Tiger Woods
Paul in Cannon Beach
4,703 Posts
I know almost no one on this forum watches golf but I don't care. It needs to be said.
Tiger Woods is the soap. The US Open at Torrey Pines makes all other sporting championships look like Bridge night at the community center.
Tiger Woods is the soap. The US Open at Torrey Pines makes all other sporting championships look like Bridge night at the community center.
Comments
I know that watching golf isnt everyone's cup of tea but when Tiger is playing its not really the same thing. He is the best player to ever live. I didnt watch a golf tournament over the weekend, I watched history being made.
Tony, I taped the US Open playoff on Monday and carefully avoided all media (and golf buddies) until I could get home and watch the back nine.
The great thing about golf is its just so pure. No referees, judges, or umpires who can sway the outcome of the game. You either hit the ball in the hole or you don't. No debate.
I am an occasional golfer and I do enjoy watching it on TV. In fact in my opinion, golf is the best sport to watch while taking a nap! You can doze off for an hour or so and pick right up on the action; action being a relative term. And when Tiger's not in the tournament you can extend the nap time!
I personally do not find anything interesting about golf or NASCAR. My mother loves to watch golf on TV and my husband watches NASCAR everytime there is a race on. I just don't get the excitement about watching cars go round and round. I guess to each his own.
Tiger has some kind of glow around him at all times and it's not because the picture on my TV is bad. Talk about a person with presence...
He is arrogant, standoffish and rude. He has no patience for his admirers and treats them badly especially when asked for an autograph. The people that work at the tournaments are treated even worse.
Paulie, do I need to explain everything to you? My post merely meant that golf puts me to sleep. The time you spent watching was wasted, not mine. I was doing something positive and constructive.
Still, the guy has charisma.
Overall, for a guy that has so much pressure and hype surrounding him, he has done amazingly well. He has avoided scandal and been gracious to others when they have made unfortunate statements about him (ex. the "lynching" comment made by a female golf sportscaster).
Professional atheletes at the upper echelons of their sports generally are arrogant. It comes with the territory. You have to have supreme confidence in your abilities. That's what makes people like Byron Nelson and Arnold Palmer so special. They were the best of the best but they also were able to remain very grounded and caring to others.
I dont judge Tiger's personality because I just dont know what its like to walk in his shoes. But he is truly a phenomenon and his achievements and the mastery he has achieved (through both sheer talent and incredible hard work) is commendable.
Golf, like other professional sports, are ultimately entertainment and nobody is quite as electrifying (in any sport) as Tiger Woods.
The stories that are told by the people that work the tournament in Phoenix when he deemed to play our course are consistent.
So I'm going to remain skeptical of your pals who are involved. Perhaps they got their feelings hurt when Tiger didnt acknowledge their presence and show his gratitude for their "volunteer" work.
He was probably distracted by the crowd hitting beach balls in the gallery...
My experience is the same. I was lucky enough to have clubhouse passes on Sunday at the Master's this year. I was able to access the area where the players were hanging out. Tiger walked right by me didn't even look at me. I said good luck and went about my business. He was focused on the first tee.
We have a facility in Orlando, FL, very close to where Tiger lives. One of our employees saw him at Perkin's Restaurant. Of course he had a huge entourage. A family was vacation from Japan and went up to him for an autograph. He asked if they had a pen and of course they didn't. He waited for them to get one and signed his autograph.
The only other experience I can relate is second hand from another friend. Tiger is building his 1st golf course about 30 miles from my house. It's in what is called thte Cliff's Communites. You join and you can play several different golf courses. I have a very good friend that is the head golf pro at one of the courses. He, his wife and child went to the press conference to announce the new course. Tiger was very gracious to everyone that attended- both kids and adults. He signed autographs and talked with everyone that wanted to talk.
Are you freakin kidding me? That must have been amazing. I have never been to the Masters but I know there are a few HERO posters from that area that go regularly.
I saw Tiger in 98 at the PGA Championship in Sahalee. I followed him for a few holes and happened to be in the tree-lined area where he hit one of his shots. So I sat by the ball and ended up just a few feet from him as he contemplated how to hit a rescue shot.
98 was the year he re-grooved his swing and so he wasn't at the top of his game. Vijay Singh went on to win the tournament and become a major player in golf.
I agree with your "work" comment. Not only is Tiger at work, he is working with thousands of people watching his every move. Its no suprise he has to be totally focused.
I'm not a sports enthusiast, but how can you not appreciate a master at work. I feel the same way when i watch old films of Muhammed Ali boxing, Gayle Sayers running or more recently, Apollo Ono on short track. Wow, to be able to do what they do just once!
The Colonel
The Colonel