OT: The Tiger Woods Story

[Knightmoves]

Do you know Tiger??? You keep giving accounts that counter everything that is said about Tiger and Phil. Phil goes to every tournament and reacts with the club members, the greens Superintendent.
You keep defending Tiger like you kept defending Kyle Flood

Take it easy. I have never liked Tiger and am not defending him. I commented based upon what a friend saw at the Wachovia Pro Am about Tigers interactions with the other tour players over a 2 day period. Guess that pales in comparison to your internet sources ?

Then you accuse me of defending Kyle Flood. I wanted Flood canned earlier than most. Very bizarre accusation on your part.

Take your meds and get some bed rest. Tomorrow is another day for you.

 

[WhiteBus]

Take it easy. I have never liked Tiger and am not defending him. I commented based upon what a friend saw at the Wachovia Pro Am about Tigers interactions with the other tour players over a 2 day period. Guess that pales in comparison to your internet sources ?

Then you accuse me of defending Kyle Flood. I wanted Flood canned earlier than most. Very bizarre accusation on your part.

Take your meds and get some bed rest. Tomorrow is another day for you.

You're the one defending Tiger as loved on the Tour and people hating Phil. Pure fiction. Maybe you need to stop with your meds and get off the pipe and back to reality.
Your sources don't hold up as the facts snd support anything

 

[Rush12]

You're the one defending Tiger as loved on the Tour and people hating Phil. Pure fiction. Maybe you need to stop with your meds and get off the pipe and back to reality.
Your sources don't hold up as the facts snd support anything[/QUOTE

I've played an annual outing at Winged Foot for the past 6 years. I've had different caddies each time. Most caddies have been there for several years. I've asked about the tour pros and Tiger and Phil specifically. All had very nice things to say about Phil. They said he tips well, gets them all lunch/pizza. Takes care of the locker room tenants. They didn't have much to say about Tiger...you can read between the lines of their reaction towards him.

 

[Rush12]

I've played an annual outing at Winged Foot for the past 6 years. I've had different caddies each time. Most caddies have been there for several years. I've asked about the tour pros and Tiger and Phil specifically. All had very nice things to say about Phil. They said he tips well, gets them all lunch/pizza. Takes care of the locker room tenants. They didn't have much to say about Tiger...you can read between the lines of their reaction towards him.[/Q

 

[WhiteBus]

I've played an annual outing at Winged Foot for the past 6 years. I've had different caddies each time. Most caddies have been there for several years. I've asked about the tour pros and Tiger and Phil specifically. All had very nice things to say about Phil. They said he tips well, gets them all lunch/pizza. Takes care of the locker room tenants. They didn't have much to say about Tiger...you can read between the lines of their reaction towards him.[/Q

As an assistant pro back in the day. I could make good money by being a caddie for US Open qualifiers, Met Opens, and a rare local PGA Qualifiers. Some famous players, some local heros and one of the best RU players of my age.
Most local famous story was were I was a caddie for a US Open Qualifier for Gary Ostrega. He was tied with 6 golfers for 2 spots. He hits his drive on the 2nd playoff hole and his ball explodes internally. Looked like a football. Has to get it to the green before he can replace it and hits a great shot to just makes the green. Two others make a birdie. Gary is a jerk but refused to blame his ball was the reason he failed to make the Open. For good reason.

 

[knightfan7]

Tell us more about the person you know. A guy from the bar or someone who is closer to Tiger ?

As I said, someone who worked Player Hospitality behind the scenes at several PGA Events. I'm not going to say more because there's still a connection to the PGA but no, it wasn't a patron. It's someone I know personally.

 

[knightfan7]

I've played an annual outing at Winged Foot for the past 6 years. I've had different caddies each time. Most caddies have been there for several years. I've asked about the tour pros and Tiger and Phil specifically. All had very nice things to say about Phil. They said he tips well, gets them all lunch/pizza. Takes care of the locker room tenants. They didn't have much to say about Tiger...you can read between the lines of their reaction towards him.[/Q

This ^^^^ is what I'm referring to. Treats everyone with respect.

 

[knightfan7]

As an assistant pro back in the day. I could make good money by being a caddie for US Open qualifiers, Met Opens, and a rare local PGA Qualifiers. Some famous players, some local heros and one of the best RU players of my age.
Most local famous story was were I was a caddie for a US Open Qualifier for Gary Ostrega. He was tied with 6 golfers for 2 spots. He hits his drive on the 2nd playoff hole and his ball explodes internally. Looked like a football. Has to get it to the green before he can replace it and hits a great shot to just makes the green. Two others make a birdie. Gary is a jerk but refused to blame his ball was the reason he failed to make the Open. For good reason.

