Superman has been weakened by the strongest and oldest form of kryptonite: The femme fatale. Or, in this case, apparently the plural version.
Podcast episode
PGA Tour
When will Tiger Woods return to Tour?
Alex Miceli discusses the latest developments with Tiger Woods and predicts when Woods will return to the PGA Tour.
A dozen or so years ago, after Tiger Woods turned professional and started putting golf in a full nelson, I wrote more than once that only two things could stop Woods: injury and the wrong woman. That was common sense, not clairvoyance.
As it happened, injury temporarily sidelined golf’s most prominent figure ever but hardly slowed him down. He won the 2008 U.S. Open on a broken leg and, after reconstructive knee surgery, bagged six PGA Tour titles in 2009.
Next, we will witness how Woods the golfer responds to sex scandal and marital problems.
At issue now are two unanswered questions:
1) In light of what Woods referred to as regrettable “transgressions” in a statement on his Web site, will wife Elin forgive or flee? Will she stay or will she go? This story is as much about the private woman now as about the public man. As human beings, we should wish them peace and wisdom as they sort through the rubble and make decisions.
The first inquiry is linked to the second:
2) How will all of this affect Woods’ golf in 2010? We will soon find out. Time never lies. It also heals.
Some of that answer, of course, depends on the extent of marital damage and the aftermath.
Still, we can speculate because historically Woods has been resilient and focused. He won that Open on a broken leg. And soon after his father died in 2006, he started a streak of seven consecutive Tour victories.
In other words, don’t bet against him on green grass. He has been known to play with a vengeance, in good times and bad. This time, it would be a large understatement to say he’s steamed by the voyeuristic feeding frenzy of the past week.
That was clear today by his statement, in which he apologized for letting his family down and expressed regret for those “transgressions.”
Two things about the statement struck me:
1) Unfortunately, he spent much more space pleading for and preaching about privacy than he did apologizing. Playing defense with offense is nothing new. I agree that everyone should give the man his space; his marriage is a private matter. That said, he has no one to blame but himself – not the news media, not other parties.
2) The statement came via Web site instead of in front of a camera. Woods doesn’t owe us much more than golf performance, but a more personal act of contrition would have been a nice touch for a public that has lined his pockets with a billion dollars. People are a forgiving lot, but they tend to like their apologies in a form that can be seen, heard and felt.
Comments
TLavin (anonymous) says...
Tiger, of course, is a tightly wound and he always gives the impression of being totally in control. The conduct that has gotten him into trouble is evidence of a control problem, to be sure, but one can surely understand why he is railing against the tabloid and their gotcha mentality: He is rankled that he got caught. He is irritated that he has to open up in any way. He is angry that people won't let his "private" life be private.
"Hello World" has become, "Welcome to the Real World, Tiger".
In the real world, people who make millions on their image get villified when they do something to sully that image. In the real world, people like Tiger (read: Jordan, Barkley, A-Rod) get steamrolled by that part of the media that exists to burn and pillage public figures. There are no separate rules for the first billion-dollar athlete.
Tiger's no dummy. He knew this day was coming. He knew that one or more of these women would rat him out or that his wife would one day grab his cell phone. He should stop acting surprised that this happened to him and try to repair his life. I'm sure he's doing it but complaining and whining about the tabloids dilutes those efforts.
Will his golf game be affected? You betcha. He probably wins at least eight tournaments and a couple majors this year. He'll figure out a way to stay away. From Kryptonite as Mr. Rude might say...
December 2, 2009 at 4:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Ok_Golfer (anonymous) says...
Can I "thumbs up" this article? I'd like to "thumbs up" this article.
Thumbs up.
December 2, 2009 at 5:27 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Mac (anonymous) says...
If the point of your article is will Tiger continue to be a great golfer, I think the answer is without doubt yes. He has proven himself to be self-ish beyond my comprehension. Carrying on what appears to be multiple affairs, lying to his wife for what appears to be years. And all the while winning majors, winning on one leg, etc.
Tiger appears to care about one thing and one thing only...Tiger!
He will go right back to winning on the golf course. But when the day of reckoning comes, where will he stand? God Bless his family and I hope this wakes him up to the reality that he is a husband and a father...but that last part of that statement might be wishful thinking.
December 2, 2009 at 7 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
wrxgolfer (anonymous) says...
Mr. Rude seems to both pat himself on the back and deem himself clairvoyant when recollecting that last decade he apparently wrote "that only two things could stop Woods: injury and the wrong woman." He goes on to say how Tiger overcame injury and implies that he must now get over his other hurdle. What a bunch of manure!
To say that an athlete's continuous success is based on lack of injury and avoiding "the wrong woman" is asinine, sexist, and just plain dumb. Tiger made choices. He got married. He couldn't keep his club in his golf shorts. Implying that his indiscretions have anything to do with Elin being "the wrong woman" glosses over the real fact that Tiger's dealing now with a lack of character, morale, and discipline.
December 3, 2009 at 11:16 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jkosco (anonymous) says...
I agree this is a private matter. However, because he is a public figure he cannot hide like a normal person. If Tiger stands up like a man and faces the camera he will prevail. If he continues to hide the fans will hound him and his golf will suffer big time. I expect a lot of Boos when he tees it up and that will surely affect him.
December 3, 2009 at 11:37 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
br3putt33 (anonymous) says...
He learned too much from his "boy" Michael, unfortunately. Simple as that.
December 3, 2009 at 4:04 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Gary75 (anonymous) says...
A site is taking bets on Tiger Woods to be divorced. Does anyone think thats a good bet considering the love affair rumors?
The odds seem kinda low to me.
http://www.playblackjack.com/prop-bet...
December 3, 2009 at 4:38 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
upanddown (anonymous) says...
wrxgolfer- you are exactly right no morales,no discipline and no right to con the public anymore. i wonder if he was going after wilt the stilts record?
December 4, 2009 at 6:02 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
TLavin (anonymous) says...
upanddown:
I heard a good joke last night at a comedy club here in chicago about the difference in the media in the two eras represented by Wilt the Stilt and Tiger. "How did we find out about Wilt the Stilt sleeping with 10,000 women? he told us."
Nowadays, of course, the athlete gets ratted out on TMZ, Access Hollywood and the National Enquirer, followed by every newspaper, television network and website.
December 4, 2009 at 10:38 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )