When you come to think of it that is the secret of most of the great holes all over the world. They all have some kind of a twist. C.B. MACDONALD
Tod Leonard, because he wasn't busy enough covering the Buick Invitational, breaks the news.
Ladies and Gentleman of the press, begin your countdown to Tiger's return stories. Oh wait, too late for that.
It's a boy, Michael Walker reports.
Uh oh, and I didn't write that. Worse, it's Jim McCabe (I think he might have some Irish blood) who dared to question the Rory hype and compares Tiger's record at the same age. Advantage Tiger.
It sounds to me like Tiger Woods heard some of the grumbling about his inaugural festivities appearance, and more than makes up for it with some nice comments in his latest website post:
President Obama recently asked me to speak at the inauguration opening ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. It was such an honor to be invited and be a part of history and to speak about something that means so much to me, our men and women in the military. He was very busy, so we didn't get to talk much. I didn't want to get in his way. I did ask him if he wanted to play golf and he said, 'I'd love to.' So we'll make it happen. I think the thing that impressed me the most about him was the way he carries himself. He has great leadership qualities, and his accomplishment truly embodies what's best about America. He represents what we as Americans have in common, not perceived differences.
I know it's a press release, but I have a hunch more people will watch the Super Bowl, or for that matter, the World Series of Poker, than Tiger's first round play at Doral. Some nice corporatespeak here for those of you tracking at home:
COMCAST PROGRAMMING GROUP LAUNCHES NEW SPORTS SALES DIVISION
TO EXPAND ADVERTISING AND SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES FOR GOLF CHANNEL AND VERSUS
Comcast Sports Sales to Leverage Networks' New Programming and Live Event Coverage
NEW YORK, Jan. 28, 2009 - Comcast Programming Group launched today the Comcast Sports Sales group to combine the strengths and assets of the GOLF CHANNEL and VERSUS sales teams. The new unit will focus on growing and diversifying sponsorship platforms for the networks and create new opportunities for ownership positions across multiple sports. Comcast Network Advertising Sales President David T. Cassaro will lead the new division.
"The creation of the Comcast Sports Sales unit provides many new opportunities for clients who seek a highly engaged sports audience," said Cassaro. "By bringing together the GOLF CHANNEL and VERSUS sales teams, we are offering the best possible marketing solutions for our advertisers and look forward to building on the networks' ongoing growth and success."
GOLF CHANNEL, currently in 82 million U.S. homes, continues early momentum from a record-setting 2008. Ratings for the first quarter were the highest in the network's history. Trends for tournament coverage outperformed all other networks. And, GOLF CHANNEL garnered its first-ever Emmy Award.
2009 tees off on GOLF CHANNEL with the most anticipated event in all of sports - the return of Tiger Woods. Only in the third year of an exclusive and unprecedented, 15-year agreement with the PGA TOUR, GOLF CHANNEL this year will offer a slate of programming that includes more than 100 tournaments across the world's major tours, incomparable news coverage, groundbreaking documentaries and an entertaining lineup of original shows, like "The Haney Project," featuring Charles Barkley, "Golf in America" and "Big Break."
Offering advertisers one of the best value propositions in television, the network's viewer profile - male, affluent, and hard-to-reach - coupled with the ability to deliver customized, integrated platforms provides partners maximum effectiveness for their advertising dollar. GOLF CHANNEL provides the perfect destination for receptive viewers to pursue their passion.
Mike Freeman at CBSSports.com makes some solid points but ultimately goes a little far in blasting Tiger Woods' political appearance Sunday when he compares Tiger to Don King.
His words of support for the military were fine -- I'm ex-Army and appreciate that -- but he still said little of substance.
I'd have more respect for Woods if he stuck to his noncommittal persona and turned down the offer. It's true. I would.
Woods' meek appearance had the smell of bandwagon jumping. Too late, Tiger. Some of us know what you're doing, which is being overtly opportunistic.
Woods saw which way the wind was blowing and decided to jump on the Cablanasian train.
The Commish was asked about Tiger's appearance Wednesday:
Q. What do you think about Tiger's being at the Inauguration?
TIM FINCHEM: First of all, I thought it was terrific and I'm delighted that they spent some time together afterwards. And I think that it's just another indication of the persona of Tiger Woods transcending the game of golf and meaning so much more to a lot of people.
