OK, so it’s not exactly the morning after.
But they’re still mourning in some circles, nonetheless.
Already having heard Monday’s news from Tiger Woods that his rehabilitation from reconstructive surgery June 24 could take anywhere between 6-12 months and that he had no guess about his recovery timeframe, the PGA Tour this week is staging a tournament in which Eldrick the Absent is the official host.
The AT&T National begins Thursday, but Woods said he isn’t likely to attend in any form or function. It’s truly the first week where the void created by the world No. 1’s injury has really been felt, since he helped hand-craft the event from scratch last spring and was excited about both hosting and playing in its second incarnation. Not to mention, quite possibly, winning.
Nonetheless, where some see Armageddon, PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem sees opportunity. While nobody is arguing that the absence of the world’s most visible sports figure will hurt the game’s ratings, newspaper coverage and fan attendance, that doesn’t mean the game can’t somehow profit in a less-direct, less-financial fashion, he said.
Wednesday at Congressional Country Club, Finchem unveiled his unbridled, optimistic side, and while it surely raised a few eyebrows among the predisposed cynics, the boss man raises a few valid points.
“When Tiger is in the tournament, and by the way, I'm not being critical because he's by far and away probably the most recognized personality on the globe; he just eats television coverage,” Finchem said. “So it's very hard for a guy who is playing well, coming through, to get the amount of television coverage.
“And so the same performance for a player next week, or this week or at the British Open or a John Deere, any of the weeks we have for the rest of the year will be magnified significantly with Tiger not in the field.
“That allows players to become better-known to fans, to step up, maybe create some situations where there's a lot of speculation by you (media) folks. ‘Here is a guy who has really played great,’ and you start speculating on how it’s going to shake out when these two or three guys come into next year and Tiger is back.
“So there's a lot of good storylines that will come out of it.”
Finchem has been asked many times over the years if Woods’ presence as the unquestioned alpha male is a mixed blessing. Usually, his answer has been fairly emphatically in the negative. Wednesday, he acknowledged that the world No. 1 overshadows nearly everything, not without good reason.
“In our business, the only problem in having a dominant player is that it's harder for us to continue to grow the list of stars,” he said. “When somebody is as dominant as Tiger, it's even more difficult, because they pale in comparison to somebody of that stature.
“So this is a great opportunity for us, and I think in many ways, it could generate real value for the tour for the next few years.”