I've told this before. I was caddying at Essex County back in the 60's when they hosted a regional PGA Championship qualifier. Top 3 earned a spot. My player tied for 3rd with Babe Luchardis and Bill? Moran after 36 holes so they went into a sudden death playoff. Babe was eliminated with a bogey on the 1st playoff hole. We got to the Par 4 5th when my guy hit his drive in the right rough. He had a fairly poor lie and hit a flyer that bounced once and rolled off the back of the green. He then hit a poor chip and missed the putt coming back. Moran made par.

After the round he told everyone who would listen that I miss clubbed him. I hadn't clubbed him all day! I only gave him the yardage and I know I gave him the right distance. The club pro asked me what yardage I gave him. He said I was right and not to worry. He said the guy's an ass anyway.

Moran gave his caddy $100 which was a lot of money. He also praised him to a writer at the Newark Evening News in a story that appeared in the following day's paper. Me? I got a $20 bill and 3 Spaulding Dots.

 

[soundcrib]

Phil's a politician.

 

[WhiteBus]

Phil's a politician.

He's more of an Ambassador for the game.

 

[PhDKnight]

and the whole diner check thing...i agree that on its face, its dooshey...but maybe he just wanted to be treated like one of the guys? it must suck going through life with EVERYONE thinking you're going to pay for EVERYTHING, all the time cause your absurdly rich. i am not defending what he did, but sometimes things aren't so black and white. and I think that's one of the themes the writer was trying to get across

but I know this will fall mostly on deaf ears, because people just generally love to hate Tiger since his fall from grace

There is not a single justifiable reason for not picking up the check for dinner with a group of SEALS under any circumstance if you are Tiger Woods or if you are me period.

These SEALS were taking time out of their training to take him on jumps and teach him combat technique and he does not pick up dinner for guys that do the dirty work so the rest of us can pretend like we have clean hands and you stiff them on dinner! F you, Tiger Woods.

 

[PhDKnight]

I love when people form an opinion on a celebrity based on what thier friend's, nephew told them.

The mark of a great man is not how he treats his peers and bosses, its how he treats he treats his reports, administrative staff, the guy who makes his sandwich at the deli, etc - ie the people he does not have to treat well but does any way.

In that game Tiger loses and Phil wins. Its not even close.

 

[RU848789]

yeah - and if you read the article, you'd understand why. but...I do agree that the general vibe is that Phil's more liked (but he does have his own weird skeletons as well)

look, I get it...people hate Tiger. I see a guy who is actually just really really socially awkward...and with a ton of issues. Reading the article gives a lot of insights into why

and the whole diner check thing...i agree that on its face, its dooshey...but maybe he just wanted to be treated like one of the guys? it must suck going through life with EVERYONE thinking you're going to pay for EVERYTHING, all the time cause your absurdly rich. i am not defending what he did, but sometimes things aren't so black and white. and I think that's one of the themes the writer was trying to get across

but I know this will fall mostly on deaf ears, because people just generally love to hate Tiger since his fall from grace

Great post. If you read the article, which is actually pretty good as a bio piece, you come out of it actually feeling a bit sorry for a guy most would say had everything, at least on the surface. An intensely private and essentially lonely guy, who was ill-prepared for the fame and attention. It's interesting to see how he went from a guy who "threw it all away" to a guy who is apparently an incredibly devoted stay-at-home dad for his two kids. He's repeated the sins of his father, but has also become a great father. I never really rooted for him when he was on top, because he always seemed like a dick and it all came so easily to him, but having seen what he's been through (much of his own doing, but not all), I might now root for him to at least get one more major.

Yes, he may have stiffed some Navy guys for a cheap dinner, but he anonymously donates millions, so I'm guessing that diner story is more about Tiger just wanting to be one of the guys. I have a friend, who I shared an office with in the early 90s, who later went on to serious fortune after getting his MBA, and being in the right place at the right time, becoming the 3rd employee in a company that he helped build into a 1000 person company - when the company went public, he made 9 figures. Even though he's filthy rich, when the two of us or our small group of friends go out to eat/hang, we split the bill - none of us would have it any other way. Him treating wouldn't change our lives, materially, and he knows he can still just be one of the guys with us.

 

[kupuna133]

I love when people form an opinion on a celebrity based on what thier friend's, nephew told them.

The mark of a great man is not how he treats his peers and bosses, its how he treats he treats his reports, administrative staff, the guy who makes his sandwich at the deli, etc - ie the people he does not have to treat well but does any way.

In that game Tiger loses and Phil wins. Its not even close.

I assume that was directed at me. I did say I do not have a horse in the game. I personally like Phil. Have met he and his wife on three separate occasions and he was always nice and personable to me. The comment I made was based solely on him not being liked by his peers.

 

[PhDKnight]

I assume that was directed at me. I did say I do not have a horse in the game. I personally like Phil. Have met he and his wife on three separate occasions and he was always nice and personable to me. The comment I made was based solely on him not being liked by his peers.

