The Masters Tournament starts play today amidst the media circus brought on by Tiger Woods promiscuity scandal. Held each year with the final round played on the 2nd Sunday in April, the PGA’s most prestigious tour dating back to its founding by golf legend, Bobby Jones, who helped design the course for the Augusta National Golf Club with architect, Alister MacKenzie, its beautiful landscaping and architectural features, with its rich variety of flowering trees and shrubs most of which come to bloom at the time of the tournament create a rich aesthetic unlike that of any other sporting event. Various features and landmarks around the course are a part of the nation’s sports vocabulary as we think of Amen Corner, “The Big Oak Tree,” Eisenhower Tree, Rae’s Creek, Crow’s Nest, the Hogan, Nelson, and Sarazen Bridges, Magnolia Lane, and Par Three Fountain. The tradition of awarding the tournament winner a green sports coat honors the intense level of play making it one of the most popular and widely viewed events on the tour.
The club insists on strict standards CBS and ESPN must follow as conditions of their contracts to broadcast the event. The spectators generally known as the gallery through out the rest of golf are to be referred to as “patron” when covering The Masters. The “rough” is called the “second cut.” Much to their credit, they also significantly limit the number of commercial breaks, but given the tournament’s popularity, the event’s sponsors pay the networks dearly for their sponsorship. Announcers covering the events are kept on a very short leash. The Augusta officials will not hesitate to demand removal of any broadcaster who strays from the party line. Networks are not allowed to use on-field reporters and their use of graphics is severely limited as is any promotion for other network programming. What better shows just how much power this tournament has given in this instance the networks must pander to the sport where in other sports, the sport panders to the network to make the event as media friendly as the network brain trust suggests.
The Augusta National Golf Club is also a hotbed of social controversy as the club is one of the few major facilities that still does not admit women members using its status as a private club as its shield to justify such archaic and blatant sexism. Membership is by invitation only, an elite list of some of the most accomplished men in government and business.
The winners list of the Masters reads like a who’s who of golf’s greats; however, it is not unusual for a seemingly nameless golfer to come on strong and claim the green jacket. If a golfer wins no other event other than a single Masters, he will still be one of golf’s historical figures for that accomplishment alone. Consider the winners of the last five tournaments: Angel Cabrera (2009), Trevor Immelman (2008), Zach Johnson (2007), Phil Mickelson (2006), his second, and Tiger Woods (2005), his 4th.
Other significant winners include Nick Faldo, a three time winner who won his last tournament in 1996. Tom Watson is a two time winner who is attempting at 60 to be a solid competitor. Jack Nicklaus holds an unprecedented six championships with his last in 1986.
Other greats include Gary Player (3), Arnold Palmer (4), Sam Snead (3), Ben Hogan (2), Byron Nelson (2), and the winner of the first tournament in 1934, Horton Smith who won two.
Phil Mickelson is perhaps the odds-on favorite to win this year’s tournament with Ernie Els, Padraig Harrington, among others receiving much attention. Naturally, all eyes are on Tiger Woods. How much will not having played in competition for 144 days and the storm of controversy from his inappropriate behavior affect his game at a course he has tamed so effectively?
Tiger Woods will never get the warm reception he enjoyed in the past as now we know too much and see that carefully prepared image we’ve become accustomed to endorsing was nothing more than a carefully created veneer. Whether its temperamental outbursts, foul mouthed tirades at various folks around the clubhouse, to almost any personal digression, it’s all out in public now. How many of us take the notion of “rehab” for sexual addiction seriously? That’s what the elite have available. For the rest of us, we’d just be seen as cads or carousers.
His unsatisfactory behavior was not lost upon tour officials. Billy Payne, Masters Chairman, blasted Tiger Woods in a statement before the media covering the event. In his pretournament address, Payne stated in part:
"As he now says himself, he forgot in the process to remember that with fame and fortune comes responsibility, not invisibility. It is not simply the degree of his conduct that is so egregious here; it is the fact that he disappointed all of us, and more importantly, our kids and our grandkids.
The club insists on strict standards CBS and ESPN must follow as conditions of their contracts to broadcast the event. The spectators generally known as the gallery through out the rest of golf are to be referred to as “patron” when covering The Masters. The “rough” is called the “second cut.” Much to their credit, they also significantly limit the number of commercial breaks, but given the tournament’s popularity, the event’s sponsors pay the networks dearly for their sponsorship. Announcers covering the events are kept on a very short leash. The Augusta officials will not hesitate to demand removal of any broadcaster who strays from the party line. Networks are not allowed to use on-field reporters and their use of graphics is severely limited as is any promotion for other network programming. What better shows just how much power this tournament has given in this instance the networks must pander to the sport where in other sports, the sport panders to the network to make the event as media friendly as the network brain trust suggests.
The Augusta National Golf Club is also a hotbed of social controversy as the club is one of the few major facilities that still does not admit women members using its status as a private club as its shield to justify such archaic and blatant sexism. Membership is by invitation only, an elite list of some of the most accomplished men in government and business.
The winners list of the Masters reads like a who’s who of golf’s greats; however, it is not unusual for a seemingly nameless golfer to come on strong and claim the green jacket. If a golfer wins no other event other than a single Masters, he will still be one of golf’s historical figures for that accomplishment alone. Consider the winners of the last five tournaments: Angel Cabrera (2009), Trevor Immelman (2008), Zach Johnson (2007), Phil Mickelson (2006), his second, and Tiger Woods (2005), his 4th.
Other significant winners include Nick Faldo, a three time winner who won his last tournament in 1996. Tom Watson is a two time winner who is attempting at 60 to be a solid competitor. Jack Nicklaus holds an unprecedented six championships with his last in 1986.
Other greats include Gary Player (3), Arnold Palmer (4), Sam Snead (3), Ben Hogan (2), Byron Nelson (2), and the winner of the first tournament in 1934, Horton Smith who won two.
Phil Mickelson is perhaps the odds-on favorite to win this year’s tournament with Ernie Els, Padraig Harrington, among others receiving much attention. Naturally, all eyes are on Tiger Woods. How much will not having played in competition for 144 days and the storm of controversy from his inappropriate behavior affect his game at a course he has tamed so effectively?
Tiger Woods will never get the warm reception he enjoyed in the past as now we know too much and see that carefully prepared image we’ve become accustomed to endorsing was nothing more than a carefully created veneer. Whether its temperamental outbursts, foul mouthed tirades at various folks around the clubhouse, to almost any personal digression, it’s all out in public now. How many of us take the notion of “rehab” for sexual addiction seriously? That’s what the elite have available. For the rest of us, we’d just be seen as cads or carousers.
His unsatisfactory behavior was not lost upon tour officials. Billy Payne, Masters Chairman, blasted Tiger Woods in a statement before the media covering the event. In his pretournament address, Payne stated in part:
"As he now says himself, he forgot in the process to remember that with fame and fortune comes responsibility, not invisibility. It is not simply the degree of his conduct that is so egregious here; it is the fact that he disappointed all of us, and more importantly, our kids and our grandkids.
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Our hero did not live up to the expectations of the role model we saw for our children."
Our hero did not live up to the expectations of the role model we saw for our children."
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Adding to the controversy is a strange ad by Nike featuring a stone faced Tiger filmed in black and white with the voice of his late father speaking. We here him saying:
Adding to the controversy is a strange ad by Nike featuring a stone faced Tiger filmed in black and white with the voice of his late father speaking. We here him saying:
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“I want to find out what your thinking was. I want to find out what your feelings are. Did you learn anything?”
“I want to find out what your thinking was. I want to find out what your feelings are. Did you learn anything?”
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The tone of the ad is solemn but creepy to be sure. Is it exploitation?
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The tone of the ad is solemn but creepy to be sure. Is it exploitation?
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The less said of the Tiger Wood “sextravaganza” the better. It’s all about the game of golf and how well he performs. He’ll get no more good will votes any longer. He’s no longer America’s son. The only thing that matters is where he stands on the leader board on Sunday and how well he lives up to expectations.
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