Official Tiger Car Crash/Infidelity Thread

[just hit it]

Hate to hear this, but not surprised. I'm thinking it's going to be longer than 4 months, just due to the "indefinite". Will be interesting to see if he can return to his old form. Wish him luck, but don't feel sorry for him.

[MrKadash]

I will be very surprised if he doesn't play in the Masters this April. I just don't see him taking anywhere near a year off. It's the off-season with nothing too big coming up on the horizon early in the year. Effectively he could be out of the spotlight for four months before Augusta.

[kris]

he's not missing any golf this time of year. he should be back in action at Torrey Pines as usual.

[Chilli Dipper]

I can see Tiger staying away until Bay Hill in March, but I would be very surprised if he remains absent beyond then. Really, he'd only be missing three tournaments (Torrey Pines, the Match Play, and Doral), but the appearance of him taking time off is what he needs right now from a marketing perspective.

[shaun]

With Christmas and the New Year approaching, I think this story has just about reached its apex, which is to say that I don't think it'll be front page news for much longer. It's been a couple of weeks now and the guy has (deservedly, I think) been crucified.

As for this latest announcement, I don't find it surprising. My feeling is that "indefinite" will mean "as long as it takes for me to reappear without the tabloids getting hyper-excited again", which won't be particularly long. It's the off-season and Woods doesn't care about the early tournaments, anyway, so it does him no harm to make this kind of announcement. It really says nothing at all. He might be back for the Masters; I'd be surprised if he was still away come June; and, if he decided to retire for good, I'd fall off my chair. Speculation about what this statement means is a waste of energy.

Why? It's just more spin. It's not actually necessary for Woods to take an "indefinite break" from golf in order to "save" his marriage. He doesn't play all that much; and she and the kids could travel with him when he does play. In any event, it beggars belief that this marriage can be saved, even for the sake of the kids. It really is incredible, although -- again -- not surprising -- that the public is being asked to accept that Woods and his wife are going to "work through" their problems. It's a facade, and a flimsy one at that. I imagine a typical conversation at the dinner table would proceed as follows: "Ms Nordegren, Mr Woods' lawyers have requested that I pass them the salt. "Damn! Why hasn't he got his own salt shaker yet?" Elin won't leave her room without first consulting Woods' PR advisers about what is expected of her. C'mon. No conventional marriage can survive 11+ (+) sexual indiscretions. And, let's make no mistake, it will be the image of a "conventional marriage" with which the public is presented, and asked to swallow whole, in the months and years ahead.

[Doctorfro]

I'm sick of the whole soap opera. He's an unbelievable talent and an incredible horse's a**. What a shame. Just like Michael Jordan. Too much ego.

[safetrip]

I think anyone who thinks this is nuts. I think we'll see him at Augusta (like they're gonna give TMZ a press pass, duh). That may be the safest tournament in the world for him.

I don't take this seriously either. Even without an official statement we all knew that he had to take some time off. This is just his best PR firefighting strategy now and I think it's a good one. Only thing lucky about this mess is that this happened in Nov not during the season.

My bet is if Elin doesn't divorce him, he'll comeback early- within a few months, otherwise he will be back for Master's or US open depending on how soon he gets over the divorce mentally as well as PR wise. Only thing that his statement tells me is that Elin must have asked him to do it and she most likely asked to include the word 'infidelity' as part of punishment. The fact that he agreed on these tells me that they are going towards some kind of resolution. We'll see.

[Mitch C]

From what I've read, Elin has given him the "...golf or me ultimatum"

So, I don't expect him back anytime very soon if he is sincere about trying to save his marriage. I don't know Tiger, but I know women in this position. She can't trust him on any level right now. So Tiger is going to have to demonstrate his sincerity to her. That means two things: 1) The only way Tiger Woods truly demonstrates his sincerity is to give up golf. She feels that golf caused this mess and that he isn't serious about marriage if he continues to play; and 2) He isn't leaving her sight anytime soon. That means she is going with him everywhere he goes and nannies and support staff or not, those kids are going to have to be a bit older before she starts carrying them around the country.

We've got to remember. Tiger is not your normal guy. His upbringing made him a bit of a social misfit in many ways. I'll bet you dollars to donuts Elin was his first serious girlfriend and is his first love. He really really loves her, he was just very very immature. Lots of guys go through this stage when they are about 20 0r 21 (I did and had the same sort of situation) but Tiger's development is a bit delayed.

I kind of know what he is going through. This is going to mess him up for a good long while. His marriage is going to be pure hell for the next year or so and then, it will still probably fail. Then, he is going to be an emotional wreck for a good year or so after that.

If I had any advice, I would say let it end right now and try your best to get on with the rest of your life as quickly as you can. But, few of us actually take advice like that and we always try and hang on when we should just let go. Tiger is basically a love struck college kid right now. Albeit one with a billion dollars or so, but nonetheless he is going to be messed up for awhile.

