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The Official Tiger Woods Thread

If missing Tiger for a short time costs them that much money I'm sure they are hoping one of the big stars steps it up and starts to play like the old Tiger, otherwise once Tiger retires they could lose some sponsors and TV money.
 
ddec said:
I read that last night. Crazy to think that 1 golfer can impact the bottom line that much.
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I did as well, but dont buy it. Huge impact, without question (see NBA when Jordan went and sucked at baseball). But there is more to it, but nobody wants to dissect it. Why have other events with no Tiger been down this year as well? Meaning the events he never plays in? Without question when he is there (and playing moderately well), it brings fans, but all golf has been down and that is not the Tiger effect. That is a country with some issues both financially and weather.
 
Just read the article. Interesting read and its without a doubt Tiger moves the needle. To think one person can mean that much to s sport is crazy
 
I've been thinking about that tank in the numbers for a couple days. So is there a player, or even group of players, that can maintain the level of exposure golf currently enjoys when Tiger is completely out of the picture? The NBA experienced this after MJ retired for years. Any time a player showed franchise potential, the MJ comparisons would start. Harold Miner (baby Jordan), Anfernee Hardaway, Vince Carter; the list goes on for miles of players that at one point were donned the next MJ, hoping to spur the same MJ level interest in the league. That didn't really happen until Lebron came in the league, which was about 7 years after MJ's last championship.

IMO, Spieth is the only one I see that has the potential to generate anything close to it. Maybe Rory, but I don't know if I see that fierce competitive motivation necessary to stay dominant like you saw/see with Tiger and MJ. I see it in Spieth, but then again, let's see how he does once the real big money endorsements are coming in.

I know a lot of pundits are predicting golf regresses to a boutique sport again once Tiger is no longer playing, but I think that's not necessarily true. Someone will come along with incredible talent and an insane amount of drive and competitiveness, along with a compelling personality, to throw down some serious wins and get the average public intrigued. It just might take a while until we see it again.
 
You've got to take that number with a truckload of salt.
 
JB said:
Without question when he is there (and playing moderately well), it brings fans, but all golf has been down and that is not the Tiger effect. That is a country with some issues both financially and weather.
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I think people forget that most of the country is still trying to build their houses financially speaking. This has hurt golf more & you are right, if they pulled back a few more layers of the onion it would show.

I haven't read the article yet & will shortly, but was this directly a tv viewership & commercial $$ being down, or golf as a whole?
 
Put Tiger on the mic while he's injured and see what he brings to tv $$'s from a different direction.
 
JB said:
I did as well, but dont buy it. Huge impact, without question (see NBA when Jordan went and sucked at baseball). But there is more to it, but nobody wants to dissect it. Why have other events with no Tiger been down this year as well? Meaning the events he never plays in? Without question when he is there (and playing moderately well), it brings fans, but all golf has been down and that is not the Tiger effect. That is a country with some issues both financially and weather.
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Honestly, I think the new wrap around schedule is a factor in the lower numbers as well. Average Joe is turning on the tv and is getting more tournaments like the Valero, where guys like Loupe are taking 20 minutes to tap in a five foot putt, or like the McGaldrey Classic, where he doesn't recognize any of the names, and is changing the channel. Although someone like me can't get enough golf, I'd say that too many of these minor tournaments are actually hurting the numbers of the bigger tourneys because most people are lumping them into one group. For example, I like watching tennis, but if every time I started watching tennis it was two no names that couldn't rally for more than a few hits, I'd start thinking that's how tennis is now and would watch less of it altogether.
 
I don't see how that adds up. Tv contracts are negotiated years in advance, so they're not losing money that way. This time of year he plays maybe 4 events prior to the US Open anyway so it's not like he's dominating the tv.
 
Mward said:
I don't see how that adds up. Tv contracts are negotiated years in advance, so they're not losing money that way. This time of year he plays maybe 4 events prior to the US Open anyway so it's not like he's dominating the tv.
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You are correct, the effect will be felt in the next contract if the value of the sport is considered lower, a lot of money will be lost. The cost to produce golf is insane, so with that you'll see less tournaments on TV along with less value in the ad dollar.
Love it or hate it, the value of golf to broadcasters is currently Tiger Woods. Without him someone really special, hopefully Spieth, really needs to come along.

Someone mentioned this before but if Tiger Woods held a monthly press conference from his home it would likely receive a higher viewership than some tournaments in whole. Not to mention live on sportscenter and all that.

