Did anyone see D. A. Points win the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am last week? No? Well you must have watched Alvaro Quiros win the Dubai Desert Classic? You missed it? But you're a golf fan? I'm sure you recall that Martin Kaymer won the PGA last year, and that Louis Oosthuizen won the British Open? Can't recall that either?
Did you at least see Tiger Woods get fined for spitting on the green while finishing tied for 20th in Dubai after being in contention for the first two rounds? Yeah, that's what I saw too.
I have no sympathy for Tiger Woods. He has won countless majors, made millions of dollars, had a young Swedish nanny for a wife, and no one feels sorry for him. Unfortunately, golf needs him.
As Tiger Woods continues to become irrelevant on the golf course, golf is becoming irrelevant along with him. Tiger's best finish this year is 44th at the Farmers Insurance Open. He is currently 145th in the FedEx standings.
The leader of the FedEx standings is Mark Williams. I mean Mark Wilson. Actually, I'm not sure. Like the rest of the world, I only watch golf if Tiger is playing late on Sunday.
Look, sports needs successful villains. We, as a Nation, hate the Yankees, Duke basketball, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and the New England Patriots. We hate them because they are arrogant, and they win.
But we watch them in hopes that they will be beaten while playing their best.
Sports needs the villain in the finals. We want to see the Lakers, Celtics, or Heat lose at the buzzer. We want to see the Red Sox or Yankees overpay, then lose the World Series in seven. We want to see Butler hit a final shot to crush the spirits of the highly favored Duke Blue Devils.
What if the 1980 Olympic hockey team had beaten Austria instead of the Soviets? What if Buster Douglas would have knocked out Mike White instead of Mike Tyson?
I'm suggesting that the PGA should do all it can to get Tiger back on top and relevant again. Let him win four or five nothing tournaments in a row. Announce to the world that the old Tiger is back and have him leading at the Masters with one hole to go. Put him at the 18th tee with a six iron and water all around him, one good tee shot to win it. Millions yelling "noonan" and hoping for a splash. Millions hoping their guy is back for good.
Or there is the alternative. Tiger shoots a 76 on day two, Jason Dufner wins the Masters, and I spend my Sunday mowing the yard.
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