Why Bay Hill Makes Sense For Tiger Woods’ Return To Golf
By Scott Pharr
It’s not a question of if, but when. When will Tiger Woods return to tournament golf. But ‘when’ is more than just a question. ‘When’ is a conundrum, a riddle, and to this day, mostly rhetorical. ‘When’ is rhetorical in that, it really doesn’t have a legitimate answer. The news that leaked last week saying Woods was back in Orlando and seen hitting golf balls again resonated as actual physical evidence that he was on the comeback trail. Except for his televised apology, trying to get a visual of Woods over the last 4 months was like trying to spot Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster. Amongst a group of friends talking, one would hear that he was still in Florida but staying at a different house. Or he was over in Sweden trying to patch things up with his wife Elin. Or he was down in Mississippi in a sex rehab clinic. The disappearing act has been almost as astonishing as the event that caused it. Even the paparazzi couldn’t get a shot of him, and if those guys are having trouble, then Tiger’s ability to hide is almost as good as his legendary ability to strike a golf ball the way few have ever before or since. And, when he uttered the cryptic words regarding his return to golf during his apology speech, saying that he looks forward to playing again, but couldn’t say if it would be this year, on one hand he confirmed he would be back, but on another he refused to say when. And there it is again.. when?
This question is multiple choice. A) The Masters. The grandest of all golf stages is the tournament that Tiger reveres above all others. Augusta National is the place where Tiger’s pursuit of Jack’s majors’ record began, the same place where Jack won his final one. Problem: It just seems hard to think that the old guard at Augusta would be very amenable to the kind of circus affair it would be sure to be. B) The British Open. It would seem to make sense because the British are a forgiving kind, and by returning in another country and vastly different time zone, Tiger could slide back in through the side door and somewhat avoid the massive glare the US media would lay on him. Problem: It’s just not his style. As much as he likes to keep to himself, he also has a flare for the dramatic, and that would be anything but dramatic. C) Stay away all year. This seems like the most unlikely of things, but it would be keeping with the damage-control strategy he has employed thus far, which is basically to say very little if nothing at all and let everyone else make their own conclusions, and over time all will be forgiven. Problem: There is way too much on the line for that. As wealthy as he was, or is (?), Tiger needs to start earning again. It’s too early to tell what will ultimately become of his marriage, but should Elin choose to leave, that combined with a sizeable chunk of lost sponsorship revenue, equates to the need to get the income meter going back in a positive direction, and fast.
This leaves choice D. Choice D is the tournament that should be renamed the Tiger Woods Invitational. The place he as won 6 times (including 4 in a row) and is just minutes away from his spread in Windermere. It’s hosted by the man who was The Man before Jack Nicklaus. And it’s a tournament that Woods has never skipped in his 13 years on tour. That would be the former Bay Hill Invitational, now named for its host, Arnold Palmer. It just all lines up for this. He is already hitting balls, and according to one witness, PGA Tour pro Charles Howell III, he is striking the ball as well as ever. This would indicate he is tuning up for something. So, besides the fact that it would be on a course he essentially dominates, the other reason Bay Hill makes sense is that Palmer is the perfect personality to guide Tiger back into the limelight. Palmer’s calm and grandfatherly presence evokes thoughts of a sheepish catholic priest on the other side of a confessional window. In other words, Palmer could run as a blocker for Tiger throughout the 4-day media extravaganza, and would probably tell everyone to remember that they are human, Tiger is human, and everyone makes mistakes. The other key reason it makes sense is timing. It comes 2 weeks before Augusta, and would give Woods the chance to work out some kinks before taking his customary week off prior to the major. The only other tournament Tiger can enter between now and then is the Transitions Championship, played at Innisbrook resort in Tampa. As a relatively new event on tour and one Woods has never played, it would be a head-scratcher if he chose to make that the venue for his reentry into the golf atmosphere.
All of this prognostication amounts to nothing more than tea leaf reading. It’s looking at the stars and trying to find a constellation. Where do the dots of Tiger’s future connect. There is a means to this end, and no one will know until he’s ready to appear. Bay Hill is as good a place as any for that to happen.
March 9th, 2010 at 11:46 pm
Great writing. It is hard to believe Agusta National membership will welcome him back, given the nature of his scandel, even if CBS and The National Enquirer would love it. He should ask John Daly what to do next