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Tiger Woods has progressed to the point of "light" chipping and putting and there have been "zero" setbacks or complications since back surgery was performed on March 31, according to the golfer's agent, Mark Steinberg.

Woods had a surgery called microdiscectomy to alleviate a pinched nerve that caused him distress at his last two tournaments and forced him to miss the Masters for the first time in 20 years. Steinberg said then the hope was for Woods to return sometime this summer and he didn't waver from that in a telephone interview Wednesday.

"He's doing a little bit more and more each day," Steinberg told ESPN.com. "He's getting to the point of light chipping and putting and the doctors and trainers seem to be pleased with where he is. He is on schedule but we don't know what that schedule means. I don't know when he intends to be playing competitively.

"But I expect it to be this summer. I know that's a wide range, but as the weeks go by we'll be able to pinpoint an approximate time. It's still a little early for that. Nothing that has gone on from the day of the surgery until today gives me any pause to amend what I said then. I know that's broad and vague but we can't pinpoint a specific time until we're further along."

Woods, 38, played in just four tournaments this year with the first signs of trouble emerging at the Honda Classic on March 2. It was during the final round that his back started bothering him, and Woods withdrew after 13 holes.

A week later he competed in the WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral, shooting a third-round 66 to get into contention. But the back issues surfaced again during the final round, and although Woods finished, he shot 78 and didn't make a birdie.

That round was on March 9 and he hasn't played since.

Woods subsequently skipped his title defense at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, then announced a week prior to the Masters that he'd be missing the tournament he's won four times due to the back surgery.

"The level of discomfort he was in prior to having this was incredibly high," Steinberg said. "That pain went away close to right after the surgery. The pain was mostly from the surgery itself. But the pain he was in and causing him to force the surgery is gone."

Woods would appear to be in a similar situation he faced in 2011, when knee and Achilles injuries caused him to miss most of four months, including two major championships.

That year, Woods came back a month after the Masters and withdrew after nine holes at the Players Championship, saying later he was too hasty in his efforts to get back. Steinberg said that would not be the case with this recovery.

"I've seen a very responsible approach to getting back," Steinberg said. "This is about the next 10 or 15 years, this is not about the next 10 weeks. This is not about targeting any specific tournament. If he needs to wait one or two or three extra weeks he will. He's thinking about this very, very long term."

Woods was the PGA Tour player of the year in 2013, when he won five times. He missed a title defense at the Arnold Palmer tournament and will again in two weeks when the Players Championship is contested without him.


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Well after reading that I am happy he his getting alot of time with his kids and being there for them. And it seem's like he is doing all he can and just working with the putter because that is about all he can do. Kinda funny he said he was just watching the Masters once he saw Freddie's name up on the board. HAHA I imagine he watched the whole thing and not just watch Freddie play, but what do I know. And looks like he was talking to Romo about his Surgery, and we all know Romo is the man. So when Tiger get's all healed up he will be winning the Superbowl like Romo.... I mean Majors LOL... But no I hope he can get his putter figured out and really come out swinging so he can prove to everyone he still has it and he can win some more majors. He's got a long way to go, so all we can do now is sit here and wait.
IceyShanks said:
Tiger Woods Update:
http://www.tigerwoods.com/news/2014...-blog-rehab-going-well-but-is-a-slow-process/
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I hope he comes back stronger and better than ever.
 
I guess he can travel again, this picture from his Instagram account earlier today with him in Mexico at the course he is designing:

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It looks beautiful, hopefully the course he designed at the Cliffs will open soon.
 
Trout Bum said:
I hope he comes back stronger and better than ever.
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I couldn't agree more. I hope he comes back and absolutely buries Jack's record. Tiger is the best golfer ever IMO. He deserves to leave no doubt.
 
He looks slimmer.
 
Think an event will eventually be held at the new course?
 
I hope he comes back and wins every tournament he plays in and the next 5 majors , walk into the broadcast booth and tells chamblee to choke on a fat one and walks away from golf
 
Trout Bum said:
It looks beautiful, hopefully the course he designed at the Cliffs will open soon.
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Thought I read somewhere that he was designing one in the UAE too?
 
bogeybrain said:
I hope he comes back and wins every tournament he plays in and the next 5 majors , walk into the broadcast booth and tells chamblee to choke on a fat one and walks away from golf
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I suspect you'll be disappointed in each of those wishes.
 
I just want to see him come back and play well again. He can't break Jack's record, he's not as mentally tough. But for sheer brilliance of play, no one compares.


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