I said a la NFL Films not live during telecast. PGA Tour Prod (where I used to work) or TGC could try to copy that formula versus the terrible job they do now marketing tour pro golfers. That being said PGA Tour golfers don't have an NFLPA doing their bidding for them so its a little trickier but getting an unvarnished (even if it is bleeped out a little) glimpse "under the helmet" or "behind the ropes" works really really well when selling a product. Just ask the Sabol family!

[elf]

@amen I agree with you it'd be cool. I was merely saying why it hasn't happened. Everyone expect NFL players to curse and say things (and we generally like it), but with golfers there seems to be this thought that they behave differently than every other athlete, so they are worried that their "brands" would take a hit. If some of us as fans just got over ourselves and stopped expecting golfers in the heat of competition to act like they are in a library (or church or whatever) we might get some more unvarnished entertainment.

[elf]

Some people curse in casual conversation, others don't, some spit others don't, some smoke, others don't, some call all adult ma'am or sir, others are more casual - none of these things actually have anything to do with whether you are a good or bad person, classy, un-classy whatever. It only means you have different definition of what is acceptable and that has a lot to do with where you grew up.

[BrianS]

@elf - while I agree that cursing and spitting doesn't necessarily make you a good person or a bad person, I do think to the use of curse words in a public setting is considered "un-classy". The setting is the key, and when you are the highest paid golfer of all time, and one that aspires to be the greatest ever, you should make efforts to reign it in. Even if you are not miked, the 200 people all standing around the tee box can year, and that should be enough. Hey, nobody is perfect, but make the effort please.

[elf]

@BrianS I'm going to guess that you find curse words offensive, or impolite and that that is how you were brought up. Curse words in casual settings or general conversation in public don't bother or offend me. Personally, I am far more bothered by someone smoking 10ft away where I have to breathe it. Which is sort of my point, we all have different things that we are offended by do to differences in where and how we were raised, personality etc, to often we the define the things that we are offended by into un-classy or as an example of negative character, when it's really just different.

[elf]

(boy that last sentence was a run-on, sorry. Hey Geoff, any chance of an edit feature?)

[Sari]

All true, Elf, but if he knew that he was miked, you would expect hiim to reign it in. It's not like he hasn't been on notice that this kind of language offends some people for years, dating back to his self-directed tirade at himself for snap hooking his driver Saturday morning at the 2000 U.S. Open. As Dan Jenkins wrote so artfully back then "don't blame me if he's read some of my books."

[Rob]

Wow, Tiggly Wiggly apologist @elf in full flight!

And no one coming to the defence of Dr. Neuroplasticity. #thrownUnderTheBus

[BrianS]

@Elf - you are defending the undefendable. Many people, including me, curse. I just got back from a buddy golf trip (45-55 yr olds) where just about every other word was a 4 letter word it seemed. But there is a time and place - you don't go into a restaurant for example and curse when ordering your food. It is rude. The waiter/waitress would be fired if they cursed at you. I also guarantee you that when my group of 40-something buds go back to their family and especially to their workplaces, the language changes dramatically for the better. Tiger is at work, and he is in public, and he is famous. He needs to act it. Again, all of these guys get an occasional pass, but Tiger's language is a disgrace to himself mostly. My final point - someday, he will look back at this and be embarrassed, as well he should be.

[Pat Burke]

mark Wiebe ATTA BOY he's one of us

Tiger in a semi private. Rude, classless Yup right on cue

[Elf]

Look here's the deal, if you want more unvarnished access, you're going to find a lot of these guys act like you do on the golf course (curse, throw/snap clubs, make jokes etc). It'll sound somewhat like inside the nfl, which btw has all of those things. If you continue to consider those things to be indicative of terrible unsportsmanlike people, than you're never going to get the sort of inside the nfl stuff from golfers, bc they're to concerned about what will happen to their image. Your choice. And btw I def curse at work (granted it's generally at the computer).

[iSwear]

BrianS

Can I say fuck on a blog?

[digsouth]

@#%*- not if you're me, it seems.

What the @?

