Sports
 

An empty Tiger cage draws a crowd at PGA zoo

By Barrett Goldsmith
The Daily Cougar

Here's an experiment to try. 

While talking with a group of sports fans, report or comment about the results of a PGA Tour event without mentioning how well Tiger Woods performed. 

I'd wager $100 of pretend money that, within 20 seconds, you will hear this phrase verbatim: "How'd Tiger do?" 

Few people ever really "explode onto the scene" or "burst into the national spotlight," but Woods' entry into professional golf nearly a decade ago created a blast that could be seen and heard around the world, and which created a fundamental shift in the dynamics of the PGA Tour. 

The effects of that shift are more evident now than when the dust first settled. Woods' arrival did wonders for the popularity, intrigue and diversity of professional golf. Here was a young, multi-ethnic kid whipping the starched pants off a bunch of old, rich white guys. 

The PGA Tour was suddenly hip again, as it hadn't been since Arnie and Jack were dazzling crowds and grabbing headlines. Golf was getting the same airtime on Sportscenter as the NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball. Television ratings swelled, spectators swarmed outside the ropes and tour purses ripped at the seams. 

And here we are in the summer of 2004, a year that has seen some of the best PGA finishes, most intriguing stories and finest performances in recent memory. 

But no one is watching. 

Attendance is down, TV ratings are way down and media coverage has been thin, even at the majors. The reason is pretty simple: Tiger isn't sharpening his paws. 

Woods hasn't won a tournament or contended in a major for more than two years, and he doesn't seem to care. Newly engaged and living off the fat of endorsements and special appearances, Tiger doesn't have much fuel for the competitive fire that once burned so brightly.

That's not to say he doesn't want to win -- witness his frustration on the golf course -- but Woods is certainly not playing at the level we've seen him in years past. When Tiger is on his game, he is better than any athlete in any major sport in the world, period. 

Whatever the reason, his heart or his shoes, Tiger's still there, hogging the news. What little coverage golf receives now is mostly dedicated to videos of Tiger slamming his clubs down or making angry faces. Million-dollar smile or no, Woods shouldn't get so much face time when there's a tournament going on somewhere else on the course. 

I would love to see Tiger regain his old form and start winning tournaments, and the PGA Tour is crossing its fingers for that as well. For now, we have to sit through the endless "Tiger trying to find his game" stories and "what's wrong" segments on Sportscenter. 

Phil Mickelson, Retief Goosen, John Daly and Vijay Singh now know what it's like to play the Lakers or race against Smarty Jones. You can't win, you can only keep someone else from winning.

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