Let’s Not Send Tiger Off Into the Sunset Just Yet

The winds of change are blowing but one man can restore order to the PGA Tour by himself.

There has been no shortage of “changing of the guard” and “youth movement” talk this week, thanks to two stunning performances on Sunday. Ryo Ishikawa made headlines with his closing round of 58 in Japan, followed by Rory McIlroy holding off a star-studded field with a 62 at Quail Hollow. Separately, they’re two impressive showings. Put them together and you’ve got yourself a “trend!” And we in the media love nothing more than a trend. If you really want to take it to the next level, add the fact Phil Mickelson can take over the top spot in the world rankings and it all adds up to a PGA in flux.

Can we all take a deep breath please?

For the first three months of the season, I belabored the point that with Tiger Woods on the mend, it was time for some new golfers, new personalities to step into the fold. Phil was flat. Rory had an ailing back. Villegas was so-so. Perry started thinking the Champions Tour was more his speed. Hell, the biggest story from the first quarter of the year was Fred Couples dominating the 50-plus set.

But let me bring us all back to Earth before Tiger does it for us. We’ve seen this before. We’ve seen Anthony Kim pack together a few great months. We’ve seen Villegas storm onto the scene. We’ve seen Phil standing on the 72nd hole of a major, about to become the best player in the game, regardless of what the rankings might have said. And yet every time, Tiger Woods rose to the challenge and recaptured our attention, reminding us why he’s the best athlete this generation has known.

Now, with all that said, there’s a new sense of vulnerability that’s replaced the aura around Woods. It began at the 2009 PGA, when Tiger coughed up a final-round lead for the first time. Now his bitter rival Mickelson has won three of the last four events they’ve both entered and was runner up in the fourth. Add in the monumental collapse of that privacy bubble that exposed his personal life like never before. Now, the digs, the hits, keep coming. Jesper Parnevik says Tiger’s not welcome in his home. A quarter of PGA pros polled by Sports Illustrated said they think Tiger used performance enhancing drugs. This week a set of Woods’ irons showed up on eBay for $250,000, claiming to be the Titleists he used during the Tiger Slam. You think an industry equipment rep would have dared to pull such a move last summer? I don’t. Both on and off the course, Tiger was invincible. That’s gone – for now.

Like so many things in the media, there’s a snowball effect. Following Tiger’s 79, anyone waiting to jump on the “Tiger’s done” bandwagon got their opening. Questions abound over the status of Tiger’s relationship with coach Hank Haney. One TV pundit asked how Haney could take the best driver in the game, and turn him into one of the worst. It was widely reported Woods hit five balls into the water during a practice round. Professional pot stirrer Johnny Miller compared Tiger’s woes with the driver to “David Duval syndrome.” Whoa, can we hang on a minute?

This is still the guy who came out of exile and sex rehab and tied for fourth at the Masters. The same experts heralded his ability to stay focused in Augusta. Now, he needs a new coach, a new swing, a new caddie. Heck, add in a new wife, and a new dog while we’re at it.

This week is a perfect storm. Tiger plays his worst tournament as a pro. Two kids play the kind of golf on Sunday once reserved for Tiger Woods. Phil Mickelson inches closer to the top spot in the rankings. As interesting as things have gotten, as many times as I’ve gone on record saying I’ve got no use for Tiger Woods as a golf fan, I want to see his challengers overtake him the way Y.E. Yang did. Face to face, shot for shot. Not on paper while he’s off fixing his life, and certainly not while he’s posting scores that make me feel better about my own game.

Tiger might have become a superstar virtually overnight, but he won’t hand it over that easily. And that’s the way it should be.

In a “He Said-He Said” Tiger Wins, Right?
I mentioned the golf clubs posted for sale on eBay this week, reportedly by former Titleist tour rep Steve Mata, who claims they were the irons Woods played during the Tiger Slam. He was asking $250,000 for them, quite a price, and definitely enough to get Tiger’s attention. When asked about the clubs, Woods denied he played them during that historic run, leading to the auction being pulled. Mata (who’s been out of work for 18 months) maintains he’s telling the truth, and certainly has enough details and the credentials to be taken seriously.

I realized how far Tiger’s credibility has fallen, however, when I found myself believing a relatively anonymous eBay seller more than Woods. Who knows if they’re authentic or not. But in typical Tiger form, he saw a guy step into his arena and chopped his legs out, simply because he could.

An Odd Definition of Sportsmanship
Golfweek and others hailed a collegiate golfer this week for good sportsmanship, but I can’t get on board the happy train.

The story, in a nutshell: Grant Whybark and Seth Doran are tied at the end of their conference tournament. The winner advances to the national tournament, as well as anyone on the winning team. Whybark’s team has locked up the title, so he intentionally drives it OB on the first playoff hole. Says he was already going to nationals thanks to the team victory, and wanted Doran, a senior from another college, to get to go also.

Call it sportsmanship all you want, but how awful must it feel to be Doran? He birdied that first playoff hole, but he can’t feel fulfilled. What’s the point of competing if someone’s going to hand it to you in the end? By throwing the game, Whybark robbed Doran of the chance to say he won fair and square. And that’s the opposite of sportsmanship in my mind.