Anyone who tells you that Tiger Woods' absence from golf won't hurt the game is either a complete moron, a PGA promoter, or possibly both. Either way, they definitely haven't been to a tour-stop where he didn't show. Here's what I learned today: Tiger Woods is the lifeblood of the PGA tour (granted some of you thought you already knew this but until you see it in person, you have no idea. It's worse than we thought people). An event without him is like a keg-party without a keg; its just a group of people walking around.
At today's final round Anthony Kim edged Fredrik Jacobson and a few others and as far as I could tell, the only people who care are the Kim family, the Jacobson family, and a couple idiots near me who had made AK Army shirts (lets start qualifying anyone over the age of 14 who draws on a white t-shirt an idiot. Ok? Good).
I've now been at the tournament two years in a row, one with and one without Tiger, and the differences are palpable. Its like PTI without Kornheiser and Wilbon, the Tour de France without Lance, and Rockband with a drum-pad that doesn't register every beat (not that I'm bitter...); it still exists, but really only on paper.
The first and most obvious is that the attendance is down. Its not just that you can walk up to the ropes at most greens and tees and have an front row seat to the "excitement," but also that the crowds are less fun. Today's gallery sounded more like a library than a sporting event. When Tiger is around there is a frenzy, some loud outbursts, and a bunch of "Get in the holes!!!" Today you could hear babies crying in the gallery. You could follow any of the groupings that you wanted and seen almost every shot. When we got to the 18th fairway today, we had our choice of seats in the grandstand as the competing groups came in.
It would be easy to compare today's event to an NBA summer league game; it just feels less important. There seemed to be a lack of immediacy or importance today. Its possible this was because Kim won by a few shots out of the fourth-to-last group, rendering the last few groups irrelevant, but all day Congressional seemed more like a "also-ran" list. Watching these also-rans is like watching those guys in summer league games, in the sense that its educating to see who else is playing. Sure, its still basketball, but is it really?
Guys didn't celebrate birdies, guys didn't mourn bogeys, guys didn't interact with the fans. For most players, and most fans, its seemed like the biggest goal was to get the round over with quickly (and I can say I was definitely in that group).
Today's round was shown on CBS on tape delay so I could even come home and re-watch the last few players finish their rounds. Is there anything more boring than irrelevant golf on tape delay? Even tennis can get away with a tape delayed match sometimes, but non-live golf should come with a snooze button.
Meanwhile, golf bored up the joint on a day rich with good sporting events. The Nadal-Federer marathon quickly earned 'instant classic' status, baseball had a full slate of games and named All-Stars, and even the Indians finally trading C.C. Sabathia was a bigger deal. If Tiger plays in his tournament, it runs second tonight on Sportscenter only to Wimbledon.
If the weather is right, going to a golf tournament is always going to be a good time. The endless green fairways, the pros' monstrous drives, and the girls in sundresses are always enough to keep interest. However when I have to hope CBS has edited the round down so that 60 Minutes doesn't start late and screw up my DVR, you know there's an issue. That issue all starts with an injured Tiger.
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