THE media are often accused of being obsessed with Tiger Woods. For instance, I love Sky Sports’s coverage of golf but have heard others complain that it is too focussed on the world No 1.I disagree. I think the concentration on Woods is as justified as it is welcome. He is a phenomenon in sporting terms never mind golfing ones, so let’s see as much of him as possible.
Everyone should wake up to this fact. Last Thursday I switched on my television at 8am with real anticipation – it was my first view of Woods in 2008. It was genuinely exciting to watch him hit the most ordinary of shots though of course it helped he was in the middle of a scintillating 65.
Then on Saturday morning we saw Damien McGrane behave round Woods as if he was a star-struck amateur in a Pro-Am rather than an established European Tour professional. So don’t try and tell me Woods is just another player. Even his peers act like autograph hunters round him.
Then there’s his golf. While his power off the tee – such as that whiplash-inducing drive on 17 – and his short game are awe-inspiring, there is more to him than that. A colleague once said to me he felt Woods willed the ball into the hole at times and on days such as Sunday in Dubai it’s difficult to disagree.
Woods brings excitement, class and entertainment to a field that no other comes close to supplying. We hardly get to see him in Europe so when we do I believe it’s something to cherish. He’s raised that fascination factor by playing so infrequently these days, much to the chagrin of PGA Tour journeymen such as Tom Pernice.
If I could have one golfing wish in the next five years it would be that the ungrateful likes of Pernice and PGA Tour chief Tim Finchem annoy Woods sufficiently that he decamps to Europe. Our tour is on the way up and he could hand-pick tournaments and venues to set himself up for the weeks he really wants to peak in – and there are only four of them every year.
Perhaps the best chance of this dream becoming reality is the fact his wife is Swedish and may enjoy living closer to home again. For now, I’m counting down the days when Woods is next on my screen. The WGC Matchplay Championship by my reckoning. Hopefully he’ll last longer than Round One this year…
Chris Bertram
2 comments:
Do get a bit sick of Ewen pawing over him so nice to hear him have a rare go at TW over his spitting.
Have to doff your hat again though, looked all over the place on Friday and Saturday and then does that.
I agree with Chris Bertram that the attention TW receives is fully justified. He is a phenomenon, a great entertainer and by far and away the World's number 1. For me his attention is the same as when Federer graces the grass at Wimbledon or Phil Taylor steps on the ochie at the World Darts Championships. The focus is on them and whether they are going to run away with it yet again. When other players start winning tournaments regularly against Tiger then the focus should be on them but until that time arrives, if ever, lets make the most of the genius that is Tiger Woods. Who knows how long he will play on for.
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