Geoff Shackelford has Selena Roberts’ Woods effect on the Tour article

Well, by now everyone knows Selena Roberts took tough shots at both Tm Finchem and Woods in her New York Times article yesterday. Then of course, the NYT goes and makes you pay $7.95 for it by placing it in their “NYT Select” section. Which means you pay to read one article, then get snowed under with useless emails.

Well guess again. I’m not giving America-hating Arthur Sulzburger one stinkin’ penny. Thank you Shackelford for posting large portions of the probative and biting interview.

Here is one of the most telling lines: “What’s wrong with buying Tiger’s affection, anyway?

It contradicts every tenet of golf’s righteous culture of integrity. “This is golf,” Finchem said repeatedly during an interview last week, as if the sport’s virtue inoculates it from scrutiny.

The PGA Tour doesn’t drug-test, because that would imply a steroid problem exists. Who knew willful ignorance was a marketing strategy? The Tour applies this see-no-evil approach to glaring conflicts of interest, too.”

Damon Hack added:

Wasn’t Tiger supposed to bring inclusion to the game? Instead, the Tour is more polarized than ever, between the haves and the have-nots. “

Now the big question is, what do all the bloggers think about this? Is she right? Is Woods too demanding with his financial requirements and is he to self-indulgent when it comes to scheduling?

My guess is we’ll get blind loyalty from some, we’ll get blanket condemnation/knee-jerk Woods bashing from others…but I can’t help imagine that the rank-and-file golf knowledgeable golf fan is disappointed that golf’s greatest winner cannot act like golf greatest champion in terms of grace, tact and what’s best for the game. That being said, Tim Finchem’s stewardship has trod all over what’s best for the game to prize every last dollar for PGA Tour coffers. They are both wrong. But the worst news is that alot of people see through the doublespeak and realize they’ve tried to maximize every last dollar to a fault…and things are starting to look loke a fantasy league, or worse a video game.
Woods wants to shatter all of Nicklaus’ records…but he doesn’t want to be the ambassador for the game that Nicklaus was. That’s the difference between being a winner and being a champion. Or as the late Kurt Vonnegut put it in The Sirens of Titan the difference between doing things with style and in style. When Woods wins, Woods looks good…and nothing else. When Jack won, the whole game looked good.
Example: Woods frequently throws clubs and snarls profanities to this day. Watch golf next time he’s on and count how many rimes each day he drop a club. As author Patrick O’Brian says, “Prepare to be amazed.” Did you see Nick Faldo call him out the day Nick O’Hern beat Woods at the Match Play? He said Woods threw his putter “like a child chucking away his lollipop.” Jack Nicklaus NEVER led the tour in fines for profanity in his entire career. Woods led the PGA in such fines – mostly profanity – for several years in a row, even triggering a discussion with Brad Faxon about the topic when fines were increased one year. This kind of behavior sets a bad example to kids and casual golfers, but worse it trods upon the most important aspect of being a gentleman/lady golfer. Histrionic shows of anger are anathema to a true golfer’s Victorian soul. As Steve Czaban observed, “Does anyone look more agonized over his near misses than Tiger Woods?”
We all know Woods cares only about majors, but he should change his strategy about acquiring wealth in such a seemingly predatory manner because it makes it look like he cares as much about money as he does about catching Nicklaus’ records. You want Tiger to do something for you? Bring your checkbook. You wanna see Tiger at a tournament? Give till it hurts.

Finchem is just as guilty. Tournaments seem to be available to the highest bidder and be damned the old relationships of the past. Worst of all, the star system has never been more apparent. Such double standards make a mockery of golf’s being the sports world’s ultimate meritocracy.

There is more to golf than making money and breaking records. That’s what sets golf apart from every other sport. You know if you look carefully, you can see alot of people jumping ship to the LPGA. More compelling matchups, courses that are less expensive for public players to visit, more accessible stars and more affordable ticket prices mean a more family-oriented product. That’s what’s best for the game; allowing a family of four to go to the course and enjoy the day together at a fair price, not pandering to someone who just seems to want to throw more bucks on the pile.