Fair enough. I have found that many of your peers will dislike you if you are the well spoken media darling in your industry (Phil). In my world people love to hate Craig Venter. It is basically jealousy. However, those same people admire the person who is singularly great, but socially awkward (Tiger) because it makes them feel better about themselves (I am not great but look how weird you have to be to be great).

 

[chase07470]

I covered golf for the Associate Press between 1995 and 2000 and interacted with both of these guys dozens and dozens of times. The urge to put a black hat on one and a white hat on the other is a bit too cut and dry, imo. Truth is, both, in different ways, are extremely eccentric characters who today, are genuinely good people at heart.

In the 1990's, before the major championships, a family, his wife having breast cancer and figuring out that the more he smiled and waved, the more money sponsors would pay him, Mickelson was not well liked on tour. He had no friends, keeping to Bones and his wife, his agent and that was it. He's a guy who would pontificate on topics like politics and the environment and when you listen to him, you realize what a complete whack job of a brain he has working for him. He always had a ton of talent, won a Tour event as an amateur and carried himself like a major champion from the get go and it rubbed people the wrong way. There wasn't a lot to like and he didn't really try, either.

But he's grown as a person since then and now the young guys love him. He's an eccentric old veteran who plays for $50g's, puts $200g's down on football games and hands out $100's money to anyone who does anything for him. He's been a great family man and has really nailed the superstar to fan interaction. His popularity has soared and so has his bank account. But I think he genuinely loves the roe of politician/back slapper. It comes easy to him. This was not something he was doing a lot of in the 90's. Good for him, he grew, learned and became a better person.

I talked at length with Earl Woods on a number of occasions. Deeply suspicious, enemies around every corner, unnecessarily paranoid, etc. But the guy was a special forces op in the jungles of Vietnam. That does something to you. He was also a black man coming of age in a time when racism was a lot more prevalent and out in the open. That was who he was and that influenced his sons views on the world more than anything else.

As good of a job as Earl Woods did honing his sons talent to dominate the sport of golf, he didn't prepare him at all on how to handle what came with it and I don't know if anyone could have. The level of fame that kid reached after winning the Masters in 1997 was of Elvis proportions. I saw on numerous occasions, him and his agent literally having to fight there way out of press rooms as the crush of local and national TV cameras, reporters and producers would jam the aisle he was meant to walk out of. The galleries were incredible, stampeding from hole to hole, he was like a rock star on a golf course and he hated every minute of it. The first time I interviewed him in Las Vegas before the 1996 tournament, he told me he wished he could just play golf and be left alone. He hated all the interactions that came with getting from his car to the tee and consequently, put up an armor that walled everyone out. It comes across as rude and on many levels, it is. But to deal with what he was dealing with and do it like Phil does it, it would take a Bill Clinton, a guy who just gets off on being with crowds of people, shaking hands, holding baby's up for pictures. Tiger Woods couldn't be further from that guy.

But one on one, he was funny as hell, extremely quick witted, if you left yourself open, he'd launch the zinger quicker than you realized you had set yourself up for it. He made friends on Tour in the way that he'd bust balls on the tee or putting green. He earned a lot of points by managing his game to try an alleviate the stampede as much as possible by marking his ball before putting out so his playing partner could putt without the commotion. So, there wast a lot to not like about him.

Everyone knew what he was dealing with and empathized with how difficult it must be. Understood he had enough on his plate just dealing with it and they respected the hell out of him as a golfer, obviously. He had no enemies and wasn't looking for any. It's just a shame he wasn't able to enjoy it a bit, like Phil or Arnold but he is much more like Hogan, only funnier and more irreverent.

He seems to stay close with people he met before the fame. The Stanford guys, childhood buddies...everyone that came after seems to be expendable to him. But as a natural loner, with two kids and a handful of friends, I think that's all he really wants in his life.

So, root for both of them, I do.

 

[kupuna133]

Fair enough. I have found that many of your peers will dislike you if you are the well spoken media darling in your industry (Phil). In my world people love to hate Craig Venter. It is basically jealousy. However, those same people admire the person who is singularly great, but socially awkward (Tiger) because it makes them feel better about themselves (I am not great but look how weird you have to be to be great).

Agreed. Very well said. That was more to my point. The general population seems to like Phil but his peers had this love/hate relationship with him. T

 

[Abro1975]

I covered golf for the Associate Press between 1995 and 2000 and interacted with both of these guys dozens and dozens of times. The urge to put a black hat on one and a white hat on the other is a bit too cut and dry, imo. Truth is, both, in different ways, are extremely eccentric characters who today, are genuinely good people at heart.

In the 1990's, before the major championships, a family, his wife having breast cancer and figuring out that the more he smiled and waved, the more money sponsors would pay him, Mickelson was not well liked on tour. He had no friends, keeping to Bones and his wife, his agent and that was it. He's a guy who would pontificate on topics like politics and the environment and when you listen to him, you realize what a complete whack job of a brain he has working for him. He always had a ton of talent, won a Tour event as an amateur and carried himself like a major champion from the get go and it rubbed people the wrong way. There wasn't a lot to like and he didn't really try, either.

