Dear Tiger,
First off, let me start by saying congratulations on a fantastic 2013 PGA Tour season. Five wins including the Players Championship and two World Golf Championships is one heck of a season. Yes, you may have missed out on adding a major which I am sure was a little disappointing, but you put yourself in position. That means a win at a major is certainly on the horizon.
I know that the season ended on a bit of sour note with that blowhard Brandel Chamblee essentially calling you a cheater for a few rules issues. His article was terrible, and didn’t make much sense. He compares your season to himself cheating on a test. His teacher caught him and gave him a F. The only way that analogy makes any sense is if you had won a tournament because of these rules issues. Yes, you won the Players, but not because of any drop. At the other places you didn’t win anyway, so I am having trouble making the connection. Suffice to say, the article was bad.
You may wonder why I am writing you. I am writing to ask that you not push Golf Channel to fire Brandel Chamblee. Yes, Brandel made a mistake. One could argue a pretty big one. He did however apologize. I know you may not like how the apology came out, but we should not judge how a person apologizes because we cannot know what is in their heart. I think without question Brandel knows he screwed up, and he apologized. Everyone messes up now and then, and everyone needs some forgiveness from time to time. I think you can understand this.
The real reason I am asking you to forgive and forget may be a bit selfish on my side. I think that Brandel is good for Golf Channel and good for golf. Yes, at times he is tough on you. He can be controversial and even make the occasional stupid comment on air. In my opinion, to be on the cutting edge is important for us folks who watch Golf Channel regularly. Consider Brandel’s wing man Frank Nobilo. I think Frank is great, knowledgeable, concise, and insightful. Just about everything you want in a talking head. His missing ingredient? He is what my father would call “milk toast.” Almost too friendly and not controversial enough to make the telecast interesting. Often when Kelly Tilghman asks for predictions, he hems and haws and only when forced relents and shares an answer. He rarely if ever criticizes anybody. Brandel is willing to take chances and be wrong. As golf fans we like this.
You may or may not agree with me that you have enough power to fire someone like Brandel. That you are only making a “recommendation” but I think that underestimates your place in the game. You are the king of golf right now without a real equal. There is no balance of power, you hold all the cards. Golf Channel doesn’t necessarily need you to do interviews, because to be frank you never give a decent one anyway, but it cannot afford to be in a fight with you. Only we golf fans will suffer if there is a long drawn out fight between you and Golf Channel. Both Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer have a great relationship with Golf Channel and it is very good for golf and for them. You need to consider when you are past your prime how golf will remember you, Golf Channel will have a hand in how you are perceived in the future.
So I am begging you to forgive Brandel. Come out publicly and say you accept his apology and have decided it best to move on from the situation. You clearly have done no wrong in this situation and it is Brandel who will need to rebuild his image from the comments. Everyone who follows golf knows you are not a cheater when it comes to golf and astute golf fans such as me know that you know the rules of golf quite well. These were blips on an otherwise complete clear golf rules resume, so Brandel is the one who will need to rebuild his reputation with us.
In considering this, I also think that forgiving Brandel may make his comments about you friendlier. He will know that you saw what he said and you were the bigger man. He will likely take it easier on you in the future and not keep saying that you should have never left Butch Harmon. On side topic he is wrong about this, but that is for we golf viewers to decide after watching him give his opinion.
Thanks for reading and good luck in 2014.
Photo credits: © Michael Madrid.
First, Brandel’s analogy only makes sense if he was labeling Tiger’s actions as cheating. It doesn’t matter that Tiger did not win where the incidents took place.
Second, you’re “begging” Tiger? Seriously? You might “ask,” but begging is a bit over the top, just like Chamblee’s comments.
This is retarded. Brandell Chamblee is not good for golf. He is terrible. I have always hated watching him. I know what’s in his heart, and that is he is a jerk. He only half apologized because people called him out on being a jerk. He has been taking shots at Tiger for years constantly kicking him when he is down. This time he went to far and needs to get kicked back. Also, Tiger will never be past his prime…he may not win golf tournaments any more but he will always be Tiger Woods in a echelon above even Nicklaus and Palmer; think Jordan, Ali. To think Golf Channel has any influence on his legacy is beyond ridiculous. Brandies analysis of golf is always negative. Johnny miller can have a sarcastic tone but Brandle is just mean spirited. And no that is not good for golf
What a sycophantic piece of nonsense. Tiger will be thrilled and flattered to know that you, an “astute golf fan” think that he knows the rules of golf “quite well”.
