I am referring to the post tournament interview where Stevie Williams makes the comment, “This is the best weekend of my entire career”. Really? You have been involved with 12 major championship wins with Tiger Woods, where each and every single one of them you two seemed like you were having a great time, bear hugging, smiling, laughing, etc… You have been on the bag of Tiger over several Ryder Cup’s, President Cups, and more. Hell, Tiger was the best man at Steve’s wedding! And the BridgeStone Invitational was the “best weekend of your career”? Um, ok.

The reason I bring this up is because I think its a bit of a slap in the face of Adam Scott, whether Stevie meant for it to come off that way or not. His comment just oozes hostility at his former boss, Tiger Woods, and even though he was obviously excited at being on the bag for Adam and assisting in his victory, nobody is stupid enough to actually believe this was the “best weekend” of Stevie’s career. If I were Adam, I’d be having a little talk with Stevie about future comments to reporters and that its now time to let go (at least visibly in public) of his anger toward Tiger.

I don’t know, that is just me.

Regarding Adam Scott. Wow, I am loving his golf swing right now. As one reporter stated, he basically has Tiger’s old golf swing, which I agree with. Adam and Tiger have always had similar golf swings, but this weekend it looked more solid and crisp as ever. I always loved Tiger’s golf swing (the early 2000 swing) and though I agree with many of the stack and tilt properties SeanFoley is transitioning Tiger to, and I think Tiger’s swing is looking very nice today…I still think that early 2000 swing causes RESULTS…and I think we are about to see many more wins (Majors) coming from Adam Scott. I just hope that Stevie William’s bluntness doesn’t end up harming Scott’s game in the long run.

Regarding Tiger Woods. I am happy to see him back. I’m a little torn, to be honest, about many things surrounding him. As a person, as a player, etc…

As a player, it appears to me this week that his game has some actual promise, as opposed to previous “come back” attempts where his swing was a mix of old and new and he didn’t quite know where to let it fall. This time around, his swing seems more “sound”, has better tempo, and isn’t jumping around as much. I am a little perplexed at his comments about not being able to shape the ball as much. As an experienced golfer, I can understand what he is talking about, but I figured at the caliber of play he has been at all these years, that he wasn’t hitting large draws or fades but now he is “hitting it straight with little deviation”. I don’t have Tiger Wood’s swing and at my best was a +2 handicap, but my solid and quality shots have almost always been on a string, so I am a bit perplexed from where he is coming from. He HAS to get that driver figured out…and I can’t for the life of me determine how after all these years a professional golfer can struggle with a driver so damn bad. His iron play is solid and as long as he gets his distances figured out, he is like a laser. But if you aren’t getting fairways and your putting sucks, you simply won’t score.

What pisses me off about the media is they keep referring to seeing moments of “Old Tiger Brilliance”. It bothers me because no offense to Tiger, his “Old Tiger Brilliance moments” are, in my opinion, Top 20 tour player moments. Ok, so he has a string of 3 birdies in a row. Ok, so he hits a great recovery shot. Guess what, as a tour pro, these are things that are supposed to be NORMAL on the golf course. The top 20 players in the world are out there firing 66’s or rounding off 4-5 birdies in a row. Tiger doing it doesn’t show us we might see the dominant Tiger back again, so stop making it sound like he is. Even if Tiger gets his act together and might even be #1 in the world, and might be winning Majors again…he will NEVER be the Tiger of the early 2000’s. The competition level is simply too high nowadays. It’s a different environment. I don’t think it has anything to do with his age, etc.. you can took Tiger in the 2000’s and throw him directly into today’s environment and I don’t think he would have the success he did in the early 2000’s. Yes, he would win tons of tournaments and Majors, but not sure it would be the same level of dominance.

