Kragthorpe: Golfs OK without Tiger -- for now

In a series of messages addressing the state of the PGA Tour, commissioner Tim Finchem cheerfully began promoting other golfers for fans to follow during Tiger Woods' absence. And then, recognizing the reality of life without the world's No. 1 player, Finchem concluded, "We've literally got nobody, OK?"

He really said that. Well, the "Saturday Night Live" version of Finchem did, anyway.

A staff member replaced sponsor logos as the commissioner spoke, becoming disheveled and desperate, with the tour being backed by the Madoff Investment Group and Major League Soccer - and then even they disappeared.

The sketch gave golf a new forum and Finchem good-naturedly labeled it "kind of flattering." It also drove home the perception of how much it hurts the tour to have Tiger stay away while repairing his personal life or hiding or whatever he's doing in the wake of his rampant infidelity.

The tour can get by without Tiger, but just temporarily.

To those of us who would watch anybody play golf, Tiger's absence is only a minor annoyance. Sunday's final round of the season-opening SBS Championship was great stuff, with Geoff Ogilvy shooting 22 under par to overcome Rory Sabbatini's closing 63 in a field of 2009 tournament winners under blue skies and sunshine in Hawaii.

I also understand how much Woods drives the sport, how he attracts the casual viewer and how his presence raises the level of competition for everybody.

So do the other players. They'll defend their sport and their tour, but they're not kidding themselves.

 

"I wish he would come back as soon as possible," U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover said during a news conference last week. "It makes us play better, makes the tour better, makes the sponsors happier and all of that stuff."

The tour is used to missing Tiger, especially at this time of year. Woods always has eased into the season and would end up playing only about 16 tournaments.

Television ratings held steady when Woods was out with a knee injury in 2008, Finchem said, although he welcomes the spike the star creates. Finchem also cited strong sponsor commitments.

There's value in the other players, the tour brand and the volunteer organizations that run tournaments. Still, there's only one Tiger. "We need him out here and the tour needs him out here," Steve Stricker said.

So when will he be out there? "We are all obviously curious," Ogilvy said. "Is he having five years off? Is he ever coming back?"

Nobody knows for sure, but Woods likely will return by the Masters in April, and resume his pursuit of Jack Nicklaus' record 18 major titles (he's at 14) in a year that also features majors at iconic courses Pebble Beach and St. Andrews.

What if he did stay away longer? In a sense, the more extended his absence, the more drama his return creates and the more challenging his chase of Nicklaus becomes. Anything Tiger does to increase his degree of difficulty -- like needing knee surgery, or coming back from it -- makes him more fascinating to watch.

Yet when it comes to golf's place in the overall sporting consciousness, Woods' being away "certainly doesn't help," British Open winner Stewart Cink said.

"No sport would be at the same level without its No. 1 player," Finchem acknowledged. "But I think the gloom and doom needs to go away."

It did this past weekend in Hawaii, where Woods never plays, anyway. But the forecast is not nearly as favorable if he's gone from golf for a long time

 

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