Golf and the Golf Channel would be much better off without Brandel. Not sure why you’d waste your time or Tiger’s trying to save BC’s job.
@Mr. Desmond I could substitute ask instead of begging, but not sure it would do much to the letter.
@Rip24 I disagree. I feel that Brandel does as many positive pieces on Tiger as he does negative, but the negative ones seem to stick out in your mind more. His job is to be critical and he does that. I do agree that he goes too far attacking Sean Foley’s work with Tiger, and I think he is wrong about that, doesn’t mean I don’t mind hearing his opinion.
@Shorty – sycophantic – “behaving or done in an obsequious way in order to gain advantage.” What am I doing to gain an advantage? I am not sure I understand your point.
@Shorty – sycophantic – “behaving or done in an obsequious way in order to gain advantage.” What am I doing to gain an advantage? I am not sure I understand your point.
You’re being obsequious.
You’re sucking up to Tiger Woods for some reason.
It’s embarrassing.
I am sure that Tiger will give this every consideration that it deserves. I.e., none.
Maybe if Brandel made an actual apology.
Nah.
#1 Chamblee did not apologize (at least not anywhere that I’ve seen). if he actually makes an apology, then maybe Tiger can accept it or not.
#2 lastly, why give Chamblee the time of day at all?
Journalism, especially delivered live on TV, is always a combination of reporting and judging. Getting at the truth is a consequence of the struggle to perceive and then to relate. Chamblee does as good a job as any, even when he is proved wrong.
Finally, I wonder if Tiger Woods really gives a rat’s ass about this. He has worse critics in a position to damn him much more harshly.
what a piece of journalism, the very last thing golf needs is to have writers stroking & wearing knee pads to tiger woods.
fool
@oudefart – My point regarding the apology is we don’t get to judge whether or not someone’s apology is “good enough” when someone apologizes. It is what it is. When Tiger “apologized” to his family and his fans in his televised apology I did not think his apology was sincere, but I accept that he did apologize and so I will move on.
“Golf is a gentleman’s game and I’m not proud of this debate. I want to apologize to Tiger for this incited discourse,” Chamblee said
I’ll say it again, I can’t find anywhere that Chamblee apologized to Tiger. Saying you’re sorry for starting a discussion is NOT the same thing at all. Calling someone out for being a cheater (or implying it) is directly assailing their character. If the public and press did not interpret Chamblee’s column as doing so, this wouldn’t be a story. It got the golf world talking and again, saying you’re sorry you started the talk is not the same thing as saying, “Tiger, I’m sorry I insinuated or called you a cheater.” Lastly (I’m purposely being literal here, saying), “I want to apologize …” is NOT the same as saying, “I’m sorry.” “I want to apologize …”. Well, that’s great, you want to, but are you going to?
Agree that Brandel is good for golf commentary–we don’t need everyone just nodding quietly and applauding all of the time. That’s why Johnny Miller is good (though he has more credibility than Brandel as a player) and Feherty is good (though he’s more interesting than Brandel).
I disagree that Tiger didn’t turn an A+ into an F as a result of his “rules issues.” Tiger would definitely have won the Masters if not for hitting the flagstick, and would likely have won it if he’d been allowed to keep 6 on the card. Not saying his misplaced drop was cheating, but if he had “gotten away with it” he probably would have won that tournament.
I think having Chamblee around to stir the pot is better than not having him around.
I only wish he was more aware of his opinions and writing, and its effect on others. IOW, I wish he’d take his ego down a couple of notches.
Tiger did cheat under the rules of golf…at the Masters, The Masters Rules Committee also cheated, ruling in the middle of the night..and without Tigers knowledge…CRAZY… he knew what was going on. He signed an incorrect scorecard…period. MONEY CORRUPTS EVERYTHING THAT PRODUCES MONEY…TROPHY’S.. SOME OFTHE EUROPEAN GOLFERS KNOW TIGER CHEATED
Chamblee is a well rounded observer of Competion Golf, having won on the PGA tour…He dosent roll over for Tiger like the High Priced Observers do…PGA IS A POWERFUL MONEY MAKING UNION YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO CRITIZE ITS GOLDEN MEMBERS…BUT TIGER COULD SLEEP AROUND WITH LAP DANCERS AND NOT A WORD…ALL IS MONEY HONOR..DO AS I SAY NOT AS I DO!