Tiger Woods Shuts It Down "Indefinitely"

Who could have predicted just a few short weeks ago that anything other than injury could keep Tiger Woods off the golf course? If you had that kind of insight you'd have gotten serious Vegas odds or been labeled a crackpot.

"After much soul searching, I have decided to take an indefinite break from professional golf. I need to focus my attention on being a better husband, father, and person."

Those are the words from Woods' website announcing the stunner. You'd be hard pressed to argue with his reasons given recent events. I'm sure Tim Finchem may need a little Ambien himself to get to sleep after this bit of news. Viewership is known to drop as much as 50% in Tour events when Woods isn't entered. With a dearth of sponsors waiting in the wings and effort required to keep the ones they have, Tour officials must be squirming. I suppose the only "grey" lining in the cloud was Woods' use of the words "indefinite break" rather than "retiring".

So now the "Woods Watch" will begin as already massive speculation about Woods in general will spill over to speculation about his return. With Augusta, Pebble Beach, and St. Andrews on the major schedule in 2K10, scenes of some of his largest victories, Woods ended up with a tough year to take a pit stop. This Average Golfer will find his interest level in men's pro golf squashed some without the world's best player in the field. Imagine if the Yankees decided to sit next year out. Tiger's personal decisions sure have affected a ton of folks, the extent of which remains to be seen. Pro golf tour desperately seeking meal ticket.




Til' next,

Pebble Beach Still Stunning - Golf Just OK.

If you enjoy Nature on PBS, then you could watch the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro Am and not notice that golf had broken out. Between the crashing breakers, whales, seals, and sundry other natural delights, the place is truly mesmerizing. I can't imagine a more picturesque setting for a golf course, period. I'd watch a beginner's foursome play Pebble to get a shot of the background. Enough gushing.

Low scores were hung on day one of this venerable event. Being off today I caught most of the telecast, but had trouble getting interested. Tim Finchem, playing with Davis Love III was the only "celebrity" that was shown with any regularity. I saw enough of him to discern that he favors a low slinging hook. Great for fairway roll, but a bastard to hold greens with. Upon further review though, I guess I've seen enough of Ray Romano in years past to satisfy me for a while. Bill Murray's lost his luster with me as well. His golf antics are predictable and tired. Strangely the Golf Channel only showed a handful of shots hit from the other two venues, Spyglass and Poppy Hills. Maybe one of their production trucks broke down. Adding to the conundrum was the fact that four of the top ten played those courses.

First round leaders are inconsequential, but tradition dictates I tell you that Robert Garrigus and Dustin Johnson were tied for the top spot at -7. One back of them was the triumvirate of Rich Beem, Charley Hoffman, and Vaughn Taylor. Eight more gladiators were locked at -5, too many to list this early in the tournament. Full field scores.

Tune in. You might catch some great golf. If not, you'll certainly catch some great vistas.



Til' next,

Woods Gambles His Future For Open Trophy. Worth It?

Do you think Tim Finchem is saying quietly to himself, "He played with what?". Yup, the franchise played 91 holes at full speed and walked 21 miles with a torn anterior cruciate ligament and a double stress fracture of the tibia. Is that considered brave? Nope, it means he has a high tolerance for pain. With that threshold, might as well finish the year. Why stop now? Have the surgery after the Fedex Cup.

There's no question Mr. Woods ignored the good advice of some of the top doctors in their field. I'll bet that his doctors are so good they have to treat themselves. There's none better. If Woods was an NFL quarterback the diagnosis would have shut him down for the year. Because the team would care for his well being? No, to protect the franchise. Because he has another 10 to 12 years or more to rack up major trophies. If Woods was a superstar in a team sport he'd have been shelved and operated on last summer when he tore the ACL. And no, they wouldn't have asked his opinion. Which begs the question, why didn't he have the ACL fixed right after last years Fedex Cup? He might have rehabbed and made the US Open. Golf's an individual sport and he owes us no answers. He can play or not play whenever he chooses. Still, the timing of all this fails to make sense.

It can't be about money. Even if Tiger pulled a Daly and started getting his mail at a Vegas casino, money wouldn't be an issue. No, its about ego. A large ego is somewhat necessary to achieve unknown heights in a solitary sport. Big ego convinces you that you can defy the laws of physics and biology by willing them away. Don't confuse self confidence with ego though. Too much ego is what allows us to make short term decisions that are in our interests alone. My guess is that Woods wanted to play in this year's Masters and that mind set carried over to the US Open in a ridiculous manner. Watching all of this unfold is like when I was a kid and watched Evel Knievel jump 20 school buses or some other death defying stunt. Were they great achievements? Well, yes, they were Herculean. Was it a dumb thing to do? Well, of course. Tiger just jumped 20 school buses. Fun to watch. Really dumb thing to do.

Can't you just see Tim Finchem at the operating room door saying, "Are you sure you went to the Duke University Medical School?"

Til' next,