Tiger Woods Drama More Fun When He’s Struggling

Has the eighth ranked golfer in the world ever been this big a deal? Because no matter how badly Tiger Woods struggles, the embattled superstar continues to gobble up nearly every ounce of golf attention. Few weeks offered as much evidence as this one, with fans and detractors hopping on Woods’ relationship with his coach, his fellow competitors and even his equipment.

Chalk it up to the layoff and the fact that Woods has been off the scene for a while, but there was no lack of drama surrounding the great one when he arrived at TPC Sawgrass for this week’s Players Championship. The most glaring storyline was borne out of Bubba Watson’s recent comment.

“I’ll just go ahead and say it. I think Tiger is going the wrong way,” said Watson.

As you’d expect, Tiger wasn’t happy when the media questioned him about it in his pre-tournament media session. Asked for his reaction to Watson’s comments, Tiger said abruptly, “That was interesting.” Prodded for more, a reporter asked if they’d had a chance to talk. “Not yet,” he said in typically non-expansive fashion. Finally, a more pointed question, do you have an issue with it? “We’ll talk.”

So the Tiger Woods soap opera rolls on, and as has become the norm, Woods’ teacher stepped up to defend his pupil.

“He has the right to his own opinion,” Sean Foley told an Irish radio host, “but you probably shouldn’t make comments about a guy who has won 69 more times than you and you are virtually the same age. You know what I mean?”

Wow Sean, tough talk from a guy who is currently 0-for the trophy case with Woods and has become the most ridiculed golf coach in memory. Give him credit for coming to his boss’ aid, but can he sound any more thin-skinned, any more sensitive? Because everyone knows, he’s not getting Tiger’s back, he’s snapping back after being burnt himself.

“I wouldn’t say angry,” he said when asked how he felt about Watson speaking his mind. “I would just say, bud, you won three times the last 10 months, I am really pleased for you. You have worked hard and I think it is a great thing that you are playing so well. But why do you feel the need that you have to get the attention? What’s the use in making that comment? Let the guy do what he’s doing and you do what you’re doing and it will be fine. There is absolutely zero need for him to make that comment. But you know, Bubba loves the camera anyway so, I mean, whatever.”

So, like most pseudo intellectuals, Foley must think he’s pulled one over on us. His coaching gets indicted by one of golf’s rising stars, so he strikes back by attacking his attacker. But he didn’t use his own credentials (does he have any?), he hid behind his boss’s resume as his own defense. Sounds like circular logic at its best.

That soap opera played out in front of the public. The online rumor mill spun wildly as reports surfaced that Foley was actually on the outs and Woods would be dumping his coach of less than a year sometime soon. Without any details, the simple suggestion sent the masses into a tizzy, with Woods fans rabidly ripping the speculation as baseless and the anti-Woods regime coming up with a laundry list of reasons he’d ditch Foley. They include: Foley’s too outspoken and Tiger hates his team making too many headlines (see: Fluff); The swing Foley’s teaching Woods is only further damaging his already balky knee; The recent split of Foley and Tiger pal Sean O’Hair could be a sign there’s more than meets the eye; Foley has no clue what it is he’s doing, stole his teachings from the Stack and Tilt guys, and is in way way way over his head.

You can see how quickly these things gain steam, when Tiger Woods is involved.

What else got people riled up this week? Changing shafts in his driver got the gearheads foaming at the mouth. It’s unclear if these are the same guys who considered Tiger’s switch from his old reliable Scotty Cameron putter over to Nike’s Method to be the most monumental equipment change since gutta percha fell by the wayside.

Regardless of where you stand on the issue of Tiger Woods, whether you love him, hate him, envy him or pity him, there’s never a shortage of drama to latch onto. When he did nothing but win, it was a one-sided conversation. Tiger was great and the extent of the debate was, “is his dominance good for the game?” If you’re in the media, or a fellow competitor, you better quake with fear at the thought of taking on Tiger.

Now? It’s fair game, and that’s only adding to the fun.
I’ve said I’m waiting for Tiger Woods to return to his old form so we could start rooting against him again. But I stand corrected. World Number Eight Tiger Woods is wildly entertaining in his own right.