But he's grown as a person since then and now the young guys love him. He's an eccentric old veteran who plays for $50g's, puts $200g's down on football games and hands out $100's money to anyone who does anything for him. He's been a great family man and has really nailed the superstar to fan interaction. His popularity has soared and so has his bank account. But I think he genuinely loves the roe of politician/back slapper. It comes easy to him. This was not something he was doing a lot of in the 90's. Good for him, he grew, learned and became a better person.

I talked at length with Earl Woods on a number of occasions. Deeply suspicious, enemies around every corner, unnecessarily paranoid, etc. But the guy was a special forces op in the jungles of Vietnam. That does something to you. He was also a black man coming of age in a time when racism was a lot more prevalent and out in the open. That was who he was and that influenced his sons views on the world more than anything else.

As good of a job as Earl Woods did honing his sons talent to dominate the sport of golf, he didn't prepare him at all on how to handle what came with it and I don't know if anyone could have. The level of fame that kid reached after winning the Masters in 1997 was of Elvis proportions. I saw on numerous occasions, him and his agent literally having to fight there way out of press rooms as the crush of local and national TV cameras, reporters and producers would jam the aisle he was meant to walk out of. The galleries were incredible, stampeding from hole to hole, he was like a rock star on a golf course and he hated every minute of it. The first time I interviewed him in Las Vegas before the 1996 tournament, he told me he wished he could just play golf and be left alone. He hated all the interactions that came with getting from his car to the tee and consequently, put up an armor that walled everyone out. It comes across as rude and on many levels, it is. But to deal with what he was dealing with and do it like Phil does it, it would take a Bill Clinton, a guy who just gets off on being with crowds of people, shaking hands, holding baby's up for pictures. Tiger Woods couldn't be further from that guy.

But one on one, he was funny as hell, extremely quick witted, if you left yourself open, he'd launch the zinger quicker than you realized you had set yourself up for it. He made friends on Tour in the way that he'd bust balls on the tee or putting green. He earned a lot of points by managing his game to try an alleviate the stampede as much as possible by marking his ball before putting out so his playing partner could putt without the commotion. So, there wast a lot to not like about him.

Everyone knew what he was dealing with and empathized with how difficult it must be. Understood he had enough on his plate just dealing with it and they respected the hell out of him as a golfer, obviously. He had no enemies and wasn't looking for any. It's just a shame he wasn't able to enjoy it a bit, like Phil or Arnold but he is much more like Hogan, only funnier and more irreverent.

He seems to stay close with people he met before the fame. The Stanford guys, childhood buddies...everyone that came after seems to be expendable to him. But as a natural loner, with two kids and a handful of friends, I think that's all he really wants in his life.

So, root for both of them, I do.

That was a terrific read. Thanks for sharing.

 

[SirScarlet]

There is not a single justifiable reason for not picking up the check for dinner with a group of SEALS under any circumstance if you are Tiger Woods or if you are me period.

These SEALS were taking time out of their training to take him on jumps and teach him combat technique and he does not pick up dinner for guys that do the dirty work so the rest of us can pretend like we have clean hands and you stiff them on dinner! F you, Tiger Woods.

I just gave you a justifiable reason. Is it possible tigers cheap. Yes. Then you can hang your vitriol out in full glory

But how do you know for sure he wasn't trying to just be one of the guys. You don't

 

[Knightmoves]

I covered golf for the Associate Press between 1995 and 2000 and interacted with both of these guys dozens and dozens of times. The urge to put a black hat on one and a white hat on the other is a bit too cut and dry, imo. Truth is, both, in different ways, are extremely eccentric characters who today, are genuinely good people at heart.

In the 1990's, before the major championships, a family, his wife having breast cancer and figuring out that the more he smiled and waved, the more money sponsors would pay him, Mickelson was not well liked on tour. He had no friends, keeping to Bones and his wife, his agent and that was it. He's a guy who would pontificate on topics like politics and the environment and when you listen to him, you realize what a complete whack job of a brain he has working for him. He always had a ton of talent, won a Tour event as an amateur and carried himself like a major champion from the get go and it rubbed people the wrong way. There wasn't a lot to like and he didn't really try, either.

But he's grown as a person since then and now the young guys love him. He's an eccentric old veteran who plays for $50g's, puts $200g's down on football games and hands out $100's money to anyone who does anything for him. He's been a great family man and has really nailed the superstar to fan interaction. His popularity has soared and so has his bank account. But I think he genuinely loves the roe of politician/back slapper. It comes easy to him. This was not something he was doing a lot of in the 90's. Good for him, he grew, learned and became a better person.

