Future of golf up in the air after Tiger’s fall

Published 12:01 am Monday, December 14, 2009

NAPLES, Fla. — Say Tiger Woods’ name around his PGA Tour colleagues, and the reactions are swift and varied.

From Mark Calcavecchia, there was disappointment. Chris DiMarco, concern. Boo Weekley, unusual silence.

And from others, when pondering the worst-case scenario — Woods never playing golf again — there is fear.

“Golf needs Tiger Woods,” Brad Faxon said. “We wish them well and the best. I don’t know what the best thing to do is. Nobody does. But I know him on the golf course is good for everybody.”

Woods’ future is uncertain, his family forever affected by the infidelity he acknowledged Friday on his Web site when announcing his “indefinite” leave from the game. With that, a long shadow of doubt has been cast over golf, which has seen a financial boon since Woods stormed onto the scene and now can only wait and wonder what’ll happen with the world’s No. 1 player and the game’s biggest draw sidelined.

Will he come back?

When? Where? At what level?

There’s far more questions than answers.

When Woods was sidelined for eight months after his stirring win at the 2008 U.S. Open, television ratings were cut in half. Attendance is much higher when he is in a field, and even in a recession, it’s surely easier to sell sponsors on the merits of spending dollars to back an event that features Woods than not.

“The tour has got to be worried, because what’s the definition of indefinite?” asked Greg Norman, the former world No. 1 and tournament host of the Shark Shootout this weekend. “Indefinite meaning, OK, it might be a year because a lot of issues have got to be resolved? That’s the word you’ve kind of got to drill in on.”

There’s some serious worry about the potential long-term effects for the tour.

“I don’t think it’s going to help anything, that’s for sure,” Nick Price said. “Especially in a recession like we’re in now. It’s hard enough to find sponsors out there and now to try to sell things without Tiger in the field for however long it is, it’s going to be a challenge. I hope he comes back. I hope he comes back a changed man.”

So do fans.

Take Dodie Mills, a 61-year-old pediatric nurse from Port Charlotte, Fla. She was at the Shootout to see Kenny Perry, among others, but says her real lure to watching and playing golf has been Woods.

The game may not have ever seen something quite like this before, but glorious eras have certainly come and gone. Great players retire, sponsorships come and go, and golf has long survived.

“I feel for Elin. I really do. I feel bad,” DiMarco said. “Any woman that goes through that, I feel bad for. They’re doing it privately and you have to respect that and let them do what they like to do and hopefully come back bigger and stronger and a better person.”

Graeme McDowell is a rare footnote these days in the Woods saga. He’s actually benefited from it, in a way.

He took Woods’ spot in the 18-player Chevron World Challenge last week, finished second in the tournament that benefits Woods’ foundation and essentially sealed a trip to the Masters by jumping to No. 38 in the world rankings.

And he said he’s as eager to have Woods back as anyone.

“We’re under no illusions. We’re much more prosperous golfers for having Tiger Woods playing in our era,” McDowell said. “There’s plenty of global superstars on the way up to replace him. But they’re not just quite ready to replace him yet. We need him to hang out for another four or five years.”

Until then, they wait. Like everyone else.

“I think he’s on the right track,” said Calcavecchia, both a fan and friend of Woods. “I think enough’s enough after the last couple weeks. Let him be and let him work on what he needs to work on.”