*FAN SUBMISSION by Rocco Bertucci of Ontario, Canada. Follow him on Twitter @rbetucc19.*
Courtesy: CNN
Another green jacket ceremony has passed with the magnificent Jim Nance handing out the ultimate golf award and low amateur score. The television network describes this sporting event as “a tradition unlike any other” and it lived up to this billing again this year. As is always the case, more than 5 golfers were in contention on Sunday at different times. But as always happens, some fall off, some make too many pars and others put up a number and then play consistently enough to hold on; The latter for the 2014 Master’s tournament was Bubba Watson.
But as I turned on my TV on Sunday to watch the final back 9 of my (and almost everyone else’s) favorite golfing event of the year, something was missing for me. I should have clued into this by my wardrobe. The light blue t shirt I was wearing was uncharacteristic for me on golf Sundays. Then it dawned on me, I remembered why I had been so apathetic of this edition of the Master’s tournament.
My boyhood hero, one of my favorite athletes of all time; Tiger Woods, had announced a few short weeks ago that he would be missing the Master’s for the first time in his historic career. What gave me this sudden realization? Well, it was because Jim Nance and Sir Nick Faldo had just shown a graphic with a statistic that Tiger Woods was the only winner of the Masters to birdie the 11th & 12th hole in the final round and win, having accomplished the feat in 1997 and 2001. As they showed the audience the stat, I sat there realizing how much extra time they must have had to fill this week without being able to discuss the biggest sports star in the world.
If dedicated golf fans are honest with ourselves, the only reason the “casual” fan continues to watch golf and especially major championships is to watch Tiger chase and possibly break records one day. Look no further than when Tiger Woods announced his withdrawal from this year’s Master’s event; “stub hub ticket prices dropped by 22% the day later (Bleacher Report, Michael Fitzpatrick).” An even further snowball extended to the television ratings for the final round which “dropped 24% from the 2013 final round and were at the lowest level in a decade. (Bleacher Report, Michael Fitzpatrick).” As the saying goes, the numbers don’t lie.
Next, before Tiger debuted on the PGA tour, the checks being taken home by the top finishers of its events were similar to what a good lawyer or engineer earns in annual income these days. Post-Woods emergence on the professional golf scene, top 10 finishers on PGA tour leader boards take home a check with more earnings than top North American surgeons receive in a year.
Besides the monetary effect Woods has had on the game of golf, there is his contribution to the globalization of the game. The amount of diversity among the top 100 players in the game is more evident currently than ever. A couple of years ago Phil Mickelson and Tiger were the only two North American golfers in the top 10.
Unfortunately for Woods, he may have contributed to the increased competition he faces. Some European studs such as Paul Casey, Rory Mcilroy and Adam Scott will tell you about the love and admiration they had for Tiger’s game and how it drove them to spend extra hours on the practice course throughout their golf careers. Not to mention the effect Tiger Woods dominance on the tour has had on domestic athletes. The USGA created a program called “the first tee” in the early 2000’s that teaches kids not only golf, but good life values and encourages them to make friends from a young age and be active.
This global golf superstar was unheard of at the time for a sport where there was never supposed to be an icon similar to what Michael Jordan had accomplished for basketball or Wayne Gretzky for hockey. Nowadays, parents who have athletically talented children with the financial means to enroll them in a summer sport choose golf over a typical summer sport such as soccer or baseball. Because, let’s face it; some of these parents believe that their kid may be the next Tiger Woods.
Courtesy: Yahoo Sports
There is a certain mystique that Tiger brings to game of golf that was missing when he was not in the field this weekend. It’s not that anyone is afraid of him anymore as we hear numerous golfers discuss how they no longer believe he’s invincible. Lest we forget he’s been through the personal debacle that occurred following his rampant extra marital affairs, swing changes, coaching changes and two knee surgeries that would have made most people give up on playing the game of golf ever again. All that being said, there is a certain passion Tiger brings to the game that people appreciate. This past Sunday as an avid golf fan I missed the roars from the crowd when he makes the Sundaycharge at Augusta; or the crazy gallery that follows him. As well as the subsequent patented Jim Nance comment, “we’ll see how (insert name of competitor here) copes with the zoo like atmosphere of playing with Tiger Woods.”
Moreover, that beautifully crisp Nike red golf shirt was missing from the final round at Augusta this weekend. I mean, there’s people I know in various social circles that wear red on Sundaywhen Tiger is playing in a tournament and even mildly in contention (including myself of course). Prime Minister Harper has admitted to wearing red on Sunday’s of golf tournaments in support of Tiger Woods.
He’s given us some of the most memorable moments of all time. Whether it was the victory at Torrey Pines on one leg after burying the put on 18 to send it into a playoff with Rocco Mediate or the chip at the Master’s against Chris Demarco in 2007 on the 16th hole that followed with an emphatic hat toss and his biggest fist pump of all time. The passion Tiger Woods exhibits and all that he pours into winning implores people to cheer for him and beg for more air time for him. Even the other golfers have said that when Tiger is playing and at the top of his game it’s better for their sport.
As a golf fan that will continue to watch long after Tiger Woods career is over; let’s hope this weekend’s poor ratings and lack of interest among the casual golf fan with Eldrick out of the field wasn’t foreshadowing of what’s to come when the greatest golfer of all time hangs it up for good.
