Tiger Woods Isle

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Tiger Woods Isle

Written by Mark Grey

Tiger Woods

by MARK GREY

8.14.10

On the surface it looked like just another Sunday evening Tiger Woods press conference. The Nike hat was there, the red shirt was there, and Tiger was there alone on his own island answering every question reporters fired at him. While seeing Tiger alone is nothing new, this time it seemed different. He wasn’t just alone on the podium, he looked alone in life. He had the look of man who was waiting on a life boat that wasn’t coming. For over a decade, Tiger Woods has been on an island by himself and every other golfer on another. As Tiger sat there alone answering questions about yet another poor performance, it looked like a great time to start building a bridge.

We all know the old saying, “no one is bigger than the game,” well Tiger is the exception to the rule. Tiger didn’t just play golf, he became golf. If you had a golf tournament and Tiger wasn’t in it, guess what? You didn’t have a golf tournament. Were there other golfers? Sure, just like there were other members of the Jackson 5. But there was only one that the entire world wanted to see.

Ever since Tiger exploded on the scene as a 21 year old phenom, his star power has created a separation from the rest of the golf world. It always seemed like there was the PGA and then there was Tiger on his own island. While the PGA has always carried a very high level of prestige, Tiger’s island was a little different. Tiger’s island was for the elite of the elite, the Michael Jordan’s, and Oprah Winfrey’s of the world. On Tiger’s island the streets were paved with gold, and private jets or million dollar yachts were the only way on or off. Other A-list celebrities bragged about trips to Tiger’s island. While his island had enough perks and goodies on it to make a king jealous, none of his fellow tour members were there.

Although the disconnect between Tiger and the rest of the tour was obvious, you would never hear another tour member complain. Tiger may have built himself a dream island but he had also single handily built the rest of the tour a very nice island too. While the streets of PGA island may not be paved with gold, none of its residents will be cutting their own grass or making their own mimosas anytime soon. When Tiger changed the landscape of golf, it was a win-win for everyone involved. Tiger became the reason that Ernie Els earned twice as much money on the tour in 2006 as the 10th ranked golfer in the world as he did in 1997 when he was ranked third. Tiger is the reason that Phil Mickelson earned more money than LeBron James last year. With Woods taking golf to unprecedented financial heights, there wasn’t a sole complaint. Tiger was never known as “one of the guys,” but his name alone made sure “all of the guys” were paid.

While living on Tigers island looked like the next best thing to heaven, just like any other island, it was surrounded by water. The problem with being surround by water is you’re one big storm away from losing everything. Last November, a storm hit Tiger island and it surely wasn’t pretty. It was a storm that would last months and destroy just about everything on the island including Tiger’s name.

Fast forward to last weeks Bridgestone Invitational and there was Tiger fresh off his worst 72 hole performance of his career alone on Tiger Island. The island that once looked like the best place on Earth now looked more painful than a day at the MVA. Watching Tiger’s press conference, you could tell he was the last man on the island and was looking for help. It was the first time Nike probably would have paid Tiger more money to take his Nike hat off than have their logo displayed by such a defeated man. With Tiger Island all but destroyed, what better time for Phil, Corey Pavin and the rest of the residence of PGA island to come pick Tiger up. It’s time to bridge the gap between Tiger and the rest of the golf world. It would be great for the members of the tour to step up and show Tiger the benefits of being “one of the guys.” In a time where Tiger couldn’t look more lost, some support from his peers could go a long way for not only him, but for golf as well. For Corey Pavin to come out and publicly say “Tiger has a spot on the Ryder Cup team. Of course, he is the best golfer in the world.” would be a step in the right direction. Tiger and golf both need each other. Although golf is not a team sport, everyone knows golf is much better with Tiger on top of his game then it is without him. How much better would golf be if Tiger got his game and life back in order with the support of his peers? It would be great to hear a tour member say, “Yes he made mistakes, but he is one of us and we are not going to let you keep beating him up.” With Tiger island temporarily closed, lets hope Tiger lands on the PGA island he helped build.