Tiger Clippings, AT&T Pebble Beach Week Edition
/Ah yes, it seemed so long ago we were planning on watching Tiger Woods go in full actor mode to act as though he was enjoying the circus that has become the Pebble Beach pro-am, all so he could make some notes on this year's U.S. Open host site.
But there is some Tiger news and commentary...
Sandra Dibble of the San Diego Union Tribune reports that Tiger's Punta Brava project is not looking at a 2012 opening and that permitting issues along with the tough economy are to blame.
Developers say they have maintained their close working relationship with Woods, who has not said when he will resume golfing professionally.
“No matter what, Tiger Woods is the best golfer in the world, and there is nobody else that we would rather have design our golf course than the best golfer in the world,” said Brian Tucker, founder and principal of Punta Brava and a vice president of The Flagship Group, the project’s development company.
When Punta Brava was announced Oct. 7, 2008, “the world was a different place,” Tucker said. While the economic downturn has brought coastal real estate development in Baja California to a virtual standstill, Tucker said Punta Brava is moving forward. Since the launching, 167 prospective buyers have been flown down to tour the site, he said, and have shown enthusiasm for the project.
Sales won’t begin until next February, said Susan Wise, spokeswoman for The Flagship Group.
“We’re not selling 600 units of condos,” Tucker said. “This is to be one of the singular golf clubs in the world.”
John Feinstein files a Guardian Observer piece on the evolution of Tiger's personality and I found this to be the most telling anecdote:
When an American TV network made a very bad movie based on his early life 11 years ago, Tiger was asked at a Masters press conference how it felt to have someone make an entire movie based on his life at the tender age of 22. In a rare moment, Tiger let his guard down and allowed his true feelings to show.
"To be honest, it pisses me off," he said. "It pisses me off that people I don't even know are making money off my life. I wish there was some way to stop them."
Nick Owens in the Mirror claims to have a source close to Elin suggesting that the marriage is going to be given one more try now that Tiger's gotten a clean bill of health from his doctors.
She made the decision after meeting doctors at the clinic treating Tiger’s sex addiction. They convinced her that her husband has made “remarkable progress”.
Yesterday a close friend of 30-year-old Elin said: “She has been convinced there is hope for the marriage.
“The doctors told her she shouldn’t underestimate Tiger’s ability to learn new coping skills and grow as a person.
“She has been convinced by the professionals that there is hope – and this isn’t lawyers or businessmen giving her advice, it’s doctors. And they say he has made remarkable progress.”
