Sad: The Operative Word In Assessments Of Tiger's Latest Episode

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There is no other way to characterize Tiger's latest driving mishap but sad.

He is blaming the DUI on prescription medication issues and not on alcohol. According to this AP story, that position could be verified as soon as Tuesday when a toxicology report may be released. Tim Rosaforte reported a similar possibility for GolfChannel.com.

Tiger issued this statement, writes USA Today's Steve DiMeglio. The full statement denying he was under the influence of alcohol:

There are other stakes for Woods, including possible loss of driving privileges and imprisonment. From a MorningRead.com staff report:

Under Florida statute 316.193, a first offense for DUI carries a fine of $500-$1,000 and up to six months’ imprisonment.

Celebrity website TMZ.com, citing unnamed law-enforcement sources, said Woods was driving a 2015 Mercedes-Benz “erratically, all over the road,” adding that he was “arrogant” during the stop and refused to take a Breathalyzer test. Under Florida’s “implied consent” law, that refusal would trigger an automatic license suspension.

Jaime Diaz writes that the saddest part of an increasingly sad story may be the news that many would be shocked by the arrest. Nor will they be surprised if his approach to recovery is less than pretty.

It would seem unlikely that Woods will publicly be forthcoming about his inner life, including this latest ordeal, even though some professionals in the mental-health field would advise him that it would be productive. If he follows precedent, after an initial statement he and his camp will never voluntarily mention the DUI, and hope that if and when Woods begins playing competitively again, public curiosity will have dissipated, and even transformed from condemnation to sympathy and forgiveness. Especially, as has been the pattern, if Woods gives indications that he can play well again. His historical greatness is such that the majority of those who love golf will continue to hope that he can again exhibit a genius the game has arguably never seen.

I'm saddened that this is who an entire generation will remember, not the great athlete who gave us so many thrills. Throw in the modern day recency bias and his latest mishaps, and it's hard not to conclude his legacy is tarnished. In an open letter to Woods for Golfweek.com, I suggest that maybe playing the legacy card is a way for those around him could help him change course.

Ryan Lavner also plays the sad card, noting...

Sad because one of the most recognizable athletes on the planet has been reduced to this new low.

Sad because the most dominant golfer ever has been betrayed by his body, and undone by his ego, and his competitive future is a mystery.

Sad because he needs support, and guidance, and it’s unclear who will provide it.

Sad because he has meant so much to so many, because he has touched so many lives, and his fall from grace has been staggering.

Jason Sobel for ESPN.com:

Look at those sunken eyes in that mugshot and we no longer see the mercurial golfer who once seemed so invincible inside the ropes. There often was debate during his prime over whether Woods intimidated his opponents. He wasn't just better than them, the argument stated, he also was tougher. It's difficult to beat a guy who holds not just a physical and technical advantage over the field, but a mental one, as well.

This, though, is Woods at his most vulnerable. It is an image he never wanted to portray to anyone, let alone the entire, gawking world. And it's a sad one, the very portrait of a man who has made mistakes.

Tiger Woods Arrested For Driving Under The Influence

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WPBF's Terry Parker Tweeted the mugshot and arrest report.

Notah Begay and Mark Rolfing discussed the news on Golf Central. Both were admirably honest about their pasts and hopes that this sets Tiger on a new course.

ESPN ran Tiger's mug shot through a glow filter, combed his hair and trimmed up his beard for their lefthand stories list.


But did run the full shot eventually.

Tiger "Hasn't Felt This Good In Years"

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On the good news front, Woods seems to have finally had a successful back surgery (on the fourth try with a new doctor).

But given that he's feeling good, it's hard not to notice that he passed on his annual Tiger Jam fundraiser for the first time ever. TigerWoods.com reports:

I heard so many great things about last weekend’s Tiger Jam. It’s one of my favorite weekends of the year and it’s the first time I couldn’t attend. Special thanks to MGM Grand and to all my friends who pitched in to make Tiger Jam a big success. Kate Upton played poker and hosted our Saturday night dinner. I knew she would crush it, and she did.

Kate crushed it!

As for his back...

