Scott Wilson
April 10th, 2008
DURING the
build-up to this
week's US Masters,
Tiger
Woods was
asked whether
he would be
supporting
Barack Obama
in the race to be
the Democratic
candidate for
the US presidential
election.
The question
was a valid one, given Woods'
skin colour and his successful
battle against the same kind of
institutionalised racism that
Obama is attempting to
counter, but it went unanswered.
Woods, you see, does not do
race. He does not do politics either,
or any kind of social or
cultural subject that might
negatively affect the moneymaking
potential of the Tiger
brand.
Instead, he does golf. He
does it very well, of course, but
his refusal to step outside the
confines of his chosen pursuit
represents a massive opportunity
missed when it comes to
addressing the racial inequality
that continues to blight the
world of sport. And nowhere is
that more apparent than at
Augusta, the spiritual home of
old-time America, and still a
club that boasts just three
black members, one of whom
is Woods himself.
As arguably the most famous
face in sport today,
Woods could be every bit as influential
as Obama in terms of
opening up a meaningful debate
on race. The fact that he
refuses to do so means that
while he is unquestionably a
great sportsman, he will never
be remembered as a true sporting
great.
He is a Sampras not an Ali, a
Schumacher rather than a
Pele. Talented, unquestionably.
Perhaps the best that golf
has ever seen. But while he
has transformed his sport
since winning the first of his
four US Masters 11 years ago,
he has done nothing to alter
the wider society in which it is
staged.
When he retires, his legacy
will be a host of millionaires
who have benefited from the
increased prize money that
has accompanied his rise
through the rankings, a clutch
of courses that have been
changed out of all recognition
in an attempt to make them
"Tiger-proof", and a new template
by which future golfing
success will be measured.
It will not be a new generation
of black sportsmen and
women hoping to follow in his
footsteps, and it will not even
be an acceptance that children
of any colour born on the
wrong side of the tracks can
still make it to the top of their
chosen profession.
It is possible to make a difference
as you make it to the
top - just look at the way the
Williams sisters have challenged
the image of tennis as a
white middle-class American
sport - but Woods steadfastly
refuses to do so.
In 30 or 40 years time, he will
be remembered for the
smoothness of his swing and a
raft of major titles. A legacy to
be proud of, undoubtedly, but
not one that should be the sum
of his ambitions.
THOSE ambitions currently
stretch to becoming the first
professional golfer ever to
achieve a Calendar Slam' of
all four majors in the same
year.
Once upon a time, it would
have been considered impossible,
but if Woods was to win
at Augusta, the odds on him
completing a clean sweep
would plummet from the
miserly 8-1 currently available
from British bookmakers.
The man is a golfing phenomenon
and, as his record of
seven victories from nine
tournaments this season
proves, he is so far ahead of
his rivals that this week's
tournament is effectively a
race to finish second.
If Woods plays to his best,
he will win. Twelve months
ago, by his own admission, he
played "terribly" as rain and
wind lashed Augusta. He didn't
win, but he still finished
second to surprise victor Zach
Johnson. Even when he
under-performs, he is still superior
to just about any other
golfer in the world.
He is also a perfectionist,
and the waywardness off the
tee that had crept into his
game two or three years ago
has been brutally eradicated.
When some people get to
the top, they struggle to retain
their focus and application.
Woods, on the other
hand, continues to seek perfection.
He still practices as
hard as he ever did and, last
winter, he underwent a rigorous
regime of weight training,
running and cycling in
order to add two or three
pounds of extra muscle that
might translate into eight or
ten extra yards off the tee.
He knows Augusta like the
back of his hand, yet he was
still on the course practising
as early as last Sunday. Practice
makes perfect, and Woods
is just about there.
SO what's happened to the European
charge that was supposed
to follow Padraig Harrington's
victory in last year's
Open Championship?
Well, it faltered somewhat at
last August's USPGA Championship
- Malton & Norton professional
Simon Dyson was the
highest European finisher a
full eight shots behind Woods
- and it's in danger of stalling
further in the next four days.
In short, the so-called Golden
Generation' of European
golfers are yet to prove they
have the mettle to string four
world-class rounds together
when the heat is at its most intense.
Sergio Garcia, Luke Donald,
Paul Casey, Justin Rose, Henrik
Stenson - all supremely
talented and all more than capable
of hitting a one-off 64 at
Augusta, but all just as likely
to follow it with an ugly 76.
All have outside chances
this week, as do American Boo
Weekley, Argentine Andres
Romero and South Korean KJ
Choi. But come Sunday
evening, green jacket number
five should be hanging in the
Woods wardrobe.
9:31am Thursday 10th April 2008
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