Tiger is a mediocre Tour player at the moment. Whether he ties for 4th at the Masters using a C+ golf game or not, he is a mediocre tour player and people need to stop making him out to be more then he is. Yes, he draws the most attention because of who he is and yes it’s exciting to watch him play because we are all “expecting” some kind of brilliance from him, some kind of come-back, and he will deliver on that…but the days of “destroying” his competition are long gone. Unless he gets to the point where his golf game is head over shoulders better then everyone else s, he will simply only be a great Tour player moving from this point forward in terms of wins. Sure, add up all his past accomplishments with any new ones and you have “greatest player that has ever lived” but I am speaking only in terms of today’s environment and his competition with regards to his game and where it will go from here. We will see.

Regarding Tiger and Stevie, on that topic again. There is “something” there that none of us knows about. Tiger, I believe, “is” a good person who has made some real stupid decisions along his way, but being “on top of the world” with an infinite amount of money puts him in a “I’m better then you” mentality. I know these types of people, I think we all do. There was something that happened, though, that made Tiger want to part with Stevie. Was it as simple as Stevie caddying 1 time for Adam Scott without Tiger’s permission? Was there something Tiger heard through the grapevine that he didn’t agree with? Are there people pulling strings with Tiger, like a puppet, causing him to make certain decisions in his life?

One thing Tiger can be applauded for, in my opinion, is his professionalism with the media and respect for his fellow tour players. Does he give the media short concise answers to their questions? Yes. Does this frustrate the media? Yes. Does he badmouth his fellow peers? No. Has he bad mouthed Stevie Williams? No. Does he show grace in defeat? Yes.

Other then swearing/spitting on the golf course and maybe being too visible about disappointment in his own game (I’ve been there myself many times), he really hasn’t been disrespectful to the game of golf or his peers. He has made the game of golf, his peers, the golf community, the television networks, the broadcasters, the sports writers, and more so much damn money it’s sickening.

I don’t know the financial arrangement Tiger had with Stevie, but I’m pretty sure in 12 years Tiger has made Stevie a crap ton of money, a lot more then he made and will probably make with Adam Scott.

Just my 2 cents on the topic.

The obvious favorite is Rory McIlroy, still fresh off his stunning 2011 US Open wire to wire victory. McIlroy has been resting since Congressional, and  Rory is receiving anywhere from 4/1 to 5/1 odds to come out on top.

Perhaps next in line is Lee Westwood, former #1 OWGR and consistent performer. Westwood is still in the hunt for his first major.

Martin Kaymer is also a favorite, solidly in the number three spot in the world rankings. Kaymer is also young and has the ‘10 PGA Championship under his belt.

Jason Day, a member of the “Young Guns”, is coming off a very solid 2nd place at Congressional, and an amazing bogey free final round in which he missed greens and scrambled brilliantly.

Of those not participating, Tiger Woods is obviously the biggest name. Tiger is still recovering from an Achilles injury during the Masters. He attempted to play the Players’ Championship but was forced to withdraw. Tiger’s return is still unknown, although he mentioned that practice has been limited to putting up until a week ago.

Tim Clark has also withdrawn due to an elbow injury, clearing the way for Anthony Kim. French Open winner Thomas Levet has also withdrawn with a fractured leg, after being injured during a victory leap following his victory in France at Le Golf National.

Of course, with a typically difficult setup and course conditions radically different from normal PGA standards, the event certainly favors the field. Look out for more preview information the coming days.

WOW

With the United States enlisting the most rookies in US Ryder Cup history, a so-so 2010 Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, and of course playing on the Europeans home turf…the odds (figuratively and betting wise) are against the Americans.

Check out the latest odds via BetFair.com

Currently Day 1 is under a rain delay. The Europeans (as of 10:55am EST) are leading 3 of the 4 ongoing matches.

Dustin Johnson / Phil Mickelson DOWN 2 thru 5
Stewart Cink / Matt Kuchar DOWN 1 thru 4
Steve Stricker / Tiger Woods DOWN 1 thru 3
Jeff Overton / Bubba Watson UP 2 thru 2

Points: USA 1 / Europe 3

Scores have been going low, and it looks like Louis Oosthiuzen is sitting pretty at 12 under par with a large majority of the field still needing to deal with the high winds.

