Golf Comment: Fallen idol Tiger's latest failure

14 February, 2011

Email: sportonline@rte.ie
Twitter: www.twitter.com/gregallenrte / @gregallenrte

by Greg Allen

It is a year to the week since Tiger Woods apologised for his 'irresponsible and selfish behaviour' in a TV broadcast which followed a three-month absence from public life brought about by revelations of his many infidelities.

So to mark the anniversary week with a fine for spitting, and the consequent public disgust, is untimely to say the least.

Last February’s 19th, he put on a sackcloth and ashes performance that was just about the only significant occasion Woods has apologised for anything in his professional career. And infidelities apart, he has a fair amount of apologising to do.

His use of foul language within earshot of galleries which include children, are many in number and even drew a severe rebuke from Tom Watson.

Tom Watson: does Woods have 'stature' of greats?

Tom Watson Watson intoned damningly in Dubai last year: 'I feel that he (Tiger) has not carried the same stature that the other great players that have come along like Jack (Nicklaus), Arnold (Palmer), Byron Nelson, the Hogans, in the sense that there was foul language and club-throwing on the course.'

Watson went on to say that Woods needed to clean up his act and show respect for the game. Tiger clearly didn't listen to his fellow Stanford University alumni.

Many of the incidents of Woods chucking clubs have been clearly caught on television and there were two occasions in particular, at the Deutsche Bank Open in September 2009 and at the Australian Masters two months later, that serve as prime examples.

At the Deutsche Bank he threw the club into a swamp in front of the tee after a poor drive but at least there were no spectators in the line of his anger.

That wasn't the case in Australia though, where he bounced his driver off the hard ground and into the crowd. There was no apology by Woods to the spectator who caught the club and there was no gesture of thanks, no signed golf ball, for the return of the driver.

Sunday's spitting incident in Dubai - another cringeful, not to mention gross moment, of inconsiderate behaviour by Woods, marked another low in his questionable interpretation of golf's etiquette. After leaving a lengthy approach putt four feet short of the 12th hole, he walked up to the ball to mark it, crouched down, turned to his right and spat a sizeable globule onto the pristine putting surface a few feet away.

He then stood up and looked at the putt from several angles. As he walked around the hole, he made a half-hearted attempt to wipe the offending spittle off the tightly cut grass, with the head of his putter. He then holed the putt, walked briskly off the green leaving most of the mess behind.

Although Woods was a factor in Dubai for most of the four days, he really only played well in the 66 he shot on Friday. As the wind got up over the weekend, his ball striking was shockingly inaccurate at times and only his extraordinary powers of recovery kept him in the approximate territory of par until he finished with an ugly double–bogey seven on the 18th.

New generation and Woods' fading aura

Rory McIlroy: Tiger is 'just one of the guys' Contrast his surly demeanour with that of the sunny-side-up winner, Alvaro Quiros, the long-hitting charismatic Spaniard with the quick smile and even quicker swing and there is cause for believing that Woods, with his diminishing aura and creaking game, might just be heading into the domain of being 'just one of the guys' as Rory McIlroy described him last week.

'I don’t really feel there’s any sort of special presence about him,' McIlroy said of the 14 time major winner.

What seems to have happened since Woods won the US Open on one good leg at Torrey Pines in June 2008, is that physical injury and public disgrace over his well documented affairs, have simply taken their toll on both his game and his humour.

Hs appearance at, or near, the top of the leaderboard just doesn' scare any of his fellow pros any more. We saw it at the Masters last April, at the US Open at Pebble Beach, at Chevron Challenge in December where Graeme McDowell came from four strokes behind entering the final round to win in a play-off and to some extent, we saw the same thing in Dubai as he slumped to a final round 75.

And the more in happens, the harder it is going to get for Woods to think he holds an intimidating edge over anyone in world golf, let alone the new generation, led by the likes of Kaymer, McIlroy, Ishikawa and Manessero who are, at best, just about respectful.

But then we have to remember that as recently as last May, no less a figure than the greatest majors player of all time, Jack Nicklaus, predicted that Woods would surpass the record of 18 major championship successes 'in the next couple of years'.

However, that was before Woods failed to win majors over two of his favourite courses, Pebble Beach and St Andrews.

Will Tiger continue to appeal to young fans?

Tiger Woods, Dermont Desmond and a young fan at the JP McManus Pro-Am last year Even if Tiger effects the desired turnaround in his golf game and begins to play like a No 1 again, the broad fanbase he once had will be substantially reduced as many of golf’s younger fans have little desire to emulate his surly, spitting, club-throwing, demeanour.

He might get away with that if his golf was a thing to admire, but it isn't at the moment.

Woods appears to be really struggling with the substantial changes he has undergone with new coach Sean Foley. While at times the results look good enough, there is an absence of flow or rhythm about his game and he looks ever more tired talking about the swing adjustments which he repeatedly calls a 'process'.

In Dubai, he was fulfilling the last year of an expensive contract worth 3 million dollars to him, more than the total prizemoney for the event.

That appearance fee tag looks ridiculous now, given both the circumstances of Dubai's collapse as an economic driver of the Middle East not to mention the ignominy of being fined for one instance of a disgusting habit, which he has perpetrated many times on American soil, without receiving rebuke.

Update: Woods released this via Twitter on Monday evening:

@Tigerwoods: 'The Euro Tour is right – it was inconsiderate to spit like that and I know better. Just wasn't thinking and want to say I’m sorry.'

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Comments:

Great article on Tiger.

You are dead right in everything you say.

He seems to slam his club into the ground and shout after every second shot he plays these days and its all picked up on camera and sound.

As far as I am aware he has never been fined or rebuked for any of these outbursts on the PGA tour.

Dare I say if a 'lesser' tour member was up to such antics on such a regular basis, the tour officials would be far more likely to sanction or at least have words with such a player.

In my opinion, Tiger was untouchable in the eyes of the PGA tour and officials for too many years. Granted he has increased the profile and money attaching to the Tour and the game of golf in general by an immeasurable amount but at what price?

As Kenny Dalglish was at pains to point out when Fernando Torres moved from Liverpool to Chelsea – no player is bigger than the club.

So it should be that no player should be bigger than the Tour – which has not been the case for the past 10 years or so.

Bryan

I’ve just been thinking about Tiger Woods and the spitting incident. I think that it is disgraceful. Tiger has no respect for the game that made him or for his fellow competitors. When the likes of Tom Watson criticize Tiger he should take note.

It looks to me like he is completely lost even his fist pumping looks contrived and forced. Is there a clause in his appearance money contract that he must fist pump x amount of many times each round......

I think that Tiger needs another break, he is obviously not enjoying the game and I think he needs to have a good look at himself and fall in love with golf again – no pun intended.

I really enjoy your articles.

Thanks,
Henry

Another great article on the once untouchable Tiger Woods.

Tiger talked optimistically to Tim Barter about the lulls he went through whilst working initially with Butch and with Hank and its understandable he is going through the same with Sean Foley. However I see the two major differences as follows;

1: His putting. This has nothing to do with Sean Foley. He used to be the greatest putter in the world inside 8 feet. You could literally have your house on him. Not any more.

2: His demeanour and aura. As you point out he is not invincible and losing against G Mac from four in front was something that could never have happened in the olden days. The other players are not afraid of him any more.

These are both mental frailties, and I am beginning to think that he will never recover from the last 15 months of his life. Yeah, he might win another major or two but he will struggle to beat Jack's major record of 18- and he will never dominate WGC events/ Fed Ex Cup/ World Rankings/ Majors etc like he once did.

I was never a Tiger fan… but I must admit I think I would like to have seen him beat Jack's records. I grew up with him (I am 33) and he played in my life time. I don't remember Jack in his prime, and whilst he was obviously special, I never saw him in his heyday.

On another note, I am worried about Pádraig Harrington. He is not in the zone and seems fragile and dare I say it, weaker. In 2008, he was ruthless, he was a bully. Mentally, he was like Tiger was – not afraid and intimidated by no one. I hope I am wrong but he now seems to be making constant excuses, he disappeared in Pebble Beach and is as capable of shooting 75 as a 65.

I also worry slightly about Rory McIlroy and his ability to seal the deal. He is young though, and will continue to learn all the time.

Finally - I think all the golfers should quit twitter. They seem preoccupied with it and all who are on it- have been hacking lately or have bottled it. Give it up lads.

Keep up the good work,

Brendan

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ABOUT: Like any golf fan who meets up with his or her weekly fourball, I love a good debate about the wonderful game of golf. I will be writing an occasional column offering opinions and perspectives based so a fair degree degree on my experiences covering the four majors as well as other significant events on the world calendar through the year.

Greg Allen But at the heart of this column, is a desire to extend the debate to anyone who wants to participate. So whether you're longing to see Padraig Harrington climb back up the rankings, or think Graeme McDowell will be more than a one year wonder or that Rory McIlroy is the second coming, or that Tiger Woods will reclaim the world No 1 spot or whatever, let me know.