The Golf News Feed
Question by FriskyDingo: What would golf be like with out Tiger Woods?
I once heard a joke on Letterman after Nadal won Wimbledon, Letterman kept forgetting his name and acted like no one cared and they said “Tennis, like golf but without Tiger Woods.” Do you think golf would just crash without Tiger’s presence. I mean every sport has its all-stars, most sports have 1 or 2 per team, but golf is different, it seems like Tiger is their only all-star, the only one who will go on to make history. Every time Tiger wins he gets closer to making history, you can’t really say that about any other player in the field. I mean 70 wins, Hello! At the age of 33!!! Jack was 40 and Snead was 41 when they reached 70 wins.
It also seems like there is no classic rivalry between him and any other player (although the media tries to make rivalries between him and paddy or phil), and he is always beating some different player every time he wins. Tiger Woods offers the consistent dominance that a sport like professional golf would flounder without.
Best answer:
Answer by Fij
Boring, like it is every time Tiger doesn’t play.
What do you think? Answer below!
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I doubt I would even watch it without him. I’ve been around sports long enough to realize just how incredibly amazing and gifted Tiger is. We won’t see another like him for a very long time. That third shot he hit on 16 yesterday was nothing short of legendary and true magic.
I wouldn’t say that the sport would “flounder” without Woods, but their TV ratings would sure suffer.
I’ve always said that I’m not ready to call Tiger Woods the best golfer ever, but he is on a very short list of people in the conversation. The reason he has never had a “classic rivalry” like you mention (Sneed Hogan, Nicklaus Palmer for example) is because he really is that much better than the competition. In the history of professional golf, no one has completely dominated an entire generation like Woods has.
Tiger Woods is getting old fast.
Yes, he’s an outstanding player, but there are a lot of other great players out there too. I watch a lot of tournaments on TV and I find it very disheartening when all that the announcers talk about it Tiger, neglecting the other guys, even when they are in the lead. I want to hear about other players. For example, there was one tournament that I watched that Brian Gay won, and the TV just kept showing the same clip of Tiger winning it a year before; Tiger wasn’t even in the tournament.
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1) Purses would be significantly lower (the TV deal fees skyrocketed once Woods started winning) by about 20-25%.
2) Because Woods plays such a limited schedule, tv ratings for most events would be unaffected (doesn’t play them, never will).
3) For the non-Woods events, him not being around would be a boon. The purse would come down to a reasonable level, and with that, it would be easier to attract sponsors (the ones who might be inclined to become involved but can’t afford “Tiger-pricing”). Most of the West Coast Swing, the Texas Swing, and other events he won’t go near have been pushed into an economic situation they can’t sustain.
4) The Woods ratings bump hasn’t translated into organic new golfers on any sustainable level.
5) The way Woods has treated the tournaments that gave him sponsor exemptions in Fall 1996 says a lot (he hasn’t returned to any of these events). World Class golfing talent, giant PITA off the course.
6) The PGA Tour would have to find a revenue source to offset the thousands in fines they collect from him every year for his pervasive profanity (and why Woods events are now on a 7-second delay allowing the networks to “dump” when Woods drops his various f-bombs).
7) The networks would find the PGA Tour a more reasonable buy. You’ll see reality when the existing deals expire. Right now the deals are set up so that, if you’re CBS (or NBC), you’re getting a handful of “Woods events” and a couple handfuls of non-Woods events. His schedule is pretty well set- the four majors, the WGC events, his own event, and a small handful of other events (Jack’s event, Arnie’s event, Charlotte, Torrey Pines, the Buick Open is gone).
The PGA Tour managed to do well before September 1996 and odds are it’ll manage just fine when Eldrick Woods retires from the PGA Tour. You could easily make the case that Woods, despite his considerable influence, does zilch to help the Tour.