Woods To Make Wednesday Announcement

Craig Dolch reports that it sounds like he'll be having more surgery.

Tiger's Press Conference From Torrey

I broke down the golf course portion Tiger's sitdown with the scribes for GolfDigest.com, but there were a few other highlights worth noting, starting with this from Rich Lerner:

Q. A question about your website, what's the benefit to you in terms of being able to control the information that flows from your camp and control the message a little bit as opposed to the rest of us speculating?

TIGER WOODS: Well, it's a way for me to basically say exactly what's on my mind. I can say it to a few of you guys, but not all of you.

Ouch.

And this on the winning score possibilities:

Q. I don't think anyone's expecting anybody to go to 19-under par here. What would you imagine you'd have to shoot to win this tournament this week or anyone would have to shoot?

TIGER WOODS: Well, 18 would be good, then. (Laughter).

Q. What would you guess they might shoot?

TIGER WOODS: Oh, might? We've been trying to figure that out the last few days. As Loren asked about the uncertainty of the set up, we don't know. How many days are they going to play it up on 13? How many days are they going to play it up on 14? Same on 3. Are they going to keep us all the way to the back on 6. We just don't know.

If they play it all the way up, I'm sure it will be under par, without any doubt. If they play it all the way back and move some of the pins around, like on 16, get the left tee box and left pins, well then it makes it a whole lot harder.

It's really hard to answer because I don't know how they're going to play it. If they play it up all days then you'll say under par, for sure. Play it back every day, then you'll probably say over par. But since it's a mixture you don't know what it's going to be.

And it's a little bit frustrating as a player, because you always have an idea what the score is going to be going into the event. But this year it's a little bit different.

"If Woods isn't quite the same at Torrey Pines, it will show."

Jaime Diaz chimes in on Tiger's knee situation with some interesting thoughts.

There's no indication Woods' injury is in the same gift-robbing category of knee victims such as Mickey Mantle, Bobby Orr, Gale Sayers or Elgin Baylor. Still, it could alter his ability to play in a dominating style. For all his mental abilities, it was Woods' clear physical superiority that stood out when he won the 1997 Masters. And while it has been presumed that a decade later that gap had been narrowed as players such as Bubba Watson and J.B. Holmes drive it past him, it turns out Woods still plays with the highest clubhead speed -- 124 miles per hour -- of any player on the PGA Tour. If he didn't choose to play a high-spinning ball and launch his drives on a relatively low trajectory, he would probably still be the game's longest hitter.

But if the after effects of his repaired knee were to cause Woods to lose, say, five mph in clubhead speed, it would blunt some of his edge. It would be subtle, but perhaps he would no longer be able call up enough power to reach the longest par 5, or muscle up from the rough, or hit a sky-high long iron to a pin that no one else can get near, or drive a par 4. Power -- correctly applied -- is a major "separator" when the challenge is extreme length, extreme rough and extreme firmness, as it will be at next week's U.S. Open. If Woods isn't quite the same at Torrey Pines, it will show.

The supreme champions, however, tend to rise to physical challenges. Vardon won two British Opens after a long bout with tuberculosis. Hogan lost much of his amazing athleticism after his car accident but found a way to win six majors in the three years after his return. Even Jack Nicklaus, the most untouched by fate among the greats prior to Woods, had a troublesome hip problem as early as 1963 and sacrificed some of his power after losing weight in 1970. The best years of his career were the succeeding five.

"Whatever I lost, I made accommodations for," Nicklaus said at the Memorial. "If Tiger has to, I'm sure he will make accommodations. My guess is he won't have to."

Tiger: I'm Gimpy And I Know I Can Still Beat These Lugs

Okay, he didn't say that but as Steve Elling reports, he reveals he's yet to play 18 holes since knee surgery. And doesn't sound too worried about it.

"Hopefully, I'll be close to 100 percent," he said. "If not, no big deal. I've won tournaments like that before."

"The time she is going to spend with her child and her family, I don't ever see her ever wanting to come back to the game of golf in that capacity."

A couple of highlights from Tiger's press conference to promote the AT&T National at Congressional.

On Torrey Pines No. 14 possibly moving up as a drivable par-4:

Q. As far as Torrey Pines goes, one of the finishing holes and one of the longer par 4s was a drivable par 4?

TIGER WOODS: I heard the same thing. On 14?

Q. Wonder what your thoughts were on the USGA kind of taking that strategy? Thinking you like the short drivable par 4s. (Indiscernible).

TIGER WOODS: I thought that was very strange as well because they lengthened 14 quite a bit the last three designs. It's been -- generally I've played (indiscernible). It's been a 3-wood and a 7-iron to a 9-iron. But I should have it drivable. Never would have foreseen the USGA doing that.

But then again, that hole, if you landed the ball on the green, you know it will be a little back. I don't know if they made -- if they will keep that as a hazard or whether that's just the unplayable-wise or whatever it may be. I don't know what they are going to do with that.

When I get there -- obviously when you get there, you check it out in the practice rounds and figure out a game plan.

Q. (Indiscernible).

TIGER WOODS: Very surprising. Very surprising. I am glad they took one of our par 5s away, so I guess I don't feel guilty.

And does Tiger know something about Annika that we don't?

Q. What was your reaction when you heard Annika, that she would retire at the end of the season? And have you spoken with her since then? And, if so, what have you spoken about?

TIGER WOODS: I knew that was going to happen. She's done it all. She's been through it all. For men and women, it is two totally different things. Who knows, she might come back or not. I doubt it. I don't see Annika ever doing anything half-ass. The time she is going to spend with her child and her family, I don't ever see her ever wanting to come back to the game of golf in that capacity. What it takes to do that, I don't foresee her doing it. We talked quite a bit after that.

I just -- I'm very happy for her. She sounds happy, very at peace with what she's done and what she's said.

"When Tiger Met Chevron..."

Thanks to reader Tony for this Nation piece by Dave Zirin on the possible conflicts with the Tiger Woods Foundation signing up Chevron for five years as sponsor of the December event at Sherwood.

"Chevron has a track record and a commitment to bettering the communities where they operate," Woods said in a press release on April 3. And Chevron's executive vice president chimed in, "Chevron, Tiger and the Tiger Woods Foundation share similar values...as well as a deep commitment to make a difference in local communities."

They have certainly "made a difference in local communities," but it's nothing they should be bragging about, and certainly nothing with which Woods should want his name attached. Chevron is in full partnership with the Burmese military regime on the Yadana gas pipeline project, the single greatest source of revenue for the military, estimated at nearly $1 billion in 2007, nearly half of all the country's revenue. These are the same people who are blocking international aid workers from assisting the victims of Cyclone Nargis. The death toll has been estimated at 78,000, but this number can explode as disease spreads and help isn't allowed through the military lines. Even the US State Department has called the actions of the government "appalling."

Ka Hsaw Wa, co-founder and executive director of EarthRights International, wrote in an open letter to Woods, "I myself have spoken to victims of forced labor, rape, and torture on Chevron's pipeline--if you heard what they said to me, you too would understand how their tragic stories stand in stark contrast to Chevron's rhetoric about helping communities." ERI's request to meet with Woods or someone from the foundation has been met with silence

But while the Burmese junta's crimes are localized in Southeast Asia, Chevron is global. Lawsuits have been issued against Chevron's toxic waste dumping in Alaska, Canada, Angola, California. Then there's the matter of 18 billion gallons of toxic waste the company has been accused of dumping in the Amazon.

In a US District Court in San Francisco, the case of Bowoto v. Chevron, Nigerian plaintiffs have accused Chevron of actually arming and outfitting Nigerian oil security forces to shoot and kill protesters. Judge Susan Illston has refused to dismiss the case because, as Democracy Now! recently reported, "evidence show[s] direct links to Chevron officials."

I wonder if the combination of animosity toward oil companies combined with the deterioraring situation in Burma, and Laura Bush taking it on as a virutal crusade, will send this story onto mainstream media coverage radars at some point?

Tiger Skipping Memorial: A Break For The USGA?

With four straight Buick Invitational wins at Torrey Pines and six overall, Tiger Woods is even more of a U.S. Open favorite than normal. Mike Davis, the USGA's Director of Rules and Competitions, has joked that if Tiger does not win the Open at Torrey, the USGA would be blamed.

But with it now official that he will play no warm up event, has Tiger taken some pressure off of the USGA setup to produce him as a winner? Or is this simply the most inane question ever posed on this blog? 

Hey, it's Friday and I have to get back to the Laker game. 

"Because he's the first golfer who's jacked, and has the balls to show it off."

Men's Fitness names Tiger Woods the fittest man in America and the reasons, apparently penned by frat pledges.

Because he made us care about a sport we didn't think was, well, a sport.
Because he raised the bar and made pro golfers care about winning again.
Because he made himself better, even while he was clearly the best.
Because he's walking history.
Because even the icons say he's the best.
Because he loves the gym.
Because he's the first golfer we've ever thought of as an athlete.
Because he has a bangin' hot wife.
Because he has all the toys.
Because he's making all the money.
Because he's the first golfer who's jacked, and has the balls to show it off.
Because, quite simply, he kicks everybody's ass, and could probably have done it in any sport.
Because when the shot matters most, he just sticks it.
Because he gets even better when challenged.
Because he embodies the best in all of our cultures.
Because we love the fist pump. (Did we say he has a bangin' wife?)
Because we can't stop watching him.
Because he is the bar.
For all these reasons, we recognize Tiger Woods as the 2008 Fittest Guy in America.

"When Tiger Stays Home, So Do The Fans"

Steve Elling addresses what was painfully obvious Thursday, but much less so during Friday's telecast of The Players.