I used to say before the Inauguration Day he was the most recognizable guy on the planet, I am not so sure I would say that any more with Obama being President. But certainly the most recognized athlete.
And then to have the opportunity with that audience to reaffirm what he, part of his recognizing the people in uniform, I thought that was a special part of his message. So I was very pleased with the game and happy for him.
I don't know about you, but it sure seemed odd to be at an inaugural event and to not have said a single word about the reason for the event (initials B.O.). Here's the text of Tiger's introductory speech for the U.S. Naval Glee Club.
In the January 26th Golf World, Bill Fields writes in The Bunker's lead item:
When it was announced that Tiger Woods would participate in last Sunday's "We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial," the implications quickly were fodder for speculation. Someone at the website geoffshackelford.com wondered if this meant that Woods was a Democrat. "I would say," a poster named "Al P" responded, "this means Tiger is an American."
Indeed, it would be quite a stretch to assume Woods' two-minute speaking role--during which, citing his late father Earl's Army career, he paid non-partisan tribute to the men and women (and their families) who serve in the U.S. military before introducing the Naval Academy Glee Club--is a harbinger that Woods soon will be trading in victory speeches for stump speeches.
From his website:
It was announced today that Tiger Woods has accepted an invitation to speak at the live presentation of We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial Opening Celebration for the 56th Presidential Inaugural, to be presented live by HBO on SUNDAY, JAN. 18 at 2:30 p.m.(ET)/11:30 a.m. (PT).
"I am honored that I was invited to this historic event, and look forward to participating in Sunday's festivities," Woods said.
** Jason Sobel notes the magnitude of this (symbolic) move by Tiger, who to this point has not lived up to the expectations created by Earl Woods...at least politically.
I won't link any of the guilty scribes because they are doing their job (the few left). But please, Tiger, return ASAP and make them stop!
Anthony Kim, on Tiger's return just before the start of play at Kapalua:
Q. What are you expecting out of him when he gets back?
ANTHONY KIM: I guess the same guy. He's obviously played very well.
It's like I said at the clinic. I'm not a huge golf fan, so I don't know all the stats. I thought he -- I really thought he had won about eight majors, and he told me he won 14 (laughter). I didn't know that.
Steve DiMeglio considers the state of Tiger's game upon his return and shares this from Mark O'Meara:
Mark O'Meara has seen Woods hitting golf balls on the Isleworth range. He liked what he saw.
"I'm not always right, but a lot of times I seem to be right about him, and he'll come back better than he has ever been," he said. "You're going to see some pretty phenomenal things from Tiger Woods the next three years."
The next three years? Does Mark know something we don't?
Meanwhile, The Tiger Return Watch has begun. Jason Sobel picks apart the tournament schedule and lands on Doral, while Alex Miceli likes the match play.
Because as The Guardian's Dan Roebuck reports, these prices look "short"...
Despite Woods' absence from the fairways as he recovers from surgery following his incredible win at Torrey Pines in June, the world No1 still heads the betting for the two 2009 majors the layers have priced. Woods is 5-2 (Sky Bet) for the Masters and 3-1 (Hill's and Totesport) to win the Open . Even for a man that has so often defied the odds those prices look short.
Woods will not make a competitive return until the spring – Sportingbet offer 9-4 he will next tee up in the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March, two weeks before the Masters. He may, of course, not make the line-up at Augusta which means Phil Mickelson would almost certainly take over at the top of the market.
Lefty, who has won twice and rewarded each-way backers six times in eight years, is 10-1 generally. If Woods, who is 13-8 (Sky Bet) to lose his top spot in the world rankings in 2009, looks out of touch on his return, Mickelson's price will go only one way – so the advice is to back him now.
I think I'll take a rain check on that.
Don't miss HookedOnGolf's Stevie-Phil make up photos.
I spent much of Wednesday asking players at Sherwood about grooves. Why, when the rule doesn't take effect until 2010?
I felt it would be interesting to hear what kind of adjustments players are making going into this year, if any. And you would think it's a topic that players have started to pay attention to now that the rule change is looming.
Naturally, my naivety is once again exposed. Most of these supposed hi-tech savvy dudes have no idea what kind of grooves are in their irons or wedges, and if they do, have given little thought to how the rule change might impact their game.
Stephen Ames was one exeception. He has already switched out his irons and wedges at the same time he went to a softer ball and sees some difference. He has had a few flyers and noticed the biggest difference in reduced ball spin on a windy day. He said he's lost maybe 5 yards off the tee because he now plays with "the softest ball possible," which I presume to be the Nike ball that Tiger uses. Asked why he already made the change in his bag instead waiting until the end of the year, he just shrugged his shoulders and said why not?
I asked Tiger Woods in his press conference and found his answer (and enthusiam on the topic) both exciting and disheartening.
Exciting:
Q. In 2010 the USGA is changing the rule for grooves. Is that going to affect what's in your bag now or how you play golf courses in the coming years?
TIGER WOODS: Yeah, it'll affect what's in my bag. I can't have my two sand wedges the way I have them now.
But as far as -- I play the spinniest ball on TOUR, so for me, my transition will be a little bit easier than the rest of the guys, guys who play a harder golf ball. They're going to have to maybe a little bit more of an adjustment, whether they do it with loft. Some guys are experimenting with 64-degree wedges to try to help them out that way so they can hit fuller shots with more spin, or guys just might be making -- actually more mental adjustments in their course management skills, going for greens, because you know you actually can't get the ball to spin like you used to so it puts more of a premium on putting the ball in the fairway. With the wedges you can't blast it out there on the par-5s and expect an easy up-and-down. You've got to miss it on the proper side more than ever. But it'll be very interesting to see what happens, how guys make that adjustment.
So the USGA and R&A should be pleased to see that Tiger thinks hitting fairways will take on importance.
The disheartening part? I think he has a lot more to say on the matter, and a natural follow up on the news of a high-lofted wedge study would probably elicit a fascinating answer as well. But with his appearances limited and minimal accessibility, we'll have to wait a while.
I'm going to spare you the answers (except to the Stevie question) and just list the questions to Tiger's dull press gathering Wednesday. Granted, it was 42 and raining outside and inside the cart barn were way too many TV types who have to introduce themselves and their affiliations before launching into a bland question. But as you will see, it was definitely not the media's finest moment (and I include myself, though I did have burn my question on something for a story I'm working on...excuses, excuses).
Q. You talked about being right on schedule. Do you have any preliminary idea of what that schedule might be?
Q. Considering the seriousness of the injury, how difficult has this rehabilitation process been for you?
Q. You hadn't expected to be able to hit shots until January, so the fact that you're hitting some shots now, are you a little bit further ahead --
Q. I've got to ask you about Stevie. Can you talk about any further reaction to it?
TIGER WOODS: Yeah, what ended up happening is I communicated with Phil, and we have discussed it. I talked to Stevie about it, and he feels bad, what happened. At this point it happened at all, and it's something that none of us really wanted to have happen, but it's over and done with and we put it to bed.
Bill Plaschke of the L.A. Times asked, and no one followed up about the conversation with Phil. In fact, I'm going to go so far as to predict Tiger wanted to be asked more because today's session has not put the matter to rest. It will come up ad nauseum next time that a Tiger-Phil pairing lurks. Yes, the matter will come up anyway, but without some key questions asked and answered, the story will not die.
Besides, why ask those when you can ask this as a follow up...
Q. Welcome home. Did you not talk to the weather man before you came here?
Q. I was going to ask you about that. How strange is it to host the event but actually not play in it this year?Q. You talked about having time with your daughter, and at the same time how difficult the rehab and the injury has been. In your time away from PGA events, did you gain a different perspective or view of the game that you could only get watching it?
Q. In the time you've had off, how much time have you spent thinking about or working on course design? Obviously you've had more time to do that than you would have were you playing. And in terms of the projects you've got going, do you have more on the table right now, and do you also envision coming up with any public access courses, as well?
Q. You said you haven't hit full shots with your entire bag yet. Could you talk about when did you hit your first full shot and how many have you hit?
Q. Do you have any pain or stiffness or scar tissue?
Q. I know retirement talk would be a long way off, but did this layoff make you feel like you enjoyed it so much that you could retire earlier?
