Shackleford Poll: If Tiger Had Tossed A Club Into A Doral Lake...

[3putter]

I read the Monday morning round-up on golf.com today and I agree with the consensus there.   Three points I think:

1 -  As far as press reaction and how it's covered, Rory has been more open and nicer with the press and therefore he gets coverage that doesn't beat him up for it.  The consensus that I got from the roundtable was that Rory has a lot of good will built up, while Tiger had spent his a long time ago.   This is similar to the Dan Jenkins fake interview.   The press was largely on Jenkins' side.  And I think that a lot of that has to do with the more combative relationship that Tiger has with the press.

All this shows is the BS known as the media. A poor act is a poor act regardless of the actor, different treatment of the same act is double standard.

[imsys0042]

2 - You don't consider throwing a club in the water a temper tantrum?  How about walking away from a tournament and pretending he has a toothache?  He has shown a temper a number of times.  You are just cutting him slack at the moment. 3 - Tiger has made fun of himself numerous times, you have just forgotten the 24 year old Tiger.

Yea, I do consider it a temper tantrum. But it's the first I've seen of it from him. If there's something else, then I just don't know. The withdrawal was bogus but I don't recall he threw a fit. It was a mistake though. I recall people called him out on it. I probably have forgotten the times that he has. And yes, I can remember times he's been funny, charming, etc. but in my mind there have been a number of times he hasn't shown that side of him and hunkers down.

[imsys0042]

I wouldn't state that. I think Rory has about the same amount of pressure on him as Tiger did. Tiger also never threw a club into the lake AFAIK, withdrew with dubious reasons, etc. Tiger would have been grilled, for months and months, had he broken off an engagement like Rory did. I don't think they're treated similarly. Rory gets treated more softly IMO. He's had to apologize on numerous occasions. Tiger had to apologize for saying he putted like a spaz one time because the word is used in the UK differently than it's used in the U.S.

I think Tiger's more of a celebrity. Rory won't bring interest like Tiger did and he's not as known outside the sport. I think within golf circles you're right, but Tiger was outsized in his celebrity compared to anyone else. Rory does seem to have the "Is he the next Tiger ?" Heaped on him. That's my opinion anyway. Tiger has sworn a lot and made some noise with his temper. It's shouldn't happen, but everyone does it sometime. Tiger gets a pass certainly for whether he would withdraw. He played on a freaking broken leg! They both made their mistakes and I agree they aren't treated the same. For whatever reason Rory has more goodwill than Tiger does now. Probably not if he keeps flinging clubs down to King Tritan.

[iacas]

I think Tiger's more of a celebrity. Rory won't bring interest like Tiger did and he's not as known outside the sport. I think within golf circles you're right, but Tiger was outsized in his celebrity compared to anyone else. Rory does seem to have the "Is he the next Tiger ?" Heaped on him. That's my opinion anyway.

Tiger was only ever really criticized in golf circles. So…

Tiger has sworn a lot and made some noise with his temper. It's shouldn't happen, but everyone does it sometime. Tiger gets a pass certainly for whether he would withdraw. He played on a freaking broken leg! They both made their mistakes and I agree they aren't treated the same.

Agree to disagree on the bold. I probably swear more in one day hanging out with friends playing sports than I've ever heard Tiger swear… and I've followed him during rounds when he's not on TV, too.

[ScouseJohnny]

Rory hasn't.   I would hope that if Rory had a string of temper moments that they would criticize him, just like Tiger has been.

Along with this business of throwing his 3 iron into a pond, didn't he once bend a 9 iron, and during a U.S. Open, too?

We're all human and many of us given to anger, and I agree that a couple of incidents doesn't constitute a "string" of "temper moments."

I do wonder, though, what the sponsor makes of seeing their product disrespected live on TV during these important tournaments.

[boogielicious]

Poll results from Shackleford so far:

Votes 976

Praised - 19 (2%)

Vilified - 827  (85%)

In-between - 130 (13%)

From the follow-up:

http://www.geoffshackelford.com/homepage/2015/3/9/writers-rushing-to-rorys-defense-in-his-time-of-imperfection.html

My tooth hurts reading these moving defenses of Rory McIlroy and a sense of unease envelopes me as I sit at my glass desk, but I can't figure out why?