It has been just over a month since I underwent fusion surgery on my back, and it is hard to express how much better I feel. It was instant nerve relief. I haven’t felt this good in years.
I could no longer live with the pain I had. We tried every possible non-surgical route and nothing worked. I had good days and bad days, but the pain was usually there, and I couldn’t do much. Even lying down hurt. I had nerve pain with anything I did and was at the end of my rope. The process leading up to my decision to have surgery was exhaustive. I consulted with a specialist, and after weighing my options, that’s when I decided to go to Texas to have surgery.

Fantastic news. As with Steve Kerr, perhaps these surgeries gone wrong will help others learn from the misery suffered by Woods and the Warriors coach.

Most fascinating was this from Tiger, who clearly has heard the rumblings about his desire, commitment or determination to play again.

But, I want to say unequivocally, I want to play professional golf again.

Presently, I’m not looking ahead. I can’t twist for another two and a half to three months.

Maybe that's why he passed on Tiger Jam? He couldn't do a proper samba!

Right now, my sole focus is rehab and doing what the doctors tell me. I am concentrating on short-term goals.

You know how I know he's feeling better: Tiger's handing out compliments like Phil hands out $100 bills. Including a well-deserved tip 'o the cap to his ghost writer, Lorne Rubenstein, for a job well done on The 1997 Masters.

Steph On Tiger: "He made me want to watch every single shot of every single tournament he played."

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As Kyle Porter notes at CBSSports.com, the Players ratings news seemed conveniently timed with Steph Curry's comment to David Feherty that Tiger Woods inspired him not just as a golfer, but as an athlete.

"He was a ground-breaker obviously. For me when I was watching him, he made me want to watch every single shot of every single tournament he played."

And isn't this ultimately at the heart of why it's so hard to pinpoint the sagging numbers in pro golf?

There is no one like Tiger, except Phil at his best, who exudes a must-see quality due to their ability to surprise, excite and awe.

There are other factors to the recent ratings drop, from the presidential campaign, to the daily dramas in Washington, to cord cutting. The absense of mega-star power is one thing. But more than anything, the absense of players with an indefinable crossover intangible is dragging the numbers down. As the kids like to say, it is what it is.

The full clip:

NY Times: "Chicago’s South Side Golf Courses in Line for a Tiger Woods Upgrade"

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Julie Bosman of the New York Times went to Chicago to check out the proposed public-private partnership with the Chicago Park District that would see Jackson Park Golf Course and South Shore merged into a Tiger Woods redesign capable of hosting the BMW Championship. The alliance headed by Mark Rolfing needs to raise around $30 million to fund the Woods redo and operation once completed.

As usual and as should be expected (and understandable), the debaters seem pro-redevelopment, but not at the cost to affordability for those currently enjoying the facilities now.

On a recent morning at the 18-hole Jackson Park Golf Course, two employees lingered in the building near the first tee, where golfers could buy a $1 cup of coffee and a $6 Polish sausage at the snack bar.

Keith McGrue, 60, a South Side resident, said he had heard chatter from regulars who wonder what a Tiger Woods-designed course could bring.

“A lot of people have been playing here for 25, 30 years,” Mr. McGrue said. “The question becomes, Who benefits from the change? Who loses out and who wins? Most people that play here, especially the black folks, live in the neighborhood. This is our golf course.”

Alan Brothers, 71, who was playing at the South Shore course, said that he was hoping for the sort of growth that a new facility could bring to the South Side.

“This neighborhood has been in need of economic development for a very long time,” he said, pointing to the south, where several blocks away, four people were shot dead in a restaurant in March in an apparent act of gang retribution.

Is Tiger As Fatigued By A Comeback Hopes As (Much As) Some Fans?

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With the fourth back surgery in the books and no sign that Tiger Woods will ever play again at a level to his super-human standards, we are left to wonder if he's actually been over this whole competitive golf thing for a while.

Hank Haney, Tiger's former instructor, wondered this out loud on his Sirius show last Friday. From Golf.com:

“I don’t buy a lot of these theories that people have," Haney said. "I don’t buy that...this is the end all be all for him, coming back and beating Nicklaus’ record. That’s never gonna happen. I mean, come on people, get real."

Haney went on to explain that he does believe Woods is capable of winning again, if he can return to the game for an extended period of time. "I'll never give up on that part," he said. The problem? "I don’t believe Tiger is that enthralled by this whole comeback idea. [The media] believe that he's got this burning desire to come back and play. I don't think he does."

