Okay. I’m now officially sick and tired of Tiger Woods.
He has always impressed me, and I’m not tired of him personally. I hope he plays well, and displays his talent as he has in the past. But the first thing on the US Open coverage today was an interview with Butch Harmon, Tiger’s former coach, about him. It is as if the network has something at stake in how well he plays. Everybody wants to dissect his swing, and explain to him what he’s doing wrong.
Golfers don’t take advice well, regardless of their ability. Someone with Tiger’s skills is sure to be upset that people of lesser talent presume to tell him how to swing a golf club.
The next issue is with Steve Williams, Tiger’s caddy. He is an arrogant ass. Today, again, he walked into the gallery to take a camera away from someone. The photographer had the nerve to take a picture while Tiger was taking a practice swing! If Williams were to try that with me, he would immediately be looking for something to stop the blood from running out his nose. The PGA officials make excuses for him, and allow him to keep acting like the camera sheriff wherever he goes.
Tiger needs to get rid of Williams. He has convinced Tiger to make bad shot selections on several occasions, and exudes arrogance toward all around as if he were the talent in the pair. It ain’t helping Tiger’s karma!
And the networks need to quit trying to solve his problems from a distance. I get annoyed when every interview with any player ends up with questions about Tiger. I think if I were a tour player and someone always asked me Tiger questions, I’d end the interview abruptly.
Professional athletes in every sport collect straphangers. Tiger needs to make a clean break from some of his before they drag him down so far he can’t recover.
I was sick of Tiger Woods, or rather the media hype, the first year on tour. One gets the feeling that left to his own devices he’s normally a very affable young man….and a decent one. After all his father was an Army NCO.
Comment by Wallace-Midland, Texas — June 20, 2004 @ 2:59 pm
Okay, you can tell from the URL that I’m a Tiger fan…and I agree with the vast majority of your comments. But dissin’ Steve Williams? The winningest caddie of all time? (Not just because of Tiger…Williams has over a hundred wins.) It appear that his interaction with the photographers is sanctioned by Woods, who said nothing and didn’t even glance in the direction. Woods wasn’t just merely taking a practice swing. It was part of his pre-shot routine – part of what defines the outcome of the shot. Please don’t think for a minute that there wasn’t a warning from Williams long before he went over and grabbed the camera…the photographer was lucky to remain on the grounds.
Woods maintains his focus exceptionally well most of the time, but Williams helps out in immeasurable ways. There have been many occasions where his club selection, hard work on yardages and personality have pressed Tiger to victory. Yes, after this long on the bag Williams may be in danger of becoming something of a media focus…but like the trapping of “being Tiger”, that’s simply not his fault.
Comment by Marvin Beatty — June 21, 2004 @ 5:18 pm
Williams has become a celebrity unto himself. No doubt Tiger agrees with what he does, but there’s no way he takes my camera.
The least thing upset him on the links. He missed short putts because of the uproar of butterflies in the adjoining meadows. ~P.G. Wodehouse
Comment by Bunker — June 21, 2004 @ 6:53 pm