The Battle at the Bridges has been shown on television since 1999, when Tiger Woods defeated David Duval at Sherwood Country Club. In the past couple years, however, the contest has beed played in a two-on-two format instead of the original one-on-one variety. This year, the battle will be held July 25th at Rancho Santa Fe. Tiger Woods will be there as he always has been, and so will Phil Mickelson. That makes up half of the famed “Big Four” that has ruled golf headlines so far in 2005. So IMG, the sponsor of the Battle at the Bridges, thought they had something special going and tried to get the other two members of the “Big Four” to join Woods and Mickelson.
This idea would surely bring in great ratings and really give golf fans a treat on primetime television. The contract for this event is in its last year, and it is very possible it will not be renewed after 2005. The ratings have plunged since 2000, where Sergio Garcia defeated Tiger Woods. So pairing the members of the “Big Four” into two groups would surely gain a lot of worldwide exposure and possibly even save this event for years to come, right? Yes, the idea was great in my opinion, but there was only one problem: Vijay Singh declined the invitation to be a part of this. Even worse than that, he didn’t really give a reason for refusing the invitation.
I would also like to add the fact that Ernie Els will not be taking part in the competition either, and his reasons for declining are unknown as well. The plans could have definitely changed once Singh turned down the offer, but if Els also turned down the offer, well, shame on you Ernie!
All of this upsets me for many reasons. I know it won’t be a big deal to some people, and I know the PGA Tour will still flourish. But this provided a real chance for the big guns of the tour to make an impact on national television and market the great sport of golf to a primetime audience. And the question still remains as to why Vijay would even think of turning down this offer to really showcase his abilities next to the other members of the “elite” golf group right now. There was the “Big Three” back in the 1960s and 1970s with Nicklaus, Palmer, and Player. But golf has never had four guys playing this great at the same time.
So why did Vijay turn it down? I have heard different possibilities, and I’m going to explore a few of them. The first reason is the fact that Vijay could be sick of all this “Big Four” talk. Maybe he just wants to go out and play golf and win every single week! That is a great way to think, but opportunities like this are rare on the PGA Tour. Vijay is an ambassador of the game of golf, whether he likes it or not. Golf fans tune into tournaments each week, and more often than not, Vijay is near the top of the leaderboard. He is one of few truly dominant faces of the game right now. He may not like the spotlight, but it comes with the territory. His golf game could quite possibly be second to nobody (although Woods is still number one in the world), but the PGA Tour is what markets that game. And he needs to realize that and give back to the golf world a little of what we want to see.
Everyone seems to point out the fact that Vijay plays so much more than Tiger each year. And while this is true, it is misleading as well. Tiger is the number one face of golf and for great reason. He may not play in the John Deere Classic or the other small-market events, but the guy tees it up when it really counts the most. He plays the big-time golf tournaments, and he plays in events like the “Battle at the Bridges” because he knows it helps the game of golf grow. Earlier in the year, Woods played in the Tavistock Cup because it was fun for him and helped grow the game of golf. That is why Tiger gets my respect all day long. I’m not his biggest fan, but I respect him for what he has done for golf. Tiger knows people think about him when they think of golf, and he definitely embraces that.
Another reason Vijay may have turned down the offer is the fact that he doesn’t need the television exposure or the money. Both of those facts are obvious and beside the point in my opinion. He has won his fair share of money in the past three years or so, and his face is on television every single week. Those are just more reasons why I think he should be taking part in the “Battle at the Bridges.” He could easily give his winnings to charity if it’s not about the money, which is always a positive thing to do.
The battle for the number one world ranking don’t get to Singh anymore according to what he says. But I also think that is untrue. I think he may be sick of talking about it, but any great golfer’s goal should center around being the best in the world. And according to rankings, Vijay is still not in that position as I write this article. Tiger Woods is, and I think that eats at Singh every single day. He has won 12 times since the beginning of 2004, and Tiger has won four times in that same period. I honestly believe this bothers Vijay much more than he lets on. Tiger wins the big ones though, and that’s why he is at the top looking down and not in second looking up.
Final Thoughts
Vijay Singh could change his mind and accept the invitation to play in this “made-for-television” event, and if he does, I will be the first to change my opinion. That still doesn’t change my opinions on the matter at hand. Vijay is letting the world rankings determine what he does a whole lot more than he lets on. He should take this opportunity to show the golf world he is indeed the most dominant golfer playing today whether he is ranked number one or number two. But instead, the great golf fans will tune in to watch Tiger and Phil do battle, and they will continue to be the fan favorites as always.