Joel Beall at GolfDigest.com wonders if we are looking at a Tiger who is resigned to his place in golf history, but also possibly leaving fans with memories of a figure that is far less incredible than the one we knew in his prime.

Willie Mays' remarkable 22-year-career cannot be encapsulated without mention of his final two seasons, especially as the indelible image of Mays falling down in the World Series has become the go-to comparison for any athlete that's stayed past their prime. (One that was conjured after Woods hit three balls into the water at Congressional last summer.) Evander Holyfield, at 42 years old, was banned in 2006 from boxing in New York due to diminishing skills; his nine bouts following the decision did little to refute that stance, slowly but surely deteriorating his standing in the sport. Brett Favre's annual retirement waffling -- coupled with a nightmarish final season and allegations of workplace misconduct -- turned one of the NFL most popular personalities into a punchline.

I do wonder if there is a generation that has already forgotten how incredibly dominant Tiger was--shoot, even those of us who lived it are starting to forget.

Sometimes I wonder if we long for a comeback to just ensure the legacy that gave us so many thrills? And if so, is that such a bad thing?

Tiger Undergoes Fourth Back Surgery With New Doctor

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I suspect we are all heartened that Tiger did not go back to the doctor credited with the first three (ultimately unsuccessful) back surgeries and, according to TigerWoods.com, this time entrusted his back to Dr. Richard Guyer of the Texas Back Institute.

From the report:

"After he recovers from surgery, he will gradually begin his rehabilitation until he is completely healed," Guyer said. "Once that's accomplished, his workouts will be geared to allowing him to return to competitive golf.
 
"If you are going to have single-level fusion, the bottom level is the best place for it to occur. Some individuals are born with one less vertebrae, which would be similar to someone who had a single-level fusion," Guyer added.

Tiger Unveils New "Public Course" Design As Only He Could

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I'm trying to be positive, and like many, struggling to decide how much energy to give Tiger these days given the dramatics and public indifference (noted by John Strege based in part on book sales for the 1997 Masters book). But he's still Tiger and I was still excited when he Tweeted last week about a public course design unveiling.

Most of us were hoping this meant the funds had been raised for the Chicago re-imagination project near the Obama library, but it turns out this was, as Andy Johnson at FriedEgg.co predicted a few days ago, another course at Big Cedar Lodge for Johnny Morris.

Open to the public yes, but calling it a public course with an unspecified green fee is a tad ambitious.

Jim Connell reports that Woods is also doing a par-3 course as he has at several of his projects and that Payne's Valley, named in tribute to Springfield's late Payne Stewart, is to be built on the site of Murder Rock Golf Club, a John Daly course "that has been closed since it was purchased by Morris in October 2013."

Joe Passov's Golf.com account includes more details and the course routing plan.

Sporting the makings of a beard and cargo pants that earned Twitter...scorn...Woods tried to hit a green without much apparent warm up and donated a ball to the water.

That, and Woods's comments on his back, seemed to overshadow the golf course opening proceedings. Oh and the cargos.

Agent Refutes Reports: Tiger’s Champions Dinner Entrée Will NOT Be Decided Until After The Appetizers

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Agent Mark Steinberg is once again scoffing at reports about his legendary client's 2017 Masters plans just hours after Tiger Woods announced he will not play. Steinberg has denied a story suggesting Woods already has asked for the Augusta National dinner menu instead of embracing defending champion Danny Willett’s main course, expected to be an Southern-inspired take on bubble and squeak.

“I talked to Tiger three days ago and I have no idea who these really close sources are who know what he’s ordering for dinner,” said Steinberg. “We’re not in a position to even talk about the main entrée right now. He has to see how his back holds up after whatever deep fried stuff Willett wheels out for a starter.”

Steinberg said his client always samples the defending champion’s choices no matter how exotic. 

“Even the year Vijay won!” Steinberg said.

An online report said Woods has been spotted at his Woods Jupiter restaurant "relentlessly downing" digestive enzymes before and after meals as a cautionary ploy to prevent extra back strain.