Once winds die down enough where the golf balls no longer move on the greens, play will resume.

Stay updated!

The big surprise came from Rory McIlroy who blistered the susceptible St. Andrews with a 9 under 63, which ties the lowest Major Championship round ever. At 21 years old, and someone who hasn’t done well in recent tournaments, this has to be the highlight of his life. The course began its onslaught later in the day with players such as Phil Mickelson, Ricky Fowler, David Duval, and more who were posting above par scores.

Lots of questions arose about Tiger Woods and which one of his golfing personalities would show up this week. From the looks of his 5 under 67, his old self seemed to emerge, even with the onslaught of personal questions during the press conferences and the british newspapers making a mockery out of him, he was able to keep his sites on the trophy and played a very solid round. It should be noted many of the low scores came in the morning rounds before the weather turned nasty. So chalk up some of the good scores to timing.

Though I have never agreed with Tiger’s off course behavior, I still want him to continue winning tournaments and blistering Jack Nicklaus’s major championship record. A win this week for him would be great, not just for himself but also for how the public might welcome him back more so then they have already.

I hope Rory can hold onto his lead and at least make Sunday a close showdown between himself and Woods.

Ok, that is a lie..but this is what we anticipate will be in the direction of his speech

Family, Friends, and my fans. I can’t begin to apologize enough for my actions of the past. I have hurt those very close to me, most importantly my wife Elin. I have let everyone down, especially my fans and for that I am truly and deeply sorry. I know I have lost the support and faith in me as a husband, father, person, athlete, and a role model. I truly hope my future actions can begin to rebuild that shattered faith in me, and I know it will be a long painful road to achieve.

There have been many things said in the media about me. I will not go into details of any of the reports presented by the media , but don’t believe everything you read or hear.

My wife, children, and I have been through a lot, as you can imagine, and I simply ask that you please give us the time and privacy we need as we still continue to bond and repair as a family.

I hope to one day receive my wife Elin’s forgiveness, but also my friends, family, and fans.

At this time, no final decisions have been made about my future in Golf. I just please ask that you give us the time and privacy we need during this difficult period.

Thank you

Even the pictures that have been posted online…all they show is Tiger standing/sitting around women. If he had not publicly admitted his guilt and I had not heard the voicemail, I would have assumed many of the stories are false. I do actually believe many of the stories are untrue or are fabricated to gain these women 15 minutes of fame.

But where are the actual pictures of Tiger with ANY of these women. I haven’t seen one.

Case in point, Jamie Jungers aunt goes on the record and promoted Jamie to go to the tabloids. The whole interview just feels slimy, like you need to take a shower after watching it. Watch it here.

ugh.

It’s great to hear Jamie took naked pictures of Tiger while he was passed out. Nah..that isn’t an invasion of privacy or anything. Is there any legal issue if she released photos of Tiger naked that he never consented to?

As I watch these videos…certain things he is saying really stand out. Watch for my commentary beneath each video.

Video #1

First off…it is noted here how good of friends Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley are. In fact, it is being reported both of them have been trying to reach Tiger to help…but are unable to at this time. Tiger has changed his phone number. I am willing to group Michael and Charles into a group known as “Enablers” simply because their behavior, I assume, matched that of Tiger. As we know, both Michael and Charles have also made many mistakes in their lifes, including infidelities, etc… Though Tiger is to blame for the recent events…it doesn’t help associating yourself with people that may promote or enable you to openly continue negative overtones in your life (such as infidelity). Drug users and alcoholics face this daily, it should be no different with relationship cheating. I love the quote from Oprah, “Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley took Tiger under their “protective” wings.