Q. Is it your intention to try to play a couple events before the Masters, and if so, what kind of criteria are you going to need to get to to make that decision?
Q. If it came to that, would you make the Masters (indiscernible)?
Q. What have they told you about how you may or may not have to change your swing or how you attack the ball to prevent this from happening again, and how much is there a concern that the repetition that you have to do time and time and time again to practice and play and the stress you put on it that this is just going to be a recurring issue?
Q. I heard you're doing a lot of swimming. I was wondering if you could talk about that as a form of rehab maybe being different for you. Also you look leaner than at the Open. What are you down to and what are you trying to accomplish there?
Q. Is swimming a new thing for you?
Q. Having effectively defied doctors' orders to compete at Torrey Pines, would you describe yourself as an obedient but frustrated patient over the last six months?
Q. During your absence there was a search to see who would step forward, and there was a lot of focus at the end of the year on Anthony and Camilo and a little bit of Sergio. I wonder if you could just talk about that and if you're expecting that to be a challenge, given their age and whatnot?
Q. Did you vote for Paddy?
Q. Why?
Q. Is that all it comes down to?
Q. Do you think at the high frequency that you've been winning over the last several years, do you think your absence may have emboldened these guys by allowing them maybe more chances to win?
Q. Other athletes coming back from what you've had talk about fear, whether it's fear of not being the same, whether it's fear that the leg, they're going to feel it with the swing or a hit or a run. Can you talk about fear?
Q. You mentioned in the early weeks after the surgery that you were laid up in bed and couldn't move the leg. Can you talk about what that time was like, how you filled the days?Q. Because of the pain, the excruciating pain that you had down at Torrey Pines, the length of the tournament, the difficult shots that you had to make, where do you rank that victory among all the rest that you have?
Q. Have you watched tape of The Open much maybe during your rehab or when you were laid up? And also, at any point did you marvel at what you were able to accomplish? Have you thought back and wondered how you actually did that?
Q. Are you aware of when you first injured your knee? And then looking back at the Open, you said you've seen some of the highlights. Are you more amazed now that you actually pulled it off?
Q. Long-term?
Q. The actual competition, how much have you missed that, and has that tempted you at all to want to come back sooner than maybe you should?
Q. If you can give us a little behind-the-curtain view, post-round each day how difficult was it going back to the hotel and trying to prepare for the next day? And were there doubts in your mind going forward each day about whether you would be able to do it?
Q. Having said that, you looked more comfortable on Monday than on Saturday and Sunday. Why was that?
Q. Two questions: As a member of the PGA TOUR you were eligible for drug testing even though you weren't playing. Did the TOUR ever come to your house?
Q. Were you expecting them at all?
Q. Secondly, there's been so much speculation since June about so many surgeries that you'll never be the same. Is there any doubt or any question that you'll be better than you were before?
Q. Are you preparing yourself emotionally if things don't go well the first couple of tournaments, if it's slower than you think?
Q. I was wondering about your thoughts on the economy and how that's going to impact the TOUR in the next few years and even your events, as well. Have you felt it at all?
Q. In 2010 the USGA is changing the rule for grooves. Is that going to affect what's in your bag now or how you play golf courses in the coming years?
** I love Jim McCabe's no-nonsense approach, but this point just doesn't match with how things played out:
One can only hope, since it's a lot of blather about nothing, but don't be surprised if Woods is wrong on that count, too. We've discovered over the last couple of days that a lot of people direct far too much anger at inconsequential matters, even within the usually genteel world of professional golf. Williams's disdain for Mickelson came through loud and clear, and that's disappointing. Equally alarming is the anger that apparently is harbored by many golf writers toward Williams (he's a caddie, folks, not the show) and on both fronts there seem to be people who need to assess things and question whether their emotions are worth it.
If the writers were really angry, there would have been many more questions and it would have been more than just Lawrence Donegan pursuing the story. Most of the press sat this one out until Phil Mickelson issued a statement. Hardly seems like an angry over-reaction by folks just waiting to get back at a lowly looper.
Geoff Shackelford is a Senior Writer for Golfweek magazine, a weekly contributor to Golf Channel's Morning
Copyright © 2022, Geoff Shackelford. All rights reserved.
