Growling Back at the Tiger

When you think of the word elite what comes to mind? Better yet if I threw out the phrase elite golfer, what springboards across your cranium? Surely names like Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player come to mind, and even more assuredly the name Tiger Woods bounces through your head like a pinball. “The Golden Bear”, “Arnie” and “The Black Knight” have all held similar character traits over the course of their historic careers. Steely determination that pushed them through the most impossible circumstances, work ethic that conquered their own fallacies (and magnified the flaws in their competitors), and nerves that seemingly never flinched even under the heaviest pressure and the cruelest conditions made them legends in our time. The trait that kept and keeps them eternally near and dear to our hearts however is their class.

What of Tiger Woods? I mean come on, he has it all. He has the poise, the work ethic and the direct and utter defiance in his attitude that it takes to stare down the gun-barrel of defeat in order to call its bluff. One trait that that seems to elude the world’s number one player and arguably the greatest of all time however, is class.

Sure Tiger dresses well. We seem to take for granted his Sunday red. Sure he’s worth millions. We seem to forget how many millions he gives away to charities and foundations every year. He refuses to be the flamboyant, outspoken person that he could be knowing he is the best man in the world at his profession. Or did we all forget that Tiger doesn’t speak out on politics, religion and social issues? It seems that this young, beautiful, outrageously wealthy man goes home at night to his
super-model wife and his adorable baby girl still lacking the one thing that made those who came before him immortal.

What the heck are you talking about here?!?! You just named every trait our society calls class for crying out loud! Yes I did my friends, but I never mentioned him treating people well. I never mentioned looking at the people who make his millions for him by buying his clothing line, his car endorsements and his really crappy razors (Does anybody else hate that dumb commercial with Roger Federer as much as I do?). Instead he looks right through them on tournament days before, during and after the round. He never acknowledges well wishes, adoration or anything of the like. Conversely the only people he tends to notice in the gallery are those who have a flash on their camera.

I wrestled over addressing this issue for quite a while because I respect Tiger and what he has done for this game. I am tackling this issue now because I have had my fill with his crying, fussing and cussing on national television. It started out as the occasional profanity after hitting a stray driver off the tee or the rare approach shot that left him in the sand, but now it is becoming common place. As it becomes more outrageous so does his choice of words. I really started to notice it at last year’s US Open at Oakmont. The week was peppered full of four letter words and phrases that rhymed with grass and itch. Many of us chalked it up to the stress of his wife’s impending labor and overlooked it, but now it simply cannot be overlooked anymore.

Just a couple of weeks ago Tiger flipped out on a photographer in such a way that it would even make John Daly turn around on his barstool and take notice. I believe the words were “I will break your f***ing neck!” That’s right it’s mid-afternoon on national television, golf fans of all ages are watching with anticipation of Tiger pulling off another incredible victory, and out of nowhere with no time for the networks to do a thing about it we hear the ambassador of the world’s classiest game dropping the F-bomb like he’s in the middle of World War III.

Given the chance to apologize on ESPN’s “First Take” morning show he balked at the idea of admitting his wrong doing as if he were above answering to anyone for his actions on the golf course. “In the heat of competition things like that can happen” Tiger explained. No Tiger. Things like this do not happen. They have never happened before, and they should never happen again. When did you ever hear Jack turn around and scream obscenities at someone in the gallery, let alone do it on national TV with kids who idolize him watching? You didn’t because he didn’t. When did Gary Player ever scream out this type of language during a Major Event when the course was getting the best of him? Oh wait a minute there was that time… wait, no, sorry that was a pizza dream… it never happened!

The bottom line here Tiger is quite simple. You are and continue to be the best golfer in the world. There are many people in the world that have and are learning to appreciate this sport for the gentleman’s game that it is. They are going to watch because they love the sport and they want to see the amazing things you can do. People love to see history in the making. They are watching you, and they are not watching to see you make history by bringing “R” rated language to Sunday afternoon sporting events.

Who else can chip it, spin it and putt it like you do? Jack couldn’t, neither could Palmer or Player, but one thing they could do was tell the difference between inside words and outside words. You could give any one of them lessons on how to play this game, but take a lesson from the ol’ boys now and then, especially on the subject of class. No one faults you for being angry at the situation. Just handle it like the royalty you call company up there on top of the golf world. It could be the next challenge for you in a sport that has got to be getting boring. Develop the unshakable focus to hit 200 yard iron shots into the hole with flash bulbs blazing in your eyes. Talk about taking your game to another level. If anyone could do it you could, and I would pay money to take a child to watch you make it happen in a “PG” rated way. In the end you are too bright of a star, too great of a guy and far too blessed to be anything but a class act on and off the golf course. Let’s call an end to this behavior before the crowds start growling back at the Tiger.