Video #2

“Sir” Charles Barkley goes on to say at the end of his segment how he didn’t say everything because of the “PG” rating of the show. How true does that statement from Charles sound today. Granted, this was in 2001, so Tiger’s “personal life” behavior may have changed over the years.

Charles apparently advised Tiger to NOT getting married until he was 30. Another statement that seems to have rung true. Apparently Charles also would call Tiger before every tournament. Maybe that still holds true throughout even 2009. However it sounds like Tiger’s phone is not ringing for Charles since he changed his number.

Tiger mentions how he looks up to Charles and Michael because in the sports entertainment business, “they have been through it all”, so he appreciates their advice. Maybe he was listening “too” good or not listening good enough…depends on which way their advice went.

Video #3

His message here is kind of ominous. He talks about how as a child, he wanted to grow up and take down the greats, which he has successfully done his entire career. How ironic he is now being taken down himself…but for his personal behavior, not what he does on the golf course.

Video #4

Nothing to report in this video, just watch it.

Video #5

Tiger goes on to say “If I can say, on December 31st, that I am a better player versus where I was on January 1st, for the rest of my life…I’d be a pretty good player”.

Couple things. Tiger’s golf future, at this moment, is an unknown given he is taking an indefinite leave from golf. As a “player”, I would say 2009 was a good year for him. As a “playa” (slang), I would say 2009 was a very very bad year.

Newsweek apparently posted a quote that says “If you want to know what its like to face someone like Tiger, punch yourself in the face..because dominators don’t just beat you, they make you beat you”. Under the assumptions of recent news reports since Tiger’s accident..sounds like the quote should say “if you want to know what its like to face someone like Elin…”

Video #6

This video starts off with a “bang” of a comment…directly about how he takes his responsibility as a role model on and off the course very seriously… talking about how when he was a kid he looked up to particular people. Again, ironic as he will have to deal with that very issue of people “looking up to him” given recent ethical/moral dilemmas he continues to face in his personal life, which unfortunately has been made VERY public.

Hearing the children talk about how much he not only conquers golf, but everything his in life is strange to hear looking back.

Video #7

Nothing to comment about, just watch.

Final Thoughts

My comments above are not to be critical of Tiger Woods given his recent personal life events, but to provide commentary based around statements made in the video in 2001, statements that when looking back just seem to be ironic or even false. I think its fair to say throughout his years on the tour, children especially (even myself back in the late 90’s up to the present) including adults have been mystified by his approach at golf, but what appeared to be his approach to life. He was bigger then golf…bigger than life because the stars were aligned, and our main complaints of him may have been his verbal lashings we would hear on the course, throwing a few clubs, and minor things.

Even with the latest revelations about Tiger, I still watch that video as if I watched it in 2001, just that I have today as a context to compare it with…but I admit he still amazes me how he approaches questions, how he approaches the game of golf..and “if” he comes back, I do think he can pick up where he left off, from a golf standpoint. I still think he will continue to amaze and mystify us, it just won’t be 100% or like it was because he has now shown us that he truly is human and extremely flawed.

My biggest concern right now is whether he is mentally doing “ok” and even if he returns to golf…how will the mental scars he has experienced with a possible divorce and child custody affect his play. Golf is 90% mental, 10% physical.

One thing is for sure…”if” he comes back…his relationship with the media will be extremely short..if at all. In his years on the tour and as a celebrity…he has made A LOT of people a A LOT of money, notoriety, and honestly he has basically been thrown under the bus by A LOT of people including some of his endorsements, who I am VERY certain were well aware of his off the course behavior. Hypocritical? I think so.

What are your thoughts?

The gossip blogs and media are getting out of hand, and with more women coming forward for their 15 minutes of fame, we will begin to see the ultimate destruction of Tiger Woods…not as an icon, but as a person.

The media won’t stop. They are blood thirsty and will lick every drop of blood until there is none left. The average person is the same way. It’s the mob mentality. Whether its 5 people or 5 million, when we get duped we want the persons head on a stick and we won’t stop until they have become lifeless.

