Tiger Accident Reporting: Who Goofed, I've Got To Know!

Okay here's what we know: 

Tiger has a minor accident at 2:25 a.m. EST and is transported to the hospital soon thereafter.

AP sends out a breaking news alert via text noting serious injuries and charges pending around 2:30 p.m. EST, a full 12 hours after the accident.

Here's the headline on their first story and text:

Tiger Woods injured in car accident outside his Fla. home; highway patrol says charges pending

And the story itself:

Turns out, the report is seriously flawed and Tiger has a cut or cuts, no bruises and was released shortly after treatment.

GolfDigest.com noted the time elapse between accident and news:

The accident happened at 2:25 a.m., though the FHP did not release the accident report until nearly 12 hours later.

Unfortunately, the first and more serious report goes out on wires, text messages and is even scene in Times Square, reports a reader.

Now, when I get such an alert from AP I expect it to be a fairly conservative approach to the reporting, particularly that many hours after the accident. They clearly based their story on the accident report and with little on-site reporting and no comment from authorities or Tiger's company.

It would be easy to blame AP for jumping the gun, but here we are at 5:15 EST and only now do we have a posting on his website that was also seen on CNN:

From Health Central Hospital and Tiger's Woods' office:

Tiger Woods was in a minor car accident outside his home last night.

He was admitted, treated and released today in good condition.

We appreciate very much everyone's thoughts and well wishes.

So was this "scare" and minor story gone awry a product of...

A) jump-the-gun reporting by AP?

B) a slow and unorganized response from Team Tiger?

C) the holiday with top reporters and Team Tiger members simply vacationing and unable to respond more quickly and efficiently?

Either way, a strange series of events. 

Bubble Bursts At Disney, PGATour.com Not There To Cover It?

There was much kvetching about the lack of Orlando Sentinel coverage for the Children's Miracle Network event at Disney World, but the real story was in PGATour.com's odd choice not to send someone to the final tour event of the year. Instead they posted AP game stories and a live blog, yet that wasn't enough when there are so many intriguing storylines like finalization of the top 125 and determination of tour cards for the following year.  Inevitably great storylines develop and the web becomes a prime source for family, friends, acquaintances and former pro-am partners to see how their horses are doing.

It's also disconcerting to see such coverage when the event is played in the same state as tour headquarters and where the sponsor is propping up a long time event popular with players.

Thankfully, we got compelling accounts of the final day's play and money list scenarios from Steve Elling (here), Bob Harig (here) and Sean Martin (here).

I know, those three probably did the job better than PGATour.com would when their writers file in fear of little men with a red pen scribbling away edgier details. But with media consolidation the tour's own site often becomes a primary source of news. How can they be trusted when they aren't even giving an important event serious coverage? (Not to mention the decision not to post a story about Doug Barron's lawsuit).

Most of all, what does the lack of coverage say about the home office's view of the Fall Finish and the event at Disney?

T&L Golf Back In Digital Form

Thanks to several readers who forwarded this...

"Did you ask him why Condé Nast was shuttering Gourmet while keeping afloat some 18 other magazines, including Bon Appétit and such giants of intellectual life as Golf World and Golf Digest?"

That's a New York Times Magazine interview question from documented windbag and documented finagler Deborah Solomon, who was asking Ruth Reichl about the closing of her cooking magazine. 

Did you ask him why Condé Nast was shuttering Gourmet while keeping afloat some 18 other magazines, including Bon Appétit and such giants of intellectual life as Golf World and Golf Digest?

I was so stunned, I basically just listened.

Barack Obama walks into the doctor's office and Gourmet, Golf Digest and The New York Times Magazine are sitting on the table. I think I know which one he's picking up.

"Guess who's got fewer manners than a fifth-grader?"

From Gary Van Sickle's post-Presidents Cup wrap up:

The inconsiderate media moment of the week came during the International team's post-loss press conference when a nationally known columnist seated in the second row took a cell phone call while an International player was answering a question. Guess who's got fewer manners than a fifth-grader?