Because demand has fallen so quickly, the walkup room rate is far lower than the price many of us had reserved six months earlier. By checking back in later today, the rate will be $50 cheaper per night. Hotels are slashing rates, a sure sign that supply exceeds demand.

Tournaments that have never had Woods in the field haven't felt the impact of his absence in such stark and contrasting terms, because they don't truly know what they have been missing. The merchants in tiny, tony Ponte Vedra Beach, a sliver of a town located on a barrier island outside Jacksonville, now fully understand his financial importance.

Concrete evidence that attendance is lacking is tougher to come by. The tour does not release an actual turnstile count. A St. Johns County sheriff deputy said Friday that the number of cars in the off-site parking lot is actually greater than last year, but sensed that there were fewer people in attendance. Yet, on the course, even if the gallery figures have remained equal to past years, the vibe, minus Woods, predictably hasn't.

You can always feel the difference with your ears. Now the locals are feeling it in their wallets. It begs the question: If you paid a steep $75 for a single-day ticket and Woods couldn't play, would you still make the trip?

The body count in other quarters has signaled a resounding no. The numbers for national media in attendance speak for themselves. None of the papers from Los Angeles or Chicago are covering the so-called fifth major. Even the Miami Herald, located just six hours down Interstate 95, took a pass, as did St. Petersburg, the state's biggest newspaper. Sports strongholds like Charlotte, Dallas, Houston and Philadelphia also took a pass. Amazingly, San Diego, set to host a U.S. Open in a month, isn't here either.

"Tigris Woods Golf and Country Club"

Though April Fool's Day was last month, apparently the Pentagon is a bit slow when it comes recognizing important holidays. Or, as Michael Howard reports in The Guardian, this is truly disturbing:

A $5bn (£2.5bn) tourism and development scheme for the Green Zone being hatched by the Pentagon and an international investment consortium would give the heavily fortified area on the banks of the Tigris a "dream" makeover that will become a magnet for Iraqis, tourists, business people and investors. About half of the area is now occupied by coalition forces, the US state department or private foreign companies.

The US military released the first tentative artists' impression yesterday. An army source said the barbed wire, concrete blast barriers and checkpoints that currently disfigure the 5 sq mile area would be replaced by shopping malls, hotels, elegant apartment blocks and leisure parks. "This is at the end of the day an Iraqi-owned area and we will give it back to them with added value," said the source, who requested anonymity.

Yep, that value is what they are looking for these days in Baghdad. They have MBA's running around the Pentagno now!

According to several stories, military planners have apparently dubbed the golf course portion of the development, "Tigris Woods Golf and Country Club."

I'm sure Tiger, with his family ties to the military and respect for the service of our troops, will find that to be really, really cute. 

Tiger Ratings Impact, Vol. 391

Thomas Bonk, in his online Los Angeles Times column:

If there was any doubt about how much Woods influences ratings, check out the weekend's overnight ratings from the Wachovia on CBS.

Saturday's overnight metered market rating was a 1.4 -- down 42% from the 2.4 rating in 2007 when Woods was in contention. And Sunday's overnight metered market rating was a 1.8 -- down 53% from the 3.8 last year when Woods wound up winning.

Woods is out of action because of knee surgery. In the meantime, CBS is crossing its fingers that he returns in three weeks at the Memorial, which is on the network's broadcast schedule.

Tiger Still On Schedule To Miss Fifth Of Four Majors

Mark Soltau reports that Tiger hasn't ruled out an appearance at the Memorial.

And speaking of the fifth of four majors, I didn't even to launch the annual fifth major watch before Dave Shedloski had to go and file the gem of all fifth major stories, with Tiger asking: "Is the fifth major my fifth major?" Hit the link to find out his answer. I know you're anxious to find out.

What Would Tiger's Handicap Be?

Reader Chema passed along this computation of Tiger's handicap by the folks at the Golf Association of Philadelphia.

"Listen to the commentators? No, never."

From Larry Stewart in today's L.A. Times Morning Briefing:

Fox Sports Radio's Steve Czaban last week asked Woods: "Do you TiVo tournaments you're in, then go back and look at them afterward, maybe take notes, notice something, listen to what the announcers are saying?"

Said Woods: "I usually have my secretary get a copy of the telecasts from the PGA Tour and I'll take a look at it just from the swing standpoint, yeah."

Czaban: "Just the swing, though. You really won't sit down and . . . "

Woods: "Listen to the commentators? No, never."

"I hear the club might be making some changes next year to give us a break."

Thanks to reader Chris for noting Tiger Woods' newsletter comments where he reiterates what he said to a D.C. radio station about his belief that Augusta National will be undoing some of the course changes:

The course was very difficult. I didn't hear as many roars as I usually hear, especially on the weekend. It did play like a U.S. Open course, which is fine. But I think the galleries are used to seeing birdies and eagles. On Sunday, the way the wind was blowing, it was tough to make pars. I hear the club might be making some changes next year to give us a break. We'll see what happens.