People won’t stop until Tiger is dead. I seriously mean that. Dead in a physical sense or dead from a public sense.

What is going on with Tiger right now “IS” personal. I repeat, this is no longer a topic the mainstream media needs to keep promoting/supporting in order to enhance their ratings. Tiger’s marriage is over, that is crystal clear. His wife is most likely going to leave and take the kids to Sweden where God knows what kind of visitation Tiger will get after the divorce, he has left golf indefinitely just to try and get his life in order and save anything of his career / persona he has left…but the media won’t let that happen.

We, as a people, love train wrecks. People, in general, don’t want others to actually “die”, but the rate the media is reporting new information on Tigers PERSONAL life, the more it continues to ruin him as a person and an athlete. It is my fear, the amount of privacy being stripped from the man who has always wanted privacy..could end in suicide. Each piece of news coming out seems to be more embarrassing for Tiger each day. I surely hope that doesn’t happen, but the rate he is being crucified and his entire world is crumbling is startling.

People seem to be playing off his “indefinite leave from golf” like he will be back before the Masters. We might not see him for years at this rate…if ever again on a golf course. I am dead serious!

Tiger cheated on his wife and family. He wows us on the golf course. Unless he cheats on the golf course or his breaking rules that pertain to his sport, endorsements, etc… we seriously need to leave the man alone to absorb and deal with everything. This “is” a personal matter for him and really is none of our business anymore, even if TMZ or Radaronline think it is.

On a very serious note…I really hope Tiger does NOT hurt himself in any way given the circumstances unraveling around him. I can’t imagine being in his world right now. I can 100% guarantee if you walked up to him and said “I want to switch places…starting right now you are a nobody making $30,000 / year, 2 cars are broke down, but you have a wife and 2 kids to come home to everyday who are excited to see you. You don’t have any golf victories, the media has no clue you exist, you have no endorsements, and the only responsibilities are what wait for you at the office and at home”, Tiger Woods would snatch that in a heartbeat..guaranteed.

It’s time for us to move onto the next big story, let the Tiger Woods one go/cool down so he is at least given the opportunity to try and “right” things in his universe, because that is not possible the way things keep unfolding.

But as it unfolds…this perfectly manicured and manufactured persona and image of him is crumbling to the ground, at an alarming rate. Here is the thing..yes Tiger has to take responsibility for himself with his actions…but his image is not just a product of himself alone. It’s a product at the hands of Nike, Accenture, his PR team, marketing, stylist, etc… He is manipulated by a team of individuals on the right thing to say, when to say it, when to appear, and as all of this has gone on for 13+ years, especially the last 5 he has been married…those parties listed above have (in my opinion) been at least aware of Tigers activities and infidelities, if not promoted/participated/accepted/validated his behavior. They are all paid very well, so its easy for them to turn a blind eye or provide him the additional services he needs or requests. It has become very clear, as well, that his infidelities have come at the “request” of his team. Such as having members of his entourage/staff bring woman to his tables at clubs, or having his best friend arrange flights for mistresses to meet him at various locations/countries.

Yes, the blame falls on Tiger 100% for his behavior, but the ones getting a pass in the media it seems are those he surrounds himself with that I would consider enablers. If you are an alcoholic and you surround yourself with liquor distributors….chances are you will have a steady flow of alcohol at your disposal.

On a side note, I think his entire PR team should be fired given how the events have carelessly been driven in the last couple weeks. Aside from statements on his website, there has been NO PR representation on his behalf. This includes his own website which often let 5,000+ comments on his postings go untouched, from scathing remarks to heartfelt support. Ever heard of comment moderation?

It sounded like, from sources on gossip blogs, that his internal “team” had many quarrels with each other on how to handle the problem. When you can’t agree, nothing happens, and when nothing happens, people and products suffer.

Unless the lack of PR representation was at Tiger’s discretion and he preferred it playing out how it has, his entire PR team should be canned.