Thank God for the Ryder Cup! For nothing could have hammered home a lost point more so than did the spirited competition between Europe and the United States. It should put an end to a ridiculous notion that has been perpetrated by a fawning press and embraced and bought into by too many supposed sports fans.
So what is this profound point? This undeniable truth that has been assailed and bludgeoned by a bunch of lackies and loons in the media. Simply this. That the sport of golf can be compelling without Tiger Woods. That its' survival doesn't hinge on Woods' presence. That Woods, no matter how many buffoons may try to convince you otherwise, isn't bigger than the game. That he isn't the alpha and he sure as hell ain't the omega. He never has been and he never will be.
Golf grew into a serious participation and spectator sport long before the man with the captivating smile and the bulging biceps ever came onto the scene. Granted, if Woods had never appeared, the game would have missed out on something truly spectacular . It would have been denied arguably its' most charismatic and certainly its' most transcendent star.
Yet, the game wouldn't have expired. It wouldn't have died on the vine. Oh sure, the interest in the game and its' overall appeal wouldn't have been nearly as great but the game would have grown nonetheless. It wouldn't have stayed stagnant. There are enough more than enough intriguing personalities , sans Woods, that would have kept the sport moving onward and upward.
Unquestionably, Tiger's presence brings juice, excitement and anticipation to the proceedings. But his absence doesn't kill it. And, in plenty of instances, Woods' appearance isn't a prerequisite for riveting action. Great theatre can be provided without the World's Number 1 being anywhere near.
Clearly, the Ryder Cup proved that. The drama at Valhalla also crystallized something else. That the U.S. doesn't need Woods to get the better of the Euros when it comes to Ryder Cup play. He maybe the gold standard but he isn't irreplaceable. Life on the links can go on without him just fine.
Sadly, the Woods' fanaticism has reached a point where it's over-the-top and nauseating. A large segment of the media tries to sell the public on the bigoted attitude that if Woods isn't involved, a tournament or event isn't worth following. They paint Woods as if he were the patron saint of golf. Listening to the media's hyperbole and over exaggeration, you'd think Tiger invented the game and then, for good measure, has won every major since. Just for accuracy's sake, Woods is the owner of 14 slams which isn't close to winning them all.
We keep hearing that if Woods isn't teeing it up, then the television ratings go in the tank. Though I believe this angle to be overblown, if it is the truth, it only bears out one thing. And that is that those who find no interest in the game beyond Tiger aren't golf fans. They're not really even sports fans. They're simply casual onlookers who are enamored and entranced with Tiger. In other words, they're Tiger Woods fans and nothing more. It's Woods' personality and dynamism that attracts them. They couldn't give a rat's behind about golf per se.
But there's really no harm in that. It's fine to like or admire someone for just about any reason you care to chose. But let's stop the nonsense here and now. True golf fans don't switch off the set if Tiger should drop on the leader board and become a non-factor. Their respect, fascination and love of golf goes a heck of a lot deeper than that. It's only the most superficial and shallow among us who turn their attention elsewhere when Woods slips by the wayside which generally isn't very often.
Tiger mania has also fostered an annoying arrogance on the part of his supporters, be they in the press, in the crowds or elsewhere. And that bravado is manifested by their totally close-minded claim that only he and he alone can be considered the greatest linkster in history.
Sorry but I'm not drinking that Kool-Aid quite yet. Sure, you can make a legitimate case that Woods might be golf's most accomplished practitioner ever. But my position that Jack Nicklaus remains numero uno can be made to be every bit as persuasive. Last time I checked, Nicklaus still had more tournament wins and Slam titles than does Tiger.
What's more, Nicklaus earned his spurs against a slew of great warriors like Palmer, Player, Trevino and Watson. There's not one of Woods' peers, notice I don't call them rivals, that can hold a candle to those tough-as-nails battlers from yesteryear. Guys like Mickelson, Els and Singh can be splendid ballstrikers but they're far from being gritty competitors. They, along with 98% of the tour, quake in their boots whenever they get within sight of Tiger. They roll over for Woods like a pack of lapdogs.
One other point. The technology of today has had a perverse effect on the game. With clubheads bigger than boulders, with sweet spots the size of China and aerodynamic balls that know little resistance, the game's degree of difficulty has been greatly reduced for those at the elite level. So anything that Woods does today must be taken with a grain of salt. He's had incredibly sophisticated tools at his disposal which have helped him immeasurably.
If you compelled Woods and his current buddies to use 60's, 70's or even 80's equipment, much of their mastery would dissipate. Many of them would go from being standouts to journeymen because it would force them to become better shotmakers and thinkers, areas in which they don't excel.
The Ryder Cup also demonstrated that Woods hasn't cornered the market on charisma. Despite what his minions might say, there are others players whose personalities resonate and connect with the public.
Young and energetic Anthony Kim has a fierce persona that really clicks with the masses. His beatdown of Euro stalwart Sergio Garcia was stunning and given his two tour wins in '08, Kim has the look of the PGA's next megastar, both in terms of play and in marketability.
And Woods doesn't have all that much over the thoroughly entertaining Boo Weekley either. With his ah-shucks ways, unique vocabulary and a sense of humor to beat the band, Weekley rates right up there as a crowd favorite. Who can't help but like a guy who doesn't take himself all that seriously in the cutthroat world of golf. Weekley's approach is oh so refreshing.
By the way, I failed to mention one other thing. Boo can kill it and his touch around the greens ain't none too bad either. In other words, this good ole boy can play.
So thank you Ryder Cup. Not only for the thrills and the excitement but for helping to lend a bit of perspective to your sport. Maybe some of the dopes in both the press and the public finally found out that the game doesn't fall apart minus Tiger Woods. That it can go on without him if need be and not only survive but even thrive in the process.
For as great and surpassing a player as Woods is, the golfing universe is hardly confined to him. It has other constellations and galaxies that are worthy of exploring.
Golf had a colorful and dynamic history long before Tiger's arrival. And it will soldier on successfully once he pounds out his final stroke. It is agreed that Woods is a big celebrity, a big commodity and a big sports star. But never will he be larger than the game itself.
No one will ever rise to that level. And only the ignorant or the sycophants of Woods refuse to admit that eternal truth.