Will the “Battle at the Bridges” still be fun to watch? I’ll watch. After all, Tiger Woods and John Daly will be doing battle with Phil Mickelson and Retief Goosen, and that’s entertaining. Goosen is arguably just as good as anyone besides Tiger, and he is known for being the “silent assassin” on tour. But he is still taking the opportunity to please the golf world and give back a little of what he has been given. He should be commended for this, as well as Daly. Everyone is fond of John Daly anyway, and the team of he and Tiger should be a treat to watch off the tees at the very least.
So the matchup is set, and it should be a heck of a battle between four very talented golfers. But the question of “what might have been” will still loom in my mind. I am as much of a Retief Goosen fan as there is, but I would still like to see the top four golfers according to the world rankings on the same course playing at the same time. I believe in the growth of the game of golf, and this is one of the key ways to get that done in my opinion. The different sports are supposed to put their biggest names in the spotlight, and I respect IMG for trying that. It is just too bad Vijay had to do his own thing and spoil what might have been the best day of golf in quite some time for all of us fans. Shame on you Vijay!
I honestly hope there are some strong opinions on this subject, and I’m sure I will get reactions going both ways. I know this isn’t a major tournament, but it shouldn’t be overlooked as much as it has been. If anyone has anything to add to this edition of Thrash Talk, please feel free to comment below or discuss it in our forum. Thanks for reading and have a great week of golf!
What a nasty hatchet job on Vijay – shame on you!!!
People take an instant prejudice for or against people and then view all their actions with that
slant – it’s clear that you and the other Vijay haters will find a way to look at everything he does negatively. It’s cheap, vile and petty.
Vijay gives his heart and soul to golf. He loves to play. He plays day in, day out, every tournament he can. Tiger plays the fewest tournaments he can. Of all the twisted rationalizing I’ve heard – “Tiger plays the important tournaments” is a hooot! These guys who do play in that silly corporate gimmick are upping their marketability for endorsements. Great for them. Vijay, in spite of his enormous accomplishments gets zilch on that front.
Tiger is a corporate shill. The tour is overpopulated as it is. He’s playing here for his giant corporate sponsor obligations. Well, bully for him and the others.
And if I were Vijay, after hearing over and over how he’s unpopular and doesn’t bring in ratings and noone cares – hell, I’d give them all a finger . Vijay has had to take an enormous amount of bullshit and even if he didn’t have any reason on Earth not to play, I still wouldn’t want him to play this stupid corporate silly TV crap.
Golf is a real game. Respect the Tour. Vijay does. Appreciate that.
He’s going to Fiji after several years and taking some well-deserved time off – a scant 2 weeks
– for something he has an obligation to go do.
What shouldn’t he have done – not supported the EDS or the Wachovia instead? Bah!!
It’s so easy to hate. It’s so easy to find nasty things to say about people. WHY??? What is wrong in this country that it stomps all over people who are different, who are not good looking, young, sexy, marketable??? Why does genuine dedication, skill, brilliance and excellence and accomplishment pale beside how you look and how you smile? Pardon me while I go throw up…
I don’t recall ever saying Vijay’s smile wasn’t good or he wasn’t pretty. That quite frankly had nothing to do with my article. You pretty much went off on your own tangent on that point.
And honestly, what would it have hurt the guy? The guys who win major championships play in the Grand Slam of Golf at the end of the year. Does it matter that they don’t make plans at the beginning of the year to attend that? No.
Vijay would have plenty of time to put a day or two aside to play against the other members of the “Big Four.” It’s not like he misses any tournaments anyway, the guy is a golfaholic.
I respect the heck out of the guy, and he is the hardest working golfer in the game if you ask me. But that still really has nothing to do with my article. It’s all about doing something that would help the game of golf.
Thanks for the reply, even if you did get sick reading it. 🙂
The sheer injustice of your article burns me up.
Vijay had a conflict. It’s not a PGA sanctioned
tournament.
Where was your article saying how about Tiger
showing up at a tournament when he takes all
that time off to go freaking ski or golf or
fish or whatever it is he does? Doesn’t golf
benefit greatly when he shows up at tournaments?
Doesn’t TV attendence jump and the PGA actually
benefit?