[RIduffer]

Agreed. There is so much more to golf than just Tiger, and I still found TV golf very entertaining even when Tiger was rehab-ing his knee (go Paddy!). I just hate to see the * next to a guy's name when he wins.

Ya but the truth remains that if Tiger doesnt play, viewership is down tremendously. If Tiger quit golf altogether, you would not see 6-7 million dollar tournaments.

that's because you enjoy golf. You probably enjoyed golf before Tiger became the focal point of the golf landscape. For the average sports fan or American citizen... golf interest begins and ends with Tiger. Look at the viewership and ticket sales of the chevron world challenge if you're still not convinced.

What?!? C'mon guys, I would have to be an idot to suggest that golf would be fine in terms of ratings and $ without Tiger. Just agreeing with someone who said Tom Watson's major contention was alot more exciting than Tiger this year (for us diehard golf fans).

[Shorty]

It's just more BS and spin.
How many times would he be playing before March anyway? He can make his "return" just before the Masters (just like he always does anyway) and continue to have his cake and eat it too. Maybe he'll miss the WGC Matchplay, but really, at most he'll probably "miss" one or two or maybe three tournaments.
I'd respect him more if he said he was going to return at Kapaluah, rather than snubbing that event and all of the other PGA Tour winners that he and Mickelson so consistently and arrogantly do.

[topspin4hand]

Well, Britain's Daily Sun who 1st reported this definitely has a link to someone who's an insider ...

[wmiller]

I personally would be saddened if I never got to see that young man swing a club again, but given the crap that been going around lately, were I in his position, I might just step away from golf and the ding-a-ling public forever.

Wouldn't blame him a bit if he did so.

Just my two cents worth.

[hipcheck4u]

This is his only good move since the crap storm hit. He is owning his mistake without blaming anyone else (i.e. the media as in a previous statement), his tone is humble, and he is vowing to take steps to correct his behavior- to the extent of putting his golf career on hold. A smart play, if you ask me.

Now he needs to buy Kobe Bryant's image rehabilitation DVD series and watch it about a thousand times...

[lcfd42]

Tiger needs to make a public comment. He posts these "politician drafted" apologies and such, but can't actually take 10 minutes for the millions of fans he had (past tense) who made him what he is. That is pathetic. He is a great golfer, I agree 1000% (one of the best ever in the game), though he is not much of a man when he runs and hides from everything that he himself has created in hopes that it will just go away. It would suit me just fine if he never played professionally again.
Though he, like any other public person (anyone who might be considered a hero by a child) should be held to different standards, and should be made "publicly accountable" for their actions or indescretions. I feel absolutely no pity for the man. He made his own bed, and he needs to lie in it.

[newbgolfer]

Agrees with lcfd42. FYI, Nike released this statement:

"Tiger has been part of Nike for more than a decade. He is the best golfer in the world and one of the greatest athletes of his era. We look forward to his return to golf. He and his family have Nike's full support."

[BallStriker]

I think anyone who thinks this is nuts. I think we'll see him at Augusta (like they're gonna give TMZ a press pass, duh). That may be the safest tournament in the world for him.

Thank you....reading people saying a year, maybe a year plus is just ridiculous....I would be shocked if he missed the Masters and I agree he may want one tune-up event....Tiger didn't make a mistake, he was living a certain lifestyle by choice and got caught....he's horribly embarrassed and I believe sincerely sorry for the pain to Elin and the kids...but make no mistake, Tiger is his own man and this will not impact him chasing down Jack....bottom line.

[zeg]

Tiger needs to make a public comment. He posts these "politician drafted" apologies and such, but can't actually take 10 minutes for the millions of fans he had (past tense) who made him what he is. That is pathetic. He is a great golfer, I agree 1000% (one of the best ever in the game), though he is not much of a man when he runs and hides from everything that he himself has created in hopes that it will just go away. It would suit me just fine if he never played professionally again.

Disagree 1000%. His #1 priority should be the people he cares most about. If that means ditching golf, ditching his public life, then I'll support that. I don't see anything he needs to say to the public beyond what he's already said. No matter how big a fan you may be, he doesn't owe you a moment of inclusion in his private life.

(I mean "you" in the general sense here, not you specifically)

[lcfd42]

Disagree 1000%. His #1 priority should be the people he cares most about. If that means ditching golf, ditching his public life, then I'll support that. I don't see anything he needs to say to the public beyond what he's already said. No matter how big a fan you may be, he doesn't owe you a moment of inclusion in his private life.

Therefore he should walk away from the sport forever! Which we all know won't happen.

But the way I read your post, it sounds as if its OK for him to do what he has done, its OK for your child to see this as a positive role model his/her life after. "Well if Tiger does it it must be OK". No, I cannot in any way support that stance. He "does have an obligation to the people" and should he choose not recognize this, he doesn't desrve to be a public figure with the the benefits that accompany such positions.