The sports pages are making a fuss about Tiger Wood’s return to the links this weekend after an absence of three months.  The Messiah returns and if truth be told he did bring golf to the promise land.  Thanks to Wood’s, prize money on the tour has increased dramatically over the last ten years.  It’s his star power that attracts sponsors, the paying public, and the rest of players on the tour went along for the ride.  What I find interesting is the deafening silence from players on the tour as it relates to Tiger’s indiscretions.  Not many are saying, “he’s paid a price and now it’s time to forgive and forget”.  The odd player will say “he’s good for the tour and it will be good to have him compete again”.  The few that say anything about Tiger usually reference the good of the game, and not that it’s good to have Tiger back, the person.  Now why is that?  Could it be that every player on tour is angry at him because they now get grilled by their wives as to their whereabouts at every tour event?   “Baby, pinky swear…it was only Tiger that was doing it”.  Oh what a tangled web we weave when we practice to conceive. Or could the lack of enthusiasm being shown by other players towards Tiger because he’s an, you know, an A-hole?  It’s been widely reported the if you weren’t in Tiger’s inner sanctum, you were no better than the goose poo on the bottom of his golf shoe.  Like the saying goes, karma’s a b*#$h.

As for Tigers indiscretions, I could care less what the man does in his private life  It’s his life, his family, his conscious to deal with. Who am I to judge?  But ever since that day over two years ago, when his 105 pound Barbie-Doll ex-wife chased him out of the house with a nine iron, his life has become a train wreck. To watch the hookers, porn stars and hostesses from Denny’s to Perkins come out and tell their story is mind numbing.  I don’t understand how a man who is worth that much money didn’t pay to have the right people around him to protect him.  For god sakes, anyone who has watched one episode of the Sopranos knows that if you’re going to engage in questionable activities you need a disposable phone.  I guess Tiger was too busy to watch TV.

From an economic standpoint this has cost Tiger untold millions of dollars.  Sponsors have pulled out, no pun intended.  The prize money hasn’t been much, and now he’s ranked 28th in the world.  Not exactly a ranking that has sponsors running towards you with a blank cheque.  He’s replaced his management team, his caddie  and pretty well everything else that was connected to his previous life.  He’s looking for a clean slate. Will sponsors give him a second chance?  They will if he wins.  His sponsors might be different, Viagra versus Buick, but the cash will be there.  Every one loves a winner, especially if the winner has been savaged and torn down.

I hope Tiger Woods makes a successful return to the game he changed and dominated.  If for no other reason than to silence all the sanctimonious, pious and the morally superior critics who cloak themselves in righteous indignation.   The man changed the sport of golf, he was about to set new records for winning majors – and yet may still do so – then human frailty got in way.  It’s not easy being perfect.

Until next time

Cheers