The State of Tiger Woods

It's time for a check in on my take on the state of Tiger Woods. When he first came up, I enjoyed watching him knock off one big-name player after another; DLIII, Els, Singh. It was like he was showing that professional golf had become just another realm of well-funded complacency. TW's reordering of the possible was compelling. I didn't care if he beat Jack's record. Records are made to be broken. As long as he simply set the bar high and identified the pretenders, I was happy to watch the show.

But, when he really became a brand I started to sour. My feelings were nothing more than a manifest disinclination away from the anointed and the corporately established. It's not just Woods...I have hard time warming up to players like Rickie Fowler once their self-brand building grows beyond my comfort level. That's why I love guys like Mark Wilson. Ping player, sure, but just a regular guy playing golf for a buck.

I am amused when some speak of the boring sea of PGA khaki that is cured by the brightly colored hues of the Woods and Fowlers of the tour. Well, golf is a pretty dull game for most people and the idea of watching it on TV about as compelling as waiting in line at the DMV. My father (who played golf from the 1930s until his death in 2009) always marveled that people would watch golf on TV. For him, golf was a game to be played, not watched. But, I digress...

What really earned my ire was Earl Woods' contention that Tiger Woods would transcend golf. Tiger Woods father went so far as to say, "Tiger will do more than any other man in history to change the course of humanity." I could see how he could, but didn't think he would. I read an interview with Martha Burk wherein she contended that Nike was all ready with a series of commercials calling Augusta to task over their failure to admit women. All Woods had to do was join the fight and show up at the studio.

Not Woods...too controversial. Might take attention away from golf; bad for business, for sure. I grant he had no duty to go along. Heck, he may not even have believed in the cause, but in the end it was a chance to lead but one he declined. It was easy for him to pay homage to Charlie Sifford since the controversy surrounding race and the PGA Tour was settled before TW was born. No one's going to be looking for Woods to lead at anything these days except making money and winning trophies.

Let's see if he can still do that.