Rumors began circulating over the weekend that Tiger Woods was going to make a major announcement Monday morning on the Golf Channel. Several media outlets, excluding the one involved in the rumor, had picked the story up, and speculated that it may be concerning Tiger taking a break from golf for the rest of the year, or indefinitely. Woods' agent, Mark Steinberg, confirmed that the rumors were not true; however, this incident shows that Tiger Woods is still golf's crown prince. If it did come to pass that Tiger Woods took a break from the PGA, I, for one, would not watch a major golf championship for the rest of this year, or maybe longer.
Here's are five reasons why:
The PGA made this Frankenstein
A young, good looking golfing phenom is the scenario executives with the PGA dreamed of for years. In 1996, Tiger Woods turned pro and gave the suits at the PGA exactly what they were looking for. Golf's popularity soared among coveted demographics it previously could not reach, and the tour did everything in its power to exacerbate Tiger's super stardom. They did not intend on a player becoming bigger than the game, which is exactly what happened. I will play golf regardless of what the PGA does, but Tiger Woods setting records and making great shots is why I started watching pro golf, and without him it's just not the same spectator sport.
The next generation isn't quite ready
While Rory McIlroy's recent U.S. Open win was a stunning performance and did much to lend major credibility to his imminent rise to the upper echelons of the sport, he hasn't proved that he's the next Tiger Woods. The similarities are striking, but it's obvious that the best golf is made up of a consistently dominant player exhibiting greatness at all outings. Dumbing down the competition is never an option, and until McIlroy starts posting negative double-digit scores in all his outings, he isn't quite ready for the crown. We will get to see Rory again at the 2011 Open Championship on July 14.
The PGA is jumping the shark
The collective bargaining agreements in the NFL and NBA have expired, and failures in contract negotiations have effectively made all sports news bad news. This is the perfect opportunity for golf to take some of the spotlight with an incredible story arc that showcases the world's highest paid athlete's redemption or possible downfall. If the PGA fails to capitalize on the perfect storm scenario of Tiger's struggles, up-and-coming talent and a brightened spotlight, I would have to say they've effectively ended their run at making an otherwise dull spectator sport invigorating, and possibly passed up one of the greatest opportunities for a true life Rocky Balboa story.
I tend to follow the story
While golf majors are usually pretty good sports headlines, if Tiger is not there the headline is his absence. Coverage that should be devoted to the players on the course is shifted to reports regarding Woods, and it cheapens the whole scenario of a major golf championship. It doesn't help being constantly reminded that the player who you wanted to track through the course of the tournament is not there.
It's natural to seek closure
Tiger Woods' rise and fall plays out like a masterfully crafted drama. Since I was among the group of sports fans who followed his path to the top, I shamefully also kept track of the ensuing train wreck as mistresses came out of the woodwork all over, and Tiger ran his Escalade into a light pole. While the fiasco hurt his sponsorship viability, I believe he had put much of it behind him. His performance recently has showed some marked improvement, even though it seems like he has excused his poor performance with injuries and the like.
While watching Mike Tyson become obsolete later in his career was a terrible experience, I'm not sure that Tiger's lagging performance would be such a bad thing. Golf needs to pass the torch eventually, and we all need closure on the Tiger Woods chapter. The sooner we get it, the better for all parties involved. I think I would still like to see another resurgence from the greatest golfer of all time, but only if it happens quickly. A vulnerable Tiger Woods winning multiple majors in 2012 could be the greatest sports redemption story of all time, and everyone likes to see star athletes exit at the top.
Adam has been an avid golfer and golf spectator since competing on his high school golf team.
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