It was a remark easy to overlook and let pass. Though I'm not sure if I caught the original or one of the many replays, it's certainly been repeated often enough.
One of the talking heads commenting on this year's (British) Open said the many players still ahead of Tiger Woods on the leaderboard "respected but did not fear him".
An interesting take, but wait a second. How did he know that for sure? Did he poll those players and ask them outright? If so, no mention came of it, so can likely assume not. In other words, he was trying to put a positive spin on things, though speaking from a position of ignorance.
First -- the fear factor. Though Eldrick Tont Woods no doubt possessed it back in his heyday, it would be ludicrous so suggest any of the top players currently on tour shake in their boots when Tiger shows up for a tournament. His history over the last several years is hardly a cause for alarm among the young guns. They KNOW they can beat him. And have, repeatedly. Nowadays the question isn't whether Woods will a tournament, but rather if he'll make the cut.
Far more relevant is the respect factor yon announcer took for granted. Do the other players, most all of which are ranked higher than Eldrick, truly respect him?
Let's remember most of these guys didn't even have their PGA cards when Tiger was tearing it up during the Clinton and Bush Jr. administrations. But they no doubt heard about some things and saw yet others on TV.
Are we to believe all these guys harbor respect for, to date, the only serial wife-cheater ever on the PGA tour?
The same guy that has uttered countless obscenities while on the course, thrown and pounded clubs, and otherwise displayed boorish behavior in what is supposed to be a gentlemen's game?
The very same that thinks gently slapping the outstretched hands of fans is somehow beneath him as he walks by?
The same dude that has always routinely ignored children that idolized him before and after his rounds of golf by refusing to autograph various paraphernalia? Or even acknowledge them?
Years back, yours truly (and several friends) had the occasion to cross paths with Woods and his then caddy Steve Williams at the Buick Open. We had anted up to be there and were behind the ropes in the gallery where be belonged. Yet as golfer and caddy approached, Williams barked at us to get out of the way. Make a hole, so to speak. Evidently, he thought the President, the Pope, the Queen of England, or maybe God himself was coming through. It was just Eldrick, a mere golfer. I never forgot that. Who do these people think they are? But this is the sort of arrogant stuff viewers at home never got to see.
Don't think for a second this has gone unnoticed by his competitors over the years.
So do/did they truly respect Eldrick Tont Woods, or is/was that just politically correct hype?
We'll likely never know. The other players are too "gentlemanly" to ever say anything bad about another, regardless of how egregious his behavior might have been.
But I have my doubts as to whether they hold/held Tiger in high esteem indeed.
True, he's always been able to turn on the charm when he's doing a pre or post round interview for the media and the masses in TV land.
But a lot of history's great villains possessed that attribute as well.
It didn't make them nice guys in the end. Far from it.
Another thing no current PGA player will say is what a nightmare it must be to play in the same group as Tiger. The epitome of a travelling circus. It's gotta be tough to keep one's composure and concentration when throngs of mindless rowdy groupies are following your playing partner, hence you, all around the course. And that's just the media. The Tiger lemming fans are even worse.
So in the end, we can certainly conclude fear is not a factor whatsoever.
But the same can likely be said for respect as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment