You have no idea what you’ve been missing. The last six weeks have produced some of the most compelling sports television in years and you haven’t been paying attention. But, why should you? The PGA Tour is like a traffic cop when it comes to many of it’s own televised tournaments, loudly shouting, “Nothing to see here, move along” whenever Tiger Woods isn’t entered in an event. Never one to waste my time with a full day Super Bowl pre game show, I spent Sunday afternoon watching the final round of the PGA Phoenix Open, during which my wife observed, “You know what’s great about watching a tournament without Tiger Woods?. I actually get to see who a lot of these other guys are.” Two strokes for the math specialist. But with the PGA Tour telling you they’ve got nothing you want to see when all they have to offer is some of the best golfers in the world on challenging courses in tropical settings in Hawaii or the competition for the title “King of the Swing”, why would you want to watch? Who cares if while you were away a budding young star exploded onto the scene in the former Hope Desert Classic, taking a three stroke lead to the final hole in pursuit of his first PGA Tour title only to shoot a heartbreaking triple bogey that forced him into a playoff, which he lost? It would be hard to envision that Kyle Stanley could make a quick recovery but, a week later, there he was, making the story much more compelling by hanging close into the weekend rounds and keeping his name on the leader board going to Sunday, albeit eight strokes off the pace. As we watched another youngster in sniffing range of his first Tour title suffer a similar meltdown Stanley charged up the leader board to, one week removed from devestation, claim his first championship in the big time, with room to spare. Cheering the kid along over the back nine, including that snake pit at sixteen, gave Phoenix a lot of the final round elements of the Masters. But, hey, you didn’t miss anything. The PGA Tour told you so. The official PGA season tees off today. The heartwarming story of Kyle Stanley ends right here. Just watching the Golf Channel promos will tell you that. One man, Tiger Woods, one course, Pebble Beach, a tournament he hasn’t graced in ten years, a guy who hasn’t won a Tour event in two and a half. Judging from the promos he’s already scared the rest of the field away, it’s him against the course. The only thing in golf worth watching. Tiger has yet to appear in a Tour event this season and, as compelling as it was watching him tune up his game for the big time at the Abu Dhabi Championship, I’m already tired of the overkill. If the promos are accurate, it is just Tiger against the course, I’m rooting for the course because for the rest of the season at least we know it won’t be all Pebble Beach all the time. Here comes the PGA Tour, shooting itself in it’s future again. With a comment from the sports world, I’m Scott Gray.
Sports Commentary 2/9/12
February 9, 2012 8:16 AM
Filed under
Sports, Sports CommentaryHey ! Tiger’s Back !! Uh, yeah, ok….whopee….
You have no idea what you’ve been missing. The last six weeks have produced some of the most compelling sports television in years and you haven’t been paying attention. But, why should you? The PGA Tour is like a traffic cop when it comes to many of it’s own televised tournaments, loudly shouting, “Nothing to see here, move along” whenever Tiger Woods isn’t entered in an event. Never one to waste my time with a full day Super Bowl pre game show, I spent Sunday afternoon watching the final round of the PGA Phoenix Open, during which my wife observed, “You know what’s great about watching a tournament without Tiger Woods?. I actually get to see who a lot of these other guys are.” Two strokes for the math specialist. But with the PGA Tour telling you they’ve got nothing you want to see when all they have to offer is some of the best golfers in the world on challenging courses in tropical settings in Hawaii or the competition for the title “King of the Swing”, why would you want to watch? Who cares if while you were away a budding young star exploded onto the scene in the former Hope Desert Classic, taking a three stroke lead to the final hole in pursuit of his first PGA Tour title only to shoot a heartbreaking triple bogey that forced him into a playoff, which he lost? It would be hard to envision that Kyle Stanley could make a quick recovery but, a week later, there he was, making the story much more compelling by hanging close into the weekend rounds and keeping his name on the leader board going to Sunday, albeit eight strokes off the pace. As we watched another youngster in sniffing range of his first Tour title suffer a similar meltdown Stanley charged up the leader board to, one week removed from devestation, claim his first championship in the big time, with room to spare. Cheering the kid along over the back nine, including that snake pit at sixteen, gave Phoenix a lot of the final round elements of the Masters. But, hey, you didn’t miss anything. The PGA Tour told you so. The official PGA season tees off today. The heartwarming story of Kyle Stanley ends right here. Just watching the Golf Channel promos will tell you that. One man, Tiger Woods, one course, Pebble Beach, a tournament he hasn’t graced in ten years, a guy who hasn’t won a Tour event in two and a half. Judging from the promos he’s already scared the rest of the field away, it’s him against the course. The only thing in golf worth watching. Tiger has yet to appear in a Tour event this season and, as compelling as it was watching him tune up his game for the big time at the Abu Dhabi Championship, I’m already tired of the overkill. If the promos are accurate, it is just Tiger against the course, I’m rooting for the course because for the rest of the season at least we know it won’t be all Pebble Beach all the time. Here comes the PGA Tour, shooting itself in it’s future again. With a comment from the sports world, I’m Scott Gray.