Last week, during the Hero World Challenge, it felt like Tiger Woods was actually baring his heart and soul for the first time. There was something very different in the press conferences and the TV interviews he gave in the Bahamas, and one gets the feeling that his perspective has changed a lot about several things.
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Perhaps, the realization has finally dawned upon Woods that he is not Superman. He may have played golf like one for almost two decades, but he still remains a human being. He has the same body like every else, feels the same pain, and there are times when you have to resign to the fact that certain things are just not possible physically.
As they say, time and tide wait for none…not even Tiger Woods. In the last two decades, I have never come across a Woods interview in which he did not believe he could win, or that he could break Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 major titles. That was the level of self-belief he had.
Am I the only one who would much prefer to see, @TigerWoods playing instead of commentating?!?! #ComeBackTiger
— Kevin Pietersen (@KP24) December 6, 2015
For once, Woods seemed content with his achievements, and he even said he was prepared that he might not play another professional tournament.
“I’m hoping that I can get back out here and compete against these guys. I really do miss it. That’s fun,” Woods said. “But if that’s not the case anymore, then I’ll find other avenues, that being growing my foundation, what we’re trying to do, golf course design or other projects I have going on right now that will certainly take up more of my time.”
Hopefully, Woods will recover fully from the back injury, make a comeback and give it one last shot because someone of his stature doesn’t deserve to go out with a whimper.
Danish assembly line
A cursory look at this year’s Ladies European Tour Order of Merit is enough to see the growing influence of Denmark in the ladies game.
At the moment, Nicole Broch Larsen is second in the standings after No. 1 Shanshan Feng, and really should have been the leader but for the fact that the Chinese world No. 6 finished third in the big-money Evian Championship.
That completely tilted the scales in her favour despite playing in just five LET events this year. And slightly lower down the order are Emily Kristine Pedersen and Nanna Koerstz Madsen, the only two players in the Dubai Ladies Masters field this week who have a chance to win the Rookie of the Year title.
Pedersen is placed sixth in the Order of Merit and Madsen is eighth. The two rookies revealed the secret of the Danish success – and it is all down to the massive role played by the Danish Golf Union.
It seems even after the players turn professional, they continue to get all kind of support from the parent body. That includes not just the use of facilities and national coaches, but also administrative help like travel and visa arrangements, as well as financial assistance.
That’s not how most other associations work – once the players turn professional, they are on their own. As Pedersen pointed out, the biggest advantage is that they do not have to worry about the expenses and they can concentrate solely on golf.
Denmark, obviously, is known to be the happiest country in the world. Quite clearly, they also have the happiest golfers in the world.
Superstar support
There was a Samsung advertisement released a couple of years ago featuring Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James with comedian Kevin Hart. It showed James hitting golf shots and he was so awful at it, Hart says in the end: “This ain’t your sport. This is golf.”
Golf and James don’t go hand in hand, but the King is smitten by the royal and ancient game. And he is now throwing his considerable weight behind a new professional tournament – the DAP Championship. The tournament will be one of the four events constituting the Web.com Tour Finals and it will be played at Cleveland’s Canterbury Golf Club.
James’ foundation, the LeBron James Family Foundation, will be the charitable beneficiary. We have all seen in the past how tournaments benefit immensely from star support – Rory McIlroy and the Irish Open and Ian Poulter and the British Masters are recent examples on the European Tour – and this is surely going to be another blockbuster.
Quotes of the Week
“If I ever become No. 1 in the world, I’m walking away. I’m going to walk away on top.” – Bubba Watson tells the media after winning the Hero World Challenge.
“If my mom had putted, she would have shot 65.” – A frustrated Anirban Lahiri after his putting woes in second round of Hero World Challenge.