[Smitty]

In general, society has become too coarse. And way too sensitive. After hearing every possible insult hurled at human beings in basic training, I have developed a thick skin with general amnesia to boot. I think we should try to behave our best, and deal with those who don't, IMO. Just don't spit in the golf hole, and I can deal with the rest . . .

[BrianS]

@Elf - I would say "Here's the deal" - you guys want these tourneys to pay a million to the winner?, you want to have the lowest guy on the money list to make over $600k per year ? " This is what is required: No cursing on the course or at least in listening range of spectators or TV cameras. No smoking or spitting or whatever you want to say. PGA Tour Golf and golf in general goes after a vastly different demo than NFL football. - How many banks or CPA/Consulting firms sponsor D-Tackles and invite them to Corporate outings where they are trying to win customers ? Happens every week in Golf. Its not that hard, especially when you are talking about a handful of guys that actually cross those lines today anyway, just based on their own innate class and standards for behavior when in public. Basically, they have already done this, but Tiger has flouted the conventional standards because they have allowed him to, and he could care less what anyone, including the public, thinks about him.

[elf]

@BrianS it seriously amuses me that you think Tiger is even remotely the only guy out there who crosses the lines that you have in place. And by the way yes corporate/cpa firms have nfl players at corporate gatherings, absolutely. I live in Boston, you don't think corporations use Brady? or Welker, or Bruschi? But you are consistently missing my larger point:

There are lots of things that people do differently, that we were raised to see as uncouth, or things that shouldn't be done etc, but those things are different for all of us. Just because someone doesn't see cursing (or spitting, or smoking etc) the same way you do, doesn't mean they aren't classy. It also doesn't mean that you get to impose your standards on others. We all get way to worked up over things that have no real impact. Classy not classy etc has much more to do with how you treat others.

[BrianS]

Elf -exactly (re:Classy), and Tiger's on course behavior, which exhibits a tremendous lack of respect for the audience, his sponsors, TV viewers, ect are indicative of "how he treats others" and is a reflex ion of his "class". You think that 12 year old boy that stood on a tee box for 2 hours waiting for Tiger to come through is being treated well by getting an f bomb and a club toss when Tiger hooks another drive into the trees ?

[elf]

@BrianS I give you, you seem determined to make this about Tiger. I think that the 12 yo boy is getting what he paid for, which is an athlete competing to win, same as at any other sporting event. That 12 yo boy didn't get hurt by the f-bomb (although don't throw clubs into crowds).

I want players to be more open, I want to hear more stuff like this, if a player is frustrated I want to know it, and I don't want players so concerned about keeping their image in line with your morality that they refuse to do it.

[Press Agent]

You guys taking exception to what BrianS is saying are making me scratch my head.
I am a curser. I curse way too much, and I know it. It's embarrassing sometimes and I'm trying to control it.
Having said that, there are definitely times I do not curse - period. When at work, in meetings, professional situations, presentations, etc. etc. Also, if I am playing golf with someone who clearly is not a curser, and perhaps isn't comfortable with cursing, I will try to not curse when I'm speaking to them. Clearly Rory is not a person who curses like that, and frankly Tiger should clue in and stop dropping the f-bomb constantly in their conversations - it's common courtesy. You shouldn't try to drag everyone down to your low level of constant cursing, you should try to raise yourself up to a person who doesn't need to curse constantly in normal conversation. At least that's how I look at my own life.

[digsouth]

I agree totally with Press Agent. I have an oil field background and I curse, a lot of time just for effect, but I have respect for the situation and the people I am in/with.

I wear a lot of hats, as we say in sales. Adapting to an environment is simple courtesy, and survival.

[Styles]

Any chance of a transcript Geoff?

[Lagunastar]

I think that Tiger has toned it down.Most people don't have a microphone in their face while at work.I don't think he talks that way while addressing kids in a golf clinic.He is usually well spoken and articulate in his responses to the media.He is scrutinized like very few in the game of golf have ever been.

I grant you that some day he may look back and wish that he had been more discreet.In the meantime it's pretty cool to watch as he plays this game at such a high level and one can only hope that he continues to evolve as another person walking this earth.