Anyway, The Scotsman's Martin Dempster offers the most level-headed defense of the club hurler against charges that the World No. 1 gets a free pass while Tiger Woods would be villified if he ever threw a club in a lake.

For starters, the 25-year-old was immediately self-deprecating. He knew he shouldn’t have done it, held up his hands and injected some humour as he was questioned about what had happened. It was exactly the way the matter needed to be handled, even though there has been whining from some of our American cousins about how the reaction would have been different if Tiger Woods had been at the centre of such an incident when he was world No 1.

Unlike Woods, McIlroy doesn’t have a history of inappropriate behaviour on the golf course. He doesn’t spit on greens and shows a more human side to youngsters – the ones who need to be influenced at a time when the game is fighting with other sports and pastimes more than ever – than Woods has done at any time in his career.

I’m not saying Rory is an angel. He’s made mistakes and will make more in years to come. It’s nonsense to suggest, though, that what he did in a fit of pique on Friday is harmful for golf.

Derek Lawrenson was more blunt in his assessment of American journalists suggesting there was a double standard.

Sections of the American press are wondering why Rory McIlroy was given a largely free pass for tossing his three-iron into the water last week while the criticism that would have followed Tiger Woods, if he’d done it, ‘would have blown up the internet’.

So let’s see if we can explain the difference. At the age of 25 Woods never engaged with spectators, rarely signed autographs, was frequently seen spitting on the side of greens and treated the press with barely concealed contempt.

McIlroy acknowledges the crowds, devotes hours of his time to signing autographs and spends way longer than he needs trying to give an insight to the media. Reap what you sow, it’s called.

So remember kids: give good press conference, don't spit, sign a few autographs and you can act like a child and be loved. Got that Sergio (in non-Ryder Cup years) and Tiger?

With nearly 1000 votes, 85% of you said Tiger would have been villified had he committed a similar offense.

I have a friend in Australia who saw a young Woods play with Greg Norman.  His description of Woods and his meeting of Woods was exactly as the writers described McIlroy above, engaging, signing autographs and interacting with the crowd, especially kids.  He got a bunch of stuff signed by Woods and a photo with him.  He said Norman was the opposite, much as Woods is described today.

How soon we forget.  I hope Rory doesn't get the same short term memory loss from the media that Woods gets.

[iacas]

I have a friend in Australia who saw a young Woods play with Greg Norman.  His description of Woods and his meeting of Woods was exactly as the writers described McIlroy above, engaging, signing autographs and interacting with the crowd, especially kids.  He got a bunch of stuff signed by Woods and a photo with him.  He said Norman was the opposite, much as Woods is described today.

How soon we forget.  I hope Rory doesn't get the same short term memory loss from the media that Woods gets.

I never understood the bit about spitting. Some people really seem to hate that.

If it's not where my ball is going to be in the next few minutes, I don't care. It's also not like he dips snuff and hocks brown loogies everywhere.

Lots of threads on that though. Here's one: .

[imsys0042]

I never understood the bit about spitting. Some people really seem to hate that. If it's not where my ball is going to be in the next few minutes, I don't care. It's also not like he dips snuff and hocks brown loogies everywhere. Lots of threads on that though. Here's one: [CONTENTEMBED=/t/43984/spitting-on-the-golf-course layout=inline]​[/CONTENTEMBED] .

I remember Duval got some flack for that as well. Some people just don't like seeing it. I think the real underlying issues to this thread, and who knows how many others about Tiger, is that if people don't like you...they are going to find ways to come down on you. The subtext that I get from both the Jenkins reaction and the Rory club toss wrt Tiger is pretty blatant. Tiger doesn't have the goodwill that other people have and because of that, they'll pile on him. It's not fair to Tiger, and the fact that other people are cozier with the golf media is not an excuse to have a double standard. I understand that things like that happen. Don't agree with it, but it's part of living. I don't want to turn this into the 1000th love/hate Tiger thread. But I do believe that that part of a lot of the flack that Tiger gets is simple human dynamics. He's not warm and fuzzy and a lot of people want warm and fuzzy. Politicians that are cozy with the media get better coverage. And better coverage gets more positive stories about you, etc. Tiger has an uphill fight there. That article excerpt is spot on describing the perception difference between the two men, but like boogielicous states, Woods was more than gracious in person and that's a direct counter argument to Derek and Martin's analysis in the article quoted. Lesson? Perception does not equal reality.