You don’t have a clue why Vijay didn’t make it.
Everybody who was speculating assigned some
selfish, sinister reason. Not one time, not
one freaking time have I seen anyone assign
any kind of charitable motive to Vijay.
Phil and Tiger and Ernie get away with freaking
crap. Take this instance – Ernie isn’t showing
up either – how about articles questioning
Ernie’s generosity, slamming him for being a
ungrateful guy?
Vijay can’t do it.
He has obligations too. To his partners, to
his family, I would think.
Tiger isn’t the only guy who has obligations.
The world can’t revolve around Tiger and his
moneymaking schemes.
It’s just the hateful stuff I read all the
time about Vijay that makes me sick – from
people who don’t know a thing about him,
(not that I know the guy or know anything
about him) and are ready to assume the worst
always. The malice that people have towards
others they don’t even know is depressing.
Sounds like to me you have some built up frustration! And as far as Ernie goes, I mentioned him in the article, in case you didn’t read the entire thing. Ernie may have never been invited since Vijay turned it down. Did you ever think that?
By the way, what did Vijay have to do? Was he planning on spending time on the driving range that night? 🙂
Seriously man, take it easy. I said it wasn’t the end of the world, it just would have been a cool thing for golf.
Tell me this: Would it have been a bad thing for golf if Vijay would have played and we would have seen the Big Four battle it out against each other? Answer that honestly.
Yeah, it’s true – I surf a lot and some of the
columns from respected (so-called) journalists
who cover golf and the golf forums on many sites
have just driven me nuts – 🙂
Ernie was also invited. I saw what you
wrote. But my point was, you didn’t
know why Vijay couldn’t make it and it
didn’t stop you from writing the article.
You’re making excuses for Ernie to me,
but I don’t need them – I’m asking you/others
to give Vijay/others a break – we don’t know
anything about them and we criticize –
that is exactly my point!!! Why can’t you
say exactly the same of Vijay – “hey, may
be his sister is getting married, did you
think about that?” – “sorry he’s not
there, pity he couldn’t make it”
and move on??
I heard the organizers couldn’t come to an
agreement with everybody’s schedules.
When you say “golf” you seem to suggest it’s a
monolithic thing – it isn’t of course. There are
a lot of different interests involved – players,
PGA, tournament organizers, corporate sponsors,
media (tv and print), amateurs (sp?), weekend
players, non-players who watch, hard core fans
who support individual players, etc.
Their interests are not the same, needless
to say. Golf the game is an abstraction – I
won’t anthropomorphize it needlessly, so
don’t think things can be “good” or “bad”
for it. It just is.
Who will benefit from having Vijay in
the tournament?
1. Organizers – not really, because doubt
ratings will be higher if Vijay watches.
It’s all about Tiger.
2. Other corporate sponsors – again, not
really, because ratings won’t be affected,
and commercial money is the same.
3. Network TV – ditto, see above.
4. Other players participating –
Not sure how. They don’t care about Vijay
personally, I presume they won’t miss him.
They don’t care about proving themselves
and competing against him – they would
participate in the same tournaments and
play a lot more in regular PGA tournaments
if that was the case. They tend to be very
careful about how much they play against
each other.
And yes, if Vijay wins, they would get
less money, in all likelihood. If he loses,
yes, they get to gloat over him.
Tiger benefits from increased apparent power
to pull players into his events – so he gets
even more money and prestige from other
corporate sales guys. Expect more gimmicky
crap.
5. John Daly – suffers if Vijay plays – he
doesn’t get the chance.
Isn’t he the beloved favorite of fans across
America?
6. Regular fans – sure if they enjoy seeing
Vijay play. But they see him in tournaments
all the time. Unlike the others, Vijay plays
all the time. His fans are happy. I would
much rather Vijay enjoy his 2 weeks in Fiji
(where is he going after several years and
opening his new golf course which he designed)
7. Golf fans who don’t like Vijay – happy.
8. You – not happy :).
9. Others?
And Big Four??? What about Mike Weir? What about
Adam Scott? What about all these young hotshots
who have been playing great and deserve a shot?
Where does Goosen come into the Four? Vijay,
Ernie, Tiger, Phil actually have won something
this year – man, if I was DiMarco I’d be getting
seriously burnt about this..
Maybe we are talking with the real Vijay! How are you doing Mr. Singh?