Seeing Tiger Not A Hot Ticket Down Under
by Charles Boyer on Nov 1, 2010 12:01 PM EDT
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When Tiger Woods visited Australia to play last year, getting a ducat to be a part of the gallery was a tough ticket. This year, not so much.
Last year, 20,000 general admission tickets for each day of Woods appearance sold out weeks in advance, and even the then World's #1's practice sessions would be described as a circus: thousands followed him around Kingston Heath, with television news helicopters keeping watch of his every move from overhead.
Times have changed: in 2010, tickets are still available for the Australian Masters, and Woods is no longer #1, no longer married and no longer carries the allure or regard that he once took for granted.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald:
Unlike a year ago, when the wave of marital infidelity allegations that have reshaped the public image of the American 14-time major winner were yet to surface, he will also arrive with Masters tickets still available.
[Tickets] will still be available at the gate at Victoria Golf Club on November 11-14, although at a $5 premium to those pre-sold for $49 through Ticketek.
One could say that gobal Great Recession may have something to do with the depressed demand for tickets, while others might claim that Woods was making his visit Down Under last year after an 11-year absence. One could say too that golf's popularity is in a bit of decline, tarnishing