The Joy of Golf: New Hero status for Tiger Woods will kick-start revival

Joy Chakravarty 15:13 04/12/2014
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Mail
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • WhatsApp
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Hoping to get back in the swing of things: Woods.

    On Tuesday, Tiger Woods signed a four-year deal to endorse Hero MotoCorp. It came within a couple of months of the Indian blue-chip company also signing up as the title sponsor of the World Challenge, a limited field event promoted by the 14-time major champion to benefit his foundation.

    This story holds a personal significance for me, having been there at the genesis of the Woods and Hero story.

    It all started during the 2009 Masters. I was at Augusta National for the tournament and so was Pawan Munjal, Managing Director and CEO of the Hero MotoCorp.

    Our common interest that week was India’s Jeev Milkha Singh, who was paired with Woods for the first two days. During the tournament, Munjal invited Jeev, his family, and myself for dinner. And it was during that time he asked Jeev if it was possible to speak to Mark Steinberg for a possible business idea that he had for Woods.

    It seems Munjal had a pocket of land near Delhi where he wanted to build a golf course.

    Only a few months before that, Woods had announced his first golf course design project in Dubai.

    Munjal, who is a very keen golfer himself, wanted to explore the idea of hiring the then world No1 golfer as the designer of his golf course. A year later, Woods and Munjal met at Isleworth during the Tavistock Cup.

    I am not sure what happened to the golf course project after that, but both became very good friends over the years.

    It all resulted in Woods’ first visit to New Delhi earlier this year when he played an exhibition match with Munjal and a couple of other Indian stars.

    The contract is reportedly worth $8 million per annum for the next four years. And for someone who confessed he can’t ride a motorcycle, Woods will be the face of the world’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer.

    After signing the contract, Woods said: “I’ve never ridden a motorcycle before and even with Hero’s valuable sponsorship, there’s no way I’m about to start.”

    There are many in India who would raise an eyebrow at the fee paid by Hero. And there are an equal number who would feel proud that a true-blue Indian company has joined the big league with such a heavyweight signing.

    There is no denying the global popularity of Woods, and Munjal must have felt it first-hand when almost 10,000 people turned up at Delhi Golf Club when they played together in February.

    That round wasn’t advertised and the event originally was open only for members of the club. I am sure Woods will be able to sell motorcycles to the Indians, but Hero’s plans with him are more global in nature. They are a very ambitious group.

    Not content with selling 6.3 million two-wheelers predominantly in India and Africa, Munjal’s company wants to expand their footprint to Europe and the USA by 2016.

    It is a shrewd investment by Hero MotoCorp.

    If and when Woods does make a turnaround in his physical well-being and his golf game, Munjal will look like a genius with this decision.

    Spieth looks special
    Moving on, let’s talk about the man many believe has already taken over the mantle from Woods, and the one who is expected to take over the baton whenever it is handed.

    That’s 25-year-old reigning world No1 Rory McIlroy and 21-year-old Jordan Spieth.

    Last week, both players were Down Under for the Emirates Australian Open, where Spieth produced a phenomenal final-round eight-under par 63 at a demanding Australian Golf Club in Sydney to win his second professional tournament and the first outside his home tour.

    Spieth’s performance becomes even more incredible considering that in those windy conditions, his 63 was four shots better than the second best round of the day, eight shots better than world No2 Adam Scott and nine better than McIlroy.

    The six-shot win impressed McIlroy, who tweeted…

    There are some interesting parallels between the careers of the two players. At the age of 21, McIlroy also had won two events – the Dubai Desert Classic on his home tour, and at Quail Hollow on the PGA Tour. Spieth’s has been a meteoric rise.

    Ranked 809th at the start of 2013, he is now 11th in the world, and there is no doubt he will soon be seriously challenging McIlroy for the most coveted position in golf.

    Stat of the Week

    03 – Majors won by Sam Snead, Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus after their 39th birthday. That will give hope to Tiger Woods, who will turn 39 on December 30.

    Recommended