“He looked like he’d had one-too-many of the Tuna Tartare’s the night I saw him,” the source said. “And we all know the slightest bloating could re-injure the back, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he bypasses Willett's entrees and just orders some soup to get through the Champions Dinner.”

Brandel: Tiger's Practicing Diligently, Don't Rule Out Masters

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The Golf Channel's pre-Masters teleconference call included this from Brandel Chamblee, writes G.C. Digital fresh from a two-week tour of Myrtle Beach's best courses.

G.C. writes:

“If you can believe anything that you read on social media – I know that his coach has been down there, and they’ve been hitting a lot of golf balls down in Palm Beach. The way I understand it, he’s been practicing quite diligently. So it wouldn’t surprise me if Tiger showed up at Augusta National.”

For his part, Montgomerie said that if Woods does show up, he hopes fans don’t see the 14-time major champ bowing out after “77-78 and going home from there.”

Tiger's Tanned, Rested And A Resounding Maybe On Playing Masters

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Maybe it's shaving the goatee or just his overall upbeat glow for someone who has been off the grid, but while appearing on Good Morning America and promoting his 1997 Masters book Tiger Woods looked well. The positive appearance only adds to the mystery surrounding his latest absence due to back spasms.

Yes, he looks older without his hat and signature form-fitting golf shirts. But it's hard not to watch all of this and wonder what genuinely plagues him that he's still not able to go to his office: the golf course. But for his fans Woods offered a glimmer of hope. Steve DiMeglio reports after getting an exclusive sitdown for USA Today.

“I do have a chance,” to play, Woods told USA TODAY Sports in an exclusive interview. “I’m trying everything I possibly can to get to that point. I’m working, I’m working on my game. I just need to get to a point where I feel like I’m good enough, and I’m healthy enough to do it."

In the good news/bad news department, Woods is attending the Champions Dinner but essentially has left open the possibility for no decision on his playing status until the last minute.

Yes, we've seen this movie before and no one wanted to see it a second time.

DiMeglio filed a separate piece on the 1997 Masters book written with Lorne Rubenstein. Reading about this kind of detail sounds great:

Woods, who hopes to play in next month's Masters, explains how he used a persimmon driver to hone his swing the week before the 1997 Masters and made use of Golf Channel’s video library to study Augusta National’s treacherous greens. He tees up his thoughts about the changes made to the course to combat technological advances in the game.

In NYC, Alex Myers talked to the fans who waited a long time in line to get the book signed at Barnes and Noble.

The GMA segment featured a putting contest that made for good TV:

 

 

Tiger's Agent Challenges Report Saying His Client Is "Unlikely" To Play Masters

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This would all be humorous if it weren't for Tiger appearing unable to play the Masters, especially on the 20th anniversary of his historic win and when the sport would desperately love to see him return. Yet common sense suggests a Masters appearance is looking grim.

But not in Mark Steinberg's way of thinking.

Golf World's Brian Wacker quotes unnamed sources saying Tiger "seems unlikely" to play given that the 4-time Masters winner is only putting and hasn't been seen hitting golf balls by people in Jupiter.

Woods’ agent did not respond to an email seeking an update on his condition and schedule, but one source close to the situation near Woods' home in Jupiter, Fla., said, “I would be shocked if he plays anytime soon.”

Another source said that he saw Woods recently and he "didn't look good," adding that while he hopes he is back soon, Woods doesn't look close to being ready and that a return at the Masters would be too soon. The source added that all Woods has been able to do of late has been putt.

Golf World's Tim Rosaforte was the recipient of agent Steinberg's rebuttal to the Golf World report (!) but did it via Golf Channel's Nick Menta (!!).

"I have no idea who Mr. Wacker’s really close sources are. I can tell you this, nobody spoke to him (Wacker); so how he could know something that Tiger and I don’t know is comical," Steinberg said. "I talked to Tiger four hours ago on the phone. We’re not in a situation to even talk about playing in the Masters now.

Eh, em...Steiny...psst...it starts less than three weeks from now...

He’s gotten treatments and is progressing and hoping he can do it. There’s not been a decision one way or the other. I couldn’t give you a fair assessment, but to say it’s doubtful is an absolutely inaccurate statement."

It's doubtful.

Sorry! Wish the signs pointed in a more positive direction.