CADDIE'S ROLE:Tiger Woods is not super-human after all, as his on course feats may have suggested, writes COLIN BYRNE
SO TIGER finally surfaced some months after he disappeared into a hole somewhere in America with his exposure to the real world of mega-stardom in December last year. Your morality really does matter when you are the best golfer in the world. It matters even more when you have given the bare minimum to the media throughout your 14 years of world golf dominance. Nobody got close to Tiger in the media. Traditionally some members of the press will have gained a player’s confidence and guaranteed a unique access to top golfers. This never happened with Woods.
In fact the recent missive from the veteran and much respected reporter Dan Jenkins would suggest some of America’s writers have washed their hands of the “Chosen One”.
When he had a chance, he showed little respect for those who wrote or spoke about him. Now he is down it would appear they have lost respect for him.
There is an unwritten code with the people who have been the link between superstars and the public that they at least throw the media a few bones with which to feed the hungry public. Tiger always gave a totally unanimated and heartless interview. Probably the complete opposite of our own Pádraig Harrington, who has always paid particular attention to appeasing the press. To him it was very important. To Tiger it was something he had to do and his reluctance and dismissive attitude was patently obvious.
All professional golfers got a reprieve after the US Open in 2008 when Tiger had his knee re-constructed. Most would have felt like they had been given yet another chance to take advantage of competing in the top events with Tiger’s recent travails. Of course his recent personal misdemeanours have meant opportunity for the rest, but everyone in the golf world has got to get concerned when Tiger is not prowling the fairways indefinitely. There is a fine balance between his absence and his presence. One of the reasons they were competing for €6 million last week is because of Woods.
Last Friday’s statement from Jacksonville was a bit like the re-opening of the New York Stock Exchange after the 9/11 disaster. What will the market make of the initial statement from the most important person in the game of golf? He has said he will be back; a bullish statement. But he tempered the positive with news of further treatment for his “addiction”, a bearish comment.
His contrition seemed genuine, the performance was carefully rehearsed, but nothing has really changed; his media appearance was as closely controlled as it has been in the past. We know he plans to come back to play golf (no surprise). We know he is extremely sorry for what he has done (naturally) and more surprisingly, that character and decency are what really counts. How bereft are we in our daily lives of decency if we have to look to sports people for moral guidance.
Last week’s mild outburst of candid opinion from the competitors in the Accenture World Matchplay in Tuscon, Arizona in relation to Tiger’s proposed statement from the sanctuary of The Players Club in Ponte Vedra, Jacksonville, was refreshing. Ernie Els was probably the most vociferous against Tiger’s timing for his out coming last Friday as the Accenture event was hotting up. Indeed Ernie was criticised a few years back for suggesting honestly that international golf was largely determined by how much appearance money sponsors were willing to pay the better players for attending their event. I welcome such candid opinions, especially from players as influential as Els.
In many ways this is a large part of the gripe that many within the game have with Tiger. The only time we got close to understanding him was when he was crushing another competitor with almost super-human golfing feats, he never explained anything about what made him the unique golfer he is. He has been reminded that private separation from the outside world is made virtually impossible because of the lack of intimacy in his public presentation.
We have finally seen a very human side to Tiger Woods. He is not super-human after all, as his on course feats may have suggested. He is open to the weaknesses that most men are exposed to in life, although superstars are incessantly teased by such feminine temptation. Have a look at the antics at the Phoenix event this week.
Tiger has finally done the right thing with his public apology. I hope he starts playing again soon. I hope his relationship with his family moves in the best direction for all concerned, even though it is none of my business. I want to simply watch Tiger play golf again – he is an inspiration to observe at work.
The control freak nature of players’ handlers is off-putting, such is the dangerous influence they wield over their talented stars. It seems like this recent event could have been dealt with better than it has been. A manager who had some empathy with the foot soldiers of the sports media over the past decade, people who wanted to find out just a little more about the phenomenon that still is Tiger Woods, would not have found himself in such a hostile position as he has done in recent months.
He is still a legend. We need him. He doesn’t need my forgiveness, he just needs to start playing golf again. I never had any aspirations for him other than as a golfing genius. Unfortunately we all demand a genius in one discipline to be so in all aspects of life. As Tiger has shown this is not always possible.
Tiger will retire one day and maybe then he will reveal more about himself as Nick Faldo has done through his commentary. Until then we will have to content ourselves with his expression though his golf clubs sooner, I hope, rather than later.
