The 19^th Hole

July 10, 2007

Enough Already About Woods!

I’m a Tiger Woods fan.  I love his killer instinct, his drive to finish rounds and tournaments, and the approach he has to the game.  I admire his talent on the course and his charitable contributions off through his foundation. 

Though the guy can be testy with the media and is considered a little moody at times, I can understand because the golf media is largely insufferable when it comes to interviewing professionals.  You would be annoyed, too, if the PGA Tour wouldn’t let you use a cardboard cutout and tape recording of yourself as a stand-in at press conferences each week where you had to answer the same 50 questions.

It’s those same 50 questions that Woods hears every single week that are really starting to get on my nerves.  Ever since the birth of his daughter Sam Alexis, Tiger has been barraged with questions concerning the details and timeline of the birth.  Eventually he revealed that his wife Elin had been having complications, gave him the Adrian Balboa speech, and he had a daughter.  That’s all well and good for the golf media to inquire about those details.

Then, though, the golf and general sports columnists went to town on Woods.  Several said that Woods should have abandoned the US Open at Oakmont considering his wife’s condition.  They said Phil was on the verge of doing the same in 1999 at Pinehurst with his beeper in tow.  Even further, some said Woods should take time away from the game to enjoy fatherhood.  And some were even dense enough to claim that Woods used the birth of his child as an excuse for why he didn’t win at Oakmont.

These preposterous claims and opinions are just the latest topic that the golf media is running into the ground concerning Tiger Woods.  Ever since Earl Woods’ passing in spring 2006, the media has constantly reminded Tiger about it.  It seems guaranteed that a journalist will ask Woods at each tour stop if Earl would be proud of, astonished about, or some other interpretation of an event in Tiger’s life.

It continued on Sunday at the AT&T National at Congressional.  Bobby Clampett of CBS Sports was charged with following the Woods group because the world number one was not in contention to win his tournament.  As Woods made his approach up the back nine, American flags were being unraveled and preparations were being made for the closing ceremonies amidst a huge and appreciative crowd.  Woods responded to the fans with a closing pair of birdies that left him in a top ten finish.

Following the round, Clampett was interviewing Woods and looked at him square in the eyes and asked Woods about his father’s hypothetical reaction to the scene at Congressional.  Give me a break!  As a golf fan, I’m not interested in hearing Tiger talk about his personal grievance and remembrance of his father.  As a person, I am angered that someone would continue to inquire about the topic even after it has become very apparent that Earl is still on Tiger’s mind each day and continues to mourn his death.

For those of you that have unfortunately lost your parents or a child, how would you like it if someone asked you everyday for a year or more about your loved one dying?  You’d hate it.  As much as people need an outlet to grieve, they do not need someone constantly asking them about how hard it is to move on with your life.  That’s essentially what Clampett was doing, even if not intentionally.

It’s not just Clampett, though.  It’s endemic to many golf writers to harass Woods about topics that simply do not need to be a topic of opinion or inquiry.  Woods should be allowed to honor his father privately, as he chooses.  He should also be allowed to make decisions about his parenting as he pleases and not be subject to criticism from the media.

It is bad enough that writers with no concept of how difficult professional golf is to opine about Woods’ supposed failures in the 2007 majors, or how Jack would have won at Augusta and Oakmont.  Those criticisms, though, at least have a basis in the observable and Woods accepts them as part of being a professional golfer.

Off of the course, though, Tiger Woods is a person that values privacy.  He is a guarded individual and reveals details about his life only when he feels appropriate.  Hell, his yacht is named Privacy.  The guy wants his private life to be left alone and not rubbed back in his face at every opportunity.

Many in the golf media, though, refuse to honor that request for various reasons – vindication, the excuse of the readers’ desire, and the like.  None of them are valid.  Golf journalism should never focus more upon what is happening off of the course than on it.  There is a real danger, though, that this could happen with Tiger Woods now that he is a father.  Maybe the lowest forms are more interested in sports paparazzi than sports journalism, but the profession is not to appeal to the lowest common denominator.

Reporters are called to bring to their audience what happens related to golfers and their careers.  Whatever reporting they are privy to as it relates to matters off of the course should be handled with respect for the athlete and their wishes, not with disdain for privacy.  Otherwise, the sports journalist’s reputation will suffer because they are not doing their jobs, and instead are acting as gossips.  They (we?) are better than that.

Ryan Ballengee is host of The 19th Hole Golf Show, found at The Golf Newsnet.com.  Having graduated from the University of Maryland in 2004 and 2006, Ballengee brings the perspective of the younger golf fan to the microphone and his columns.  Over the nearly five years he has been broadcasting and writing, Ballengee has developed a reputation for a unique interviewing style that asks both the difficult and fun questions. You can also get The 19th Hole on the go through podcasting by clicking here The Golf Newsnet Contact Ryan via e-mail at the19thholeshow@hotmail.com.