AJC > Sports > Columnists > Archives > 2007 > March > 09 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USTiger the tail that wags the tour
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Furman Bisher
Frankly, it boils down to this: That while Tim Finchem occupies the chair of commissioner of professional golf in the United States, the most powerful — or maybe that should read influential — figure is one of the players. As Jack Vickers spoke at the last rites for his International Tournament, it’s Tiger Woods, and El Tigre has just proved again that he is the man at the wheel. When he plays, the event is a guaranteed success, at the gate, on the course and in the television towers. What else is there?
Vickers was left holding the bag after 21 years of trying to breathe life into his tournament at Castle Pines. Not that Woods left The International a casualty by the roadside, but merely by committing to show up he could have given that tournament one more chance at life. Now, is that fair? Perhaps not. Was it Woods’ responsibility to help save the only unique tournament on the PGA Tour? Not necessarily.
Instead, guess what Tiger will be doing on that vacated Fourth of July weekend hole in the schedule? He’ll be the centerpiece of a tournament being played in the Washington area, benefitting the Tiger Woods Foundation. Conjecture is that it will be played on the Congressional course, a U.S. Open venue in years past. (It’s unique in that it’s the only major I know of with a par-3 finishing hole.)
Tiger’s partner in the project will be AT&T, which already has its name on two other tour events, one at Pebble Beach and the new AT&T at Sugarloaf near Atlanta. The title, I hear, will be AT&T National.
For four years, Woods has lent his person to the Deutsche Bank Championship in New England over the Labor Day holiday, another generous contributor to the foundation. He has the two Buick tournaments, representing one of his commercial clients, the Invitational at San Diego and the Buick Open in Michigan. So he virtually has his own tour, considering the majors and those World Championships that draw his favor. It makes him a good “company” man to show up at events dear to the heart of the commissioner.
The truth is, that Finchem needs Woods more than Woods needs Finchem. Each has power peculiar to himself, but it is important to consider that Woods is a free agent. He can move here or there at his own whim, Finchem is locked in the commissioner’s chair, presumably bossman to every player on the PGA Tour, but none who is as essential to his image as Woods. It’s nice when Woods plays ball with the boss, such as signing on for the AT&T National.
“Tiger has a habit of playing in events where the foundation is involved,” Mark Steinberg, his frontman, told Golf World, a confirmation of old news. He found a likely one around the capital of the nation around its birthday. Make no bones about it, what Woods is doing with his foundation is bringing golf and other pleasures to several communities around the country. What he is doing through the First Tee project is an enormous stroke for golf, yet it was somewhat strange that he passed up the Tour Championship last fall, site one of First Tee’s early projects at East Lake.
So, you see, it’s strategically political that Finchem play the game with Woods. I don’t know that he has any other choice, but try giving some thought to the tour as it is today, leaning heavily on its television pot of gold, should there suddenly be no Tiger Woods to bank on. On the other hand, consider Tiger without the PGA Tour for a stage. One hand washes the other, and so on.
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By ray millarr
March 10, 2007 9:46 AM | Link to this
Congressional no longer ends on a par 3. They have redesigned the course so that the 18th hole is now the old 17th hole. The hole where Tom Lehhman rinsed his second shot in the final round of the US Open in 1997 to allow Ernie Els to win his second US Open.
By Brad Flechsig
March 10, 2007 11:26 AM | Link to this
I was a marshall at the 1995 US Senior Open at Congressional. For that tournament the Par 3 finishing hole was used as the 17th. It was a great tournament as Nicklaus on Sunday made a big charge and had a hole in one and dropped a 40 foot putt on the finishing hole. He finished second..but it was fun to watch.
By steve
March 10, 2007 3:29 PM | Link to this
Although appearance fees are not permitted on the PGA Tour, Tiger’s non-major appearances are tied to his sponsors, Buick, American Express, Accenture and Duestsche Bank or his foundation. Any other tournament is out in the cold except for the WGC events or the Palmer and Nicklaus hosted events. Money talks…