What Tiger Could Have Said

World's Greatest Golfer Just Doesn't Get It

By JOHN McINTOSH
One Great Season

The 2010 Masters tournament is in the record books and Phil Mickelson has won his third Green Jacket.

But what inquiring minds want to know is … what kind of a jerk is Tiger Woods?

The most obvious next question is how many kinds of jerks are there, but let's not digress.

When interviewed by CBS' Peter Kostis after signing his scorecard, Tiger was asked some questions about what happened to him on the course and his emotional mindset. Tiger could have said, "Well Peter, if you haven't heard, I've had some problems at home lately and I've been away from the game for a while, so I guess it showed."

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Possibly that would have been something to endear him to his nay-sayers, but instead Tiger fumed and said, "I lost. It's that simple."

Kostis stayed with the subject and further inquired about the difference between shutting off all emotions and maybe when that didn't work, possibly channeling some of those emotions back into his golf swing.

Tiger could have replied, "Well Peter, I tried my best out there today and you know the Masters. Sometimes the more you push the harder it gets and well, I was just happy to be part of it all today. The folks here at Augusta -- the galleries and the tournament organizers -- went out of their way to make me feel welcome here this week and I thank them for their dedication to the tournament and the game itself."

Instead, he said, "Every time I tee it up I expect to win and that didn't happen. So that's about it. I'll have to go back and re-evaluate a few things."

So what Kostis could have said might have been something like, "Well Tiger I guess one of the things you'll have to re-evaluate is how to improve your immature behavior on the course. At times you looked like a 14-year-old out there, whining and complaining because things weren't going your way. But maybe you should also re-evaluate how other people such as Gary Player, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus have always spoken about how great the game has been to them and how they just hope that they have been able to give back a little." But Kostis didn't go there.

But if he did, then Tiger could have said, "Yea, I guess you're right Peter."

For Tiger to not act like some kind of jerk would have taken some class and, it's pretty obvious to those inquiring minds that well, he's no Phil Mickelson.

McIntosh is a New York-based writer and publisher of the McIntosh Golf Guides.

Comments

[Brian Kreindler]

The writer is right on. Tiger is really good at saying the wrong things. He needs to learn humility. If he could figure out a way to laugh at himself and act a little more human, golf fans would love him for it. What Tiger did this week with all of the pressure on him was nothing short of amazing. All he had to say was, "I am so glad to be back. The fans here at Augusta are the best. I felt very welcome the whole week. My swing is obviously a little rusty. I would have loved to have come back and won, but 4th place ain't bad." Tiger has to give up the super invincible robot image. Show a little warmth. Stop the whining on the course. In his defense, he actually showed a little maturity. When he had a short birdie putt on 14 in the final round, he ended up three putting for a bogey. He could have easily had one his typical tirades. He didn't. He took it like a man. He needs more of that and less of the outbursts. I am so happy for Phil Mickelson. I have always rooted for him over Tiger. On Saturday when he was 9 inches away on 15 from back to back to back eagles, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. That string of three holes will never be forgotten. He won the tournament right there. His shot Sunday from behind that tree on 13 was classic. One of the best shots you'll ever see. After he sank his birdie putt for the win on 18, it was obvious that he couldn't wait to go find Amy and give her a big hug. That was a very special moment for them and everyone watching. If Tiger would have won, who would have been there to give him a hug? Tiger has a long way to go. He could learn a lot from Phil.