I talked at length with Earl Woods on a number of occasions. Deeply suspicious, enemies around every corner, unnecessarily paranoid, etc. But the guy was a special forces op in the jungles of Vietnam. That does something to you. He was also a black man coming of age in a time when racism was a lot more prevalent and out in the open. That was who he was and that influenced his sons views on the world more than anything else.

As good of a job as Earl Woods did honing his sons talent to dominate the sport of golf, he didn't prepare him at all on how to handle what came with it and I don't know if anyone could have. The level of fame that kid reached after winning the Masters in 1997 was of Elvis proportions. I saw on numerous occasions, him and his agent literally having to fight there way out of press rooms as the crush of local and national TV cameras, reporters and producers would jam the aisle he was meant to walk out of. The galleries were incredible, stampeding from hole to hole, he was like a rock star on a golf course and he hated every minute of it. The first time I interviewed him in Las Vegas before the 1996 tournament, he told me he wished he could just play golf and be left alone. He hated all the interactions that came with getting from his car to the tee and consequently, put up an armor that walled everyone out. It comes across as rude and on many levels, it is. But to deal with what he was dealing with and do it like Phil does it, it would take a Bill Clinton, a guy who just gets off on being with crowds of people, shaking hands, holding baby's up for pictures. Tiger Woods couldn't be further from that guy.

But one on one, he was funny as hell, extremely quick witted, if you left yourself open, he'd launch the zinger quicker than you realized you had set yourself up for it. He made friends on Tour in the way that he'd bust balls on the tee or putting green. He earned a lot of points by managing his game to try an alleviate the stampede as much as possible by marking his ball before putting out so his playing partner could putt without the commotion. So, there wast a lot to not like about him.

Everyone knew what he was dealing with and empathized with how difficult it must be. Understood he had enough on his plate just dealing with it and they respected the hell out of him as a golfer, obviously. He had no enemies and wasn't looking for any. It's just a shame he wasn't able to enjoy it a bit, like Phil or Arnold but he is much more like Hogan, only funnier and more irreverent.

He seems to stay close with people he met before the fame. The Stanford guys, childhood buddies...everyone that came after seems to be expendable to him. But as a natural loner, with two kids and a handful of friends, I think that's all he really wants in his life.

So, root for both of them, I do.

Best post in the thread. Beats the hell out of what Whitebus is trying to sell without success based on what he has allegedly read on the internet.

Both Tiger and Phil have evolved during their careers in different ways. I wonder if Phil changed once he and his wife had serious medical issues ? Each has had a huge impact on golf as a spectator sport.

 

[RU85inFla]

I live in Ponte Vedra FL and a bunch of my buddies work for the PGA tour. Their general opinion is that tiger is an ass. Every year at the Players Championship there is a post tournament party for the volunteers. Every Champion comes by. Tiger for 60 seconds most for hours. Just reality.

 

[RU31trap]

Tiger deserves a tremendous amount of credit for bringing excitement to the game of golf. People were fixated to the TV screen in his epic battles with Chris DeMarco or Rocco Mediate (sp). Or winning the US Open at Pebble Beach by 14 or 15 strokes. When Tiger was on he was the best golfer of all time, and during his reign of superiority he put the fear of God in other players. People say that he only has 14 Majors to J. Nicklaus 18 majors, I say, if his life didn't implode he would have won over 20 majors.

There is much more to Tiger's saga than meets the eye. You cannot have unprotected sex with porn stars, call girls and a host of other women of ill repute without consequences. In the end, any serious discussion about Tiger Woods will always have a final chapter that's sad and disappointing.

 

[knightfan7]

Tiger deserves a tremendous amount of credit for bringing excitement to the game of golf. People were fixated to the TV screen in his epic battles with Chris DeMarco or Rocco Mediate (sp). Or winning the US Open at Pebble Beach by 14 or 15 strokes. When Tiger was on he was the best golfer of all time, and during his reign of superiority he put the fear of God in other players. People say that he only has 14 Majors to J. Nicklaus 18 majors, I say, if his life didn't implode he would have won over 20 majors.

There is much more to Tiger's saga than meets the eye. You cannot have unprotected sex with porn stars, call girls and a host of other women of ill repute without consequences. In the end, any serious discussion about Tiger Woods will always have a final chapter that's sad and disappointing.

And Rocco Mediate wouldn't spit on Tiger if he was on fire. Not for the loss at the Open but because of the way he treated him after.

 

[patk89]

I covered golf for the Associate Press between 1995 and 2000 and interacted with both of these guys dozens and dozens of times. The urge to put a black hat on one and a white hat on the other is a bit too cut and dry, imo. Truth is, both, in different ways, are extremely eccentric characters who today, are genuinely good people at heart.

