Over the weekend I posted a comment on Instagram questioning why the golf media pays so much attention to Tiger Woods and not the rest of the golfers on Tour.  The post depicted Tiger with his front 9 scorecard from Round 2 of the PGA Championship.  It stated that, at -4 (6 shots back), Tiger was back in contention.  It aggravated me that they would say this when there were 22 players ahead of Tiger that they did not bother to mention.  Here is the post:

“WHY does the golf media push Tiger SO much? He’s not in contention! He’s 6 shots back, and there’s 22 guys ahead of him. Yet they always ONLY talk about Tiger! @pgatour, why didn’t you post anything about Woodland’s RECORD 36 hole score? I don’t see any pictures of Kisner. Why not Rickie? At least he’s only 2 back!
But Tiger’s in contention.”

I. Got. ROASTED.

I was called stupid, a clown, a peanut (?), notgolfdude, and a virgin, of all things.  People questioned if I could break 100, have ever watched golf, been to a tournament which Tiger played, or knew anything about business and TV ratings.  I was told to “go eat a burger and then delete my account” – a reference, I can only assume, to a photo posted on my Instagram account.  One writer asked if I was “thick” – to which I responded that I did not know what that meant (I later looked it up and found it is short hand for thick-headed, or, well, dumb).  I was called a racist (A RACIST!!!).

I’ve invited all of those that commented to read this article.  I decided to do so, not because I care what they said or think, but to clarify my point.

1. I know that Tiger changed the game.  TV ratings spike when he plays (not quite over 100%, as one comment said).
2. I know that MANY of you consider Tiger to be the GOAT – I do not.  I grew up watching and rooting for Jack – and he will always be my favorite.
3. I know that many of the under 30 Tour players play golf BECAUSE of Tiger.
4. I know the players reap the rewards of playing in the Tiger era, with more coverage, more fans, and more money.
5. I had not paid attention to @pgatour all weekend and missed several posts on the other players, including Gary Woodland’s record 2-round score.

In short, I am well aware of the “Tiger Effect”  I have watched golf my whole life, and understand how much the game has changed since Tiger Woods arrived.

I do not dislike Tiger Woods.  If you scroll through my posts on golf-dude.com you will see several articles on Tiger, none of which express anything but positivity.  I work in golf retail – and business is good – not for what Tiger did in 2018, but what he has done in his career.  I have golfed my entire life, am a 5-handicap, and watch golf whenever I can because I enjoy golf.

At the time of my post, Tiger was T-20, with 22 players ahead of him.  Among those players were Justin Rose, Jason Day, Jon Rahm, Francesco Molinari, JT, Adam Scott, DJ, Rickie, and Brooks Koepka.  That is 8 of the Top 10 golfers in the world.  The point of my post wasn’t to bash Tiger, it was to say that there are many VERY qualified players ahead of him that got no mention or publicity.  In fact, one of the announcers said the same thing I did!

Because I watch the game FOR the game, I am not more interested if Tiger is playing, contending, or at home sitting on his couch.  I enjoy watching golf.  Seeing the courses.  Listening to the commentary – and learning the game.  As such, it bothers me that so many of you ONLY care about Tiger.

I am very excited that Tiger is back.  There is no doubt that he will win again, and probably a major.  In my mind he locked up his spot on the Ryder Cup team, and has the world talking about golf – which I love.  I was not trying to hate on Tiger, I was not pulling against him, nor was I saying he didn’t have a chance.  In fact, I told my co-workers two weeks ago that Tiger would win the PGA.

There is no question that there is a much higher buzz when Tiger is in contention, and that is a fantastic thing for the game of golf and the ratings.  There is also no question that he is not the only golfer on the course. Anyone that can’t see that and understand why the PGA Tour should promote all of these players isn’t looking at the whole picture.

I simply thought it was an outlandish statement to say that he was in contention when he was 6 shots back, and behind 22 golfers.  For the record, my post received 97 Likes, so I am not the only one who feels the way I do.

I hope that helps explain my position, and why I said it.  If it doesn’t, then so be it.

Hit them straight, folks!