The Golf Wish Blog

Archive for December, 2009

Tiger Woods’ Impact on the Golf Economy with his “Transgressions”

Wednesday, December 9th, 2009

When this story first broke, it was the talk of the moment. No different than Dave Letterman a couple months back. Now most of us are saying Dave who????

Tiger’s transgressions. So now, we have all Googled transgressions to figure out what it means. And then we put two and two together and realized, he didn’t say transgression. He said transgressions – plural.

If there was one transgression while Tiger has been married over the past five years, that was more than likely forgivable. We Americans forgive virtually anything and everything. In fact, I felt the day after the story broke, had there been only one, everything would have been the same in a couple months. Tiger would be back on the course, winning tournaments. Maybe divorced, maybe not. But it wasn’t going to affect the golf world a whole heck of a lot.

Fast forward a week or so. Now we have the plural of transgression with no end in sight.

Here is the question. What impact does this have on the golf industry? And I am talking about the economic impact. Tiger has made a lot of people very rich since he came on the scene. The total purse for the Masters Tournament in 1997 was $2.7 million. He won that year earning $486k. This year Angel Carbera won earning $1.35 mil. Do you think Angel Cabrera would have had the opportunity to earn that amount of money had it not been for Tiger Woods? I don’t. Tiger’s impact on his fellow golfer’s pocket books has been huge. What happens now? Will Tiger come back strong – mind over matter – like he always has? Or will he fade away and impact his fellow golfers in a different way? Viewership is down when Tiger is not around. Galleries are lighter when Tiger is not around. That means money flowing away from golf.

Mike Greenberg of ESPN used the word “sad” to describe the Tiger Woods situation this morning. I agree. But I can’t help to think that the business revolved around golf is going to be sad too.

Submitted by Rod Snyder

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Posted in Economy, General Golf, PGA, Tiger Woods | 4 Comments »

Say it ain’t so Tiger…..

Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009

For those of you living under a rock, there’s been a bunch of, um, let’s say “rumors” about Tiger’s apparent transgressions. I, for one, didn’t want to believe them and was really hoping that the most famous athlete in the world would come out of this with his squeaky clean image intact. Alas, I was in for disappointment. Today Tiger released this statement:

I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart. I have not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves. I am not without faults and I am far short of perfect. I am dealing with my behavior and personal failings behind closed doors with my family. Those feelings should be shared by us alone.

Although I am a well-known person and have made my career as a professional athlete, I have been dismayed to realize the full extent of what tabloid scrutiny really means. For the last week, my family and I have been hounded to expose intimate details of our personal lives. The stories in particular that physical violence played any role in the car accident were utterly false and malicious. Elin has always done more to support our family and shown more grace than anyone could possibly expect.

But no matter how intense curiosity about public figures can be, there is an important and deep principle at stake which is the right to some simple, human measure of privacy. I realize there are some who don’t share my view on that. But for me, the virtue of privacy is one that must be protected in matters that are intimate and within one’s own family. Personal sins should not require press releases and problems within a family shouldn’t have to mean public confessions.

Whatever regrets I have about letting my family down have been shared with and felt by us alone. I have given this a lot of reflection and thought and I believe that there is a point at which I must stick to that principle even though it’s difficult.

I will strive to be a better person and the husband and father that my family deserves. For all of those who have supported me over the years, I offer my profound apology.

So, there it is; Tiger’s personal life is profoundly disappointing. The admiration many have for him as a person has been completely compromised. He will have to deal with the anger of his family, friends, and fans.

However, the fact remains that he is first and foremost a golfer. Never has Tiger been lauded as the male version of Mother Theresa. What he did in his personal life I find despicable but I am also tired of salacious gossip becoming news. Since when have TMZ and the National Enquirer become a news feeder for CNN??

Admittedly, given the facts, I would have to say “Team Elin” if pressed for a choice but do I still want to see Tiger play golf? Absolutely. Does that make me a supporter of bad behavior? No. It makes me want to separate the personal from the professional. I don’t want to know the sordid details of someone’s life, especially someone I don’t know at all. Why are we all surprised that this happened? We don’t know Tiger Woods, his true personality, or what makes him tick. Let’s stop turning famous people into iconic figures who can do no wrong. At the end of the day the only people to whom he needs to apologize are the ones he hurt the most: his family. The rest of us need to realize the basis of which we know him : as a golfer with an amazing talent.

Post by Michele Minten

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Posted in General Golf, PGA, Tiger Woods | 1 Comment »

Mike Weir Named to Canadian Golf Hall of Fame

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

As Canada’s sports hero, Mike Weir was inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame this past weekend at his home course, Huron Oaks – the place that sparked this left-handed legend’s love for the game of golf.

It was at Brigham Young University that Weir began his legendary trip that lead to his successful golfing career. Weir’s demonstrated skill made him a star on the University’s golf team and set the foundation for his early career successes on the Canadian Tour. In 1993 Weir won Rookie of the Year honors and led the Order of Merit in 1997. He then moved on to the PGA Tour in 1998.

In 1999, Weir won his first PGA Tour title at the 1999 Air Canada Championship with a 2 stroke victory over Fred Funk, becoming the first Canadian to win on Tour since Richard Zokol won the 1992 Greater Milwaukee Open and the first Canadian to win on native soil since Pat Fletcher won the 1954 Canadian Open.

In 2000, Weir became the first Canadian to play in the President’s Cup, where he led the international team with a 3-2-0 record. He was also named to the President’s Cup team in 2003 and 2005.

Weir’s greatest moment was winning the 2003 Masters Tournament with his victory over Len Mattiace in a dramatic playoff and taking home the coveted “green jacket”. His stellar performance on the PGA Tour earned him the 2003 Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada’s top athlete of the year and the Lionel Conacher Award, given to Canada’s top male athlete of the year, an award he previously won in 2000 and 2001.

Since his 2003 Masters victory, Weir has continued to play on the PGA Tour and has won 2 Championships, five 2nd place finishes, and 33 top 10 finishes. Thirty-nine year old Weir has eight PGA Tour victories to date. Hats off to a true Canadian golf legend!

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Posted in General Golf, PGA | No Comments »