In the 1990's, before the major championships, a family, his wife having breast cancer and figuring out that the more he smiled and waved, the more money sponsors would pay him, Mickelson was not well liked on tour. He had no friends, keeping to Bones and his wife, his agent and that was it. He's a guy who would pontificate on topics like politics and the environment and when you listen to him, you realize what a complete whack job of a brain he has working for him. He always had a ton of talent, won a Tour event as an amateur and carried himself like a major champion from the get go and it rubbed people the wrong way. There wasn't a lot to like and he didn't really try, either.

But he's grown as a person since then and now the young guys love him. He's an eccentric old veteran who plays for $50g's, puts $200g's down on football games and hands out $100's money to anyone who does anything for him. He's been a great family man and has really nailed the superstar to fan interaction. His popularity has soared and so has his bank account. But I think he genuinely loves the roe of politician/back slapper. It comes easy to him. This was not something he was doing a lot of in the 90's. Good for him, he grew, learned and became a better person.

I talked at length with Earl Woods on a number of occasions. Deeply suspicious, enemies around every corner, unnecessarily paranoid, etc. But the guy was a special forces op in the jungles of Vietnam. That does something to you. He was also a black man coming of age in a time when racism was a lot more prevalent and out in the open. That was who he was and that influenced his sons views on the world more than anything else.

As good of a job as Earl Woods did honing his sons talent to dominate the sport of golf, he didn't prepare him at all on how to handle what came with it and I don't know if anyone could have. The level of fame that kid reached after winning the Masters in 1997 was of Elvis proportions. I saw on numerous occasions, him and his agent literally having to fight there way out of press rooms as the crush of local and national TV cameras, reporters and producers would jam the aisle he was meant to walk out of. The galleries were incredible, stampeding from hole to hole, he was like a rock star on a golf course and he hated every minute of it. The first time I interviewed him in Las Vegas before the 1996 tournament, he told me he wished he could just play golf and be left alone. He hated all the interactions that came with getting from his car to the tee and consequently, put up an armor that walled everyone out. It comes across as rude and on many levels, it is. But to deal with what he was dealing with and do it like Phil does it, it would take a Bill Clinton, a guy who just gets off on being with crowds of people, shaking hands, holding baby's up for pictures. Tiger Woods couldn't be further from that guy.

But one on one, he was funny as hell, extremely quick witted, if you left yourself open, he'd launch the zinger quicker than you realized you had set yourself up for it. He made friends on Tour in the way that he'd bust balls on the tee or putting green. He earned a lot of points by managing his game to try an alleviate the stampede as much as possible by marking his ball before putting out so his playing partner could putt without the commotion. So, there wast a lot to not like about him.

Everyone knew what he was dealing with and empathized with how difficult it must be. Understood he had enough on his plate just dealing with it and they respected the hell out of him as a golfer, obviously. He had no enemies and wasn't looking for any. It's just a shame he wasn't able to enjoy it a bit, like Phil or Arnold but he is much more like Hogan, only funnier and more irreverent.

He seems to stay close with people he met before the fame. The Stanford guys, childhood buddies...everyone that came after seems to be expendable to him. But as a natural loner, with two kids and a handful of friends, I think that's all he really wants in his life.

So, root for both of them, I do.

Good read and realize that you interacted with him prior to his very public implosion/infidelity. But he lost legions of fans as a result of what he did and how he did it. Young kids at home and a beautiful wife. He had everything and threw much of it away. Maybe easy for me to say and there is no way to know how any of us would have handled the extreme fame that he achieved, but he seems to be a very damaged person.

 

[RUEd]

And Rocco Mediate wouldn't spit on Tiger if he was on fire. Not for the loss at the Open but because of the way he treated him after.

On another note, not about Phil or Tiger but Greg Norman. My good friend went to school in Florida and worked maintenance at sawgrass at times. Said Norman would be in his motor home and offer cases of beer, you guessed it, Fosters, to the personnel and "shoot the shit" with the guys. This is when he was top in the world. Anyway...

 

[chase07470]

Good read and realize that you interacted with him prior to his very public implosion/infidelity. But he lost legions of fans as a result of what he did and how he did it. Young kids at home and a beautiful wife. He had everything and threw much of it away. Maybe easy for me to say and there is no way to know how any of us would have handled the extreme fame that he achieved, but he seems to be a very damaged person.

Too bad that had he hadn't connected with Jordan and Jeter before he got married. If he had, he never would have gotten married. He simply would have been Derek Jeter, flying around, connecting with connectors in every town to get him women. That's the way that works. There's a whole network out there of women who will sleep with celebrities because they're into it and publicists and I use that term loosely, who set it all up with a single phone call. Jeter plugged Tiger right in and away he went, wife and kids be damned. I guess after giving up his youth to golf, it was just too much of a temptation despite what he had to lose and what he did lose.

About the only redeeming thing you can say about it all was aside from never giving any of the women money (notoriously cheap), they all had nothing but nice things to say about the way he treated them. It's rarely mentioned. Can you imagine if they all hated him and had stories about what an abusive prick he was?

 

[tychicus]

heard he just registered for the US OPEN

 

[czxqa]

I would go mustard with salami personally. That being said, mayo is essential for any poultry on a sandwich, as well as any type of salad sandwich (tuna, etc.)

Roast beef sub with horseradish mayo and provolone.

 

[RUScrew85]

As an assistant pro back in the day. I could make good money by being a caddie for US Open qualifiers, Met Opens, and a rare local PGA Qualifiers. Some famous players, some local heros and one of the best RU players of my age.
Most local famous story was were I was a caddie for a US Open Qualifier for Gary Ostrega. He was tied with 6 golfers for 2 spots. He hits his drive on the 2nd playoff hole and his ball explodes internally. Looked like a football. Has to get it to the green before he can replace it and hits a great shot to just makes the green. Two others make a birdie. Gary is a jerk but refused to blame his ball was the reason he failed to make the Open. For good reason.

I didn't know you were a Pro. What's your handicap these days?

 

[ruhudsonfan]

There is not a single justifiable reason for not picking up the check for dinner with a group of SEALS under any circumstance if you are Tiger Woods or if you are me period.

These SEALS were taking time out of their training to take him on jumps and teach him combat technique and he does not pick up dinner for guys that do the dirty work so the rest of us can pretend like we have clean hands and you stiff them on dinner! F you, Tiger Woods.

There are about 5 guys who hang out on this forum that should re-read this post...

hahahahahahahahah

 

[RU4Real]

There are about 5 guys who hang out on this forum that should re-read this post...

hahahahahahahahah

I'm sorry, can you point to a time when you were stuck with the check?

And the whole sirloin for the '14 UM game doesn't count - you lost that bet, fair and square. Also, I invited the entertainment.

 

[ruhudsonfan]

I'm sorry, can you point to a time when you were stuck with the check?

And the whole sirloin for the '14 UM game doesn't count - you lost that bet, fair and square. Also, I invited the entertainment.

you call THAT entertainment?

and I'm highlighting the first part...that I shouldn't have to ever pay...hahaha

and you were AWOL for this years holiday get together at which a certain friend of ours was draining $30 scotches like they were Tijuana firewater and then we split the check 6 ways, when I had a f@cking iced tea...lol

 

[RU4Real]

you call THAT entertainment?

and I'm highlighting the first part...that I shouldn't have to ever pay...hahaha

and you were AWOL for this years holiday get together at which a certain friend of ours was draining $30 scotches like they were Tijuana firewater and then we split the check 6 ways, when I had a f@cking iced tea...lol

I remember the story. I think that's what happens when you open the books. llo

 

[oldtimer67]

Phil is one of the most popular guys on the tour. His practice games are epic. Tiger has had maybe a dozen guys who liked him and most don't anymore. My sources are easily found on the internet.
Do you ever wonder why his coaches, his caddies and ex friends never defend him anymore. Mark O'meara his best friend in his early years doesn't even talk with him anymore. Tiger has jettison everyone that was considered a friend. He doesn't take anyone's calls.

See the bolded quote above. This is just a small part of the crap in this thread. See the linked article for what is really up with Tiger.

http://espn.go.com/golf/story/_/id/15357304/tiger-woods-feels-pretty-good-playing-first-holes-2016

" Tiger Woods played what he said were his first holes of golf on Monday since competing in the Wyndham Championship in August, a casual five holes with buddy Mark O'Meara at Bluejack National Golf Club."

 

[patk89]

Too bad that had he hadn't connected with Jordan and Jeter before he got married. If he had, he never would have gotten married. He simply would have been Derek Jeter, flying around, connecting with connectors in every town to get him women. That's the way that works. There's a whole network out there of women who will sleep with celebrities because they're into it and publicists and I use that term loosely, who set it all up with a single phone call. Jeter plugged Tiger right in and away he went, wife and kids be damned. I guess after giving up his youth to golf, it was just too much of a temptation despite what he had to lose and what he did lose.

About the only redeeming thing you can say about it all was aside from never giving any of the women money (notoriously cheap), they all had nothing but nice things to say about the way he treated them. It's rarely mentioned. Can you imagine if they all hated him and had stories about what an abusive prick he was?

That was what was really weird about this situation. Jeter, to my knowledge, has never been linked to 2nd rate porn stars and professional escorts like those that emerged in the Tiger scandal. Jeter generally dated actresses and really beautiful classy women. I'm sure he could go to a club in NYC any night and have the hottest women chase after him without involving publicists or pre-arranging anything. He was smart not to get married young, no doubt. Jordan really got forced into marriage and I'm sure regretted it but kept his image clean and eventually got divorced. Tiger, on the other hand, seemed to be associated with a different class of women. I assumed he paid to have the professional escort fly to Australia to be with him. He paid mucho money to kept all these skanks from selling their stories to the press. Cheap as he was he paid dearly. There were also rampant rumors that he treated these "escorts" very poorly. Why couldn't he have just gone out and taken home the pick of the litter whenever he wanted to? He was one of the most famous people on the planet. I don't think someone like Matt Harvey (famous but not anything close to Tiger Woods famous) needs a whole lot of help to hook up. Normal women had to be approaching Tiger on a regular basis. Why not them?

 

[knightfan7]

heard he just registered for the US OPEN

It's just a procedural thing. Registration closes in a day or two so he had to if there is even a slight chance he'll play. Remember, he didn't formally withdraw from the Masters until the Monday of Masters week.

 

[chase07470]

It's just a procedural thing. Registration closes in a day or two so he had to if there is even a slight chance he'll play. Remember, he didn't formally withdraw from the Masters until the Monday of Masters week.

Video of his swing from yesterday at a course opening, all over the internet. He sure doesn't look anywhere close to playing in a US Open.

 

[chase07470]

That was what was really weird about this situation. Jeter, to my knowledge, has never been linked to 2nd rate porn stars and professional escorts like those that emerged in the Tiger scandal. Jeter generally dated actresses and really beautiful classy women. I'm sure he could go to a club in NYC any night and have the hottest women chase after him without involving publicists or pre-arranging anything. He was smart not to get married young, no doubt. Jordan really got forced into marriage and I'm sure regretted it but kept his image clean and eventually got divorced. Tiger, on the other hand, seemed to be associated with a different class of women. I assumed he paid to have the professional escort fly to Australia to be with him. He paid mucho money to kept all these skanks from selling their stories to the press. Cheap as he was he paid dearly. There were also rampant rumors that he treated these "escorts" very poorly. Why couldn't he have just gone out and taken home the pick of the litter whenever he wanted to? He was one of the most famous people on the planet. I don't think someone like Matt Harvey (famous but not anything close to Tiger Woods famous) needs a whole lot of help to hook up. Normal women had to be approaching Tiger on a regular basis. Why not them?

It seemed like most of Tiger's mistresses had Vegas connections, one way or the other. There were two or three porn stars and the rest were waitresses/third rate models. He wasn't finding them on his own at clubs, maybe hoping because they were so "experienced" it was less likely they would out him in a rage after being dumped.

A lot of them did talk and none said he treated them poorly beyond not giving them cash and wanting to sext all the time. If I missed a story, feel free to post but Howard Stern had three of them on his radio show and Tiger came off looking like a decent guy. Sure it's on youtube.

As for Jeter, we know about the GF's he wants us to know about. Lord knows how many others there were, likely into the 1,000's. Not being married meant there was no story there and no reason for the media pay the money it took to get all of Tiger's women to talk and go public. Better that way, I prefer remembering him jumping high, backwards in the hole and making the throw to first.

But all in all, I think with Tiger, he's obviously a golfing prodigy but also a bit dense and naive. His life would have been so much better if he could have just come to terms with the public responsibility of his fame, been a good soldier, done the media with a smile, signed a few autographs and handled it. His career would have been so much better if he didn't constantly and inexplicably try to change a swing that had him delivering titles at a rate that surpassed anyone in golfing history. And obviously the whole mess with the women is almost beyond comprehension on the stupidity meter.

The guy has serious flaws but he's also a funny character who is instantly likable once he starts with the ribbing and the joking and definitely not this dark, brooding guy. He's cranky on the golf course but that's just grinding.

And in the end, Tiger did the one thing in golf that's most admired and that's control his nerves in the biggest championship situations and deliver dramatic, winning golf in every conceivable way way you can do that. As a golf fan, it's impossible to not look at that, realize how special he was and appreciate him for it. The rest of the stuff is just extremely unfortunate but it is what it is.

 

[RUScrew85]

you call THAT entertainment?

and I'm highlighting the first part...that I shouldn't have to ever pay...hahaha

and you were AWOL for this years holiday get together at which a certain friend of ours was draining $30 scotches like they were Tijuana firewater and then we split the check 6 ways, when I had a f@cking iced tea...lol

Yeah you got hosed. LOL. Or you could start drinking like a sailor.

 

[WhiteBus]

See the bolded quote above. This is just a small part of the crap in this thread. See the linked article for what is really up with Tiger.

http://espn.go.com/golf/story/_/id/15357304/tiger-woods-feels-pretty-good-playing-first-holes-2016

" Tiger Woods played what he said were his first holes of golf on Monday since competing in the Wyndham Championship in August, a casual five holes with buddy Mark O'Meara at Bluejack National Golf Club."

You do realize they didn't talk for years? There not "buddys". Mark O'Meara has admitted that things are not the same as when Tiger first came on tour. They used to house together at tournaments. It all ended abruptly when he crashed into that tree. Do some research.