Even I have to admit...

...sometimes the media really screws things up. I like Tiger. I think Tiger is the best. I wish I could play like Tiger. However, as much as I like Tiger and understand his impact on the average person that watches golf, not giving the other guys at least a SMIDGEN of credit/coverage does get a bit insane. I read that Tiger was 3 off the lead after round 1. Ok. Who’s leading? Anybody else playing? Any great shots? Anybody show a lackluster performance that should have been at the top? I think Tiger is great and I like that he brings so much to the game but even I have to say that sometimes enough is enough. Anyone agree? Disagree?

I agree with you….This past Monday, my choice was to go play golf @ the CasaBlanca Resort (Mesquite, NV) THEN catch the highlights on the Golf Channel. I am so glad we did!!! PAR 3 – 7TH HOLE – 184 Yards – Nailed my 20* Hybrid PIN high JUST 6 inches from the cup for my tap in Birdie! :)

After watching the “19th Hole” program on the Golf Channel Wednesday evening, one of the closing comments came from Russ Cannizzario and said something like “You thought Aarron Oberhosler & others were playing a Muni Course 20 miles away” “TV Coverage of TIGER, PHIL & TIGER was way over the top”. The PGA tour is 144 players, not ONE or TWO….Thanks for submitting this topic.

Problem is that the rest of America doesn’t care about anyone other than Woods and Mickelson. Let’s face it, ALL golfers on Tour are boring. Until there is another Payne Stewart or Gary Player, you’re going to continue to see TIGER TV.

Ok, what I’m gonna say is probably gonna piss some Tiger fans off so before I say it, let me preface it with these two facts: I’m a minority and a Tiger fan as well. Now with that said, this is why I think Tiger gets more than his share of the coverage. Ready? Here goes…

Tiger is great. We all know that. He should get coverage most of the time because he’s usually in the hunt. However, he gets press even when he’s not in contention because people are used to him winning…and because he brings the minority viewer into the equation. The media really capitalizes on the fact that he is a minority of epic proportions…black, white, asian, god-knows-what-else. If Tiger were a white guy, he would just be another Jack. He would still be considered one of the greatest but it wouldn’t be such a big deal. Why? Cause it’s already been done. But because he’s the first minority to show some dominance, not total, just some, he is at the front. Look at Jackie Robinson. He wasn’t the greatest player of his era. He was, however, the first black guy in the majors AND he was good. Those things combined made him an icon. Tiger is no exception. Tiger is good but his media coverage has more to do with skill AND ethnicity than skill alone.

It won’t matter about there being another Payne or Gary. That would just be another Jack. There’s gonna have to be someone totally unconventional with TONS of skill. Think Poulter’s dress, Villegas’ crouch, Tiger’s skill, and Palmer’s fan appreciation. That would be tough to come up with if it’s even possible. Until then, we are gonna have to “settle” for Tiger…arguably the best there has even been. Poor us. LOL!

I’m not sure the reason people like watching Tiger is because of his race – I think it’s because he is one of the most intense competitors ever seen, in any sport, EVER. What he does boggles the mind of many of us (how far hard he swings, how many strokes he can beat the field by, etc). If there was someone that would step up and challenge Tiger every once in a while AND show a little emotion/guts/passion, then maybe it wouldn’t be Tiger all the time.

I’m not saying the only reason is his race. I mean if he was average, nobody would care. It’s the fact that he is great AND he breaks the mold of what a golfer has always been thought to be…an out-of-shape white guy. I’m not trying to make this a racial tug-o-war. I’m just saying that alot of Tiger’s appeal to the masses, not the avid golfer, is that he is not what most people think of when they think of a golfer. He redefines how the average person views golf and golfers. Would he do that if he were white? I think not. But then, that’s just what I think.

Speaking of Tiger…will he be able to get his putter going today and pick up a win in the FedEx?

Well it seems that he did just that…

It’s easy to understand that a lot of people would like to see other players get a little more screen time. I would too. I suppose that the trade-off is that we are witnessing history. What Tiger did today at the Tour Championship was stunning. If we lived in the era of Hogan and Jones, I suppose there would still be those who would say that Ben Hogan gets way too much coverage! The interest in Bobby Jones is still astoundingly high even today. We are in the midst of true greatness. Drink it up … and tell your grandchildren about it. Or, they could just go see the the movie, “The Legend of Tiger”.

Remember this number: 25 majors. That’s how many Tiger will win, then he’ll hang it up. I think he ties Jack’s record at Pebble in 2010 if not before (five majors between now and then is certainly not out of the question), then goes on to rack up seven more. By that time he’ll have one or two more kids, own the planet, have solved global warming with one swing of his magic Titleist wand and be in line for the Nobel Prize. Maybe the old man was right, this guy could change the world. He’s certainly changed Nike’s world, and that of every player on Tour over the past decade, and for decades to come. They should all bow down at his feet. How boring would the Big Show be without Tiger? He’s one in 10 million, and while he could be a little more forthcoming with the media, he deserves all the attention, even adulation. Much more so than any NBA, NFL or Major League ballplayer I can think of.

I have to disagree vman about the 25 majors for Tiger. He won’t stop with something he feels could be beatable by the young pups breaking into the sport. The guy will be re-tooling that swing of his and ratcheting up the competition well into his 50s—that’s a lot of golf years and majors between now and then. Especially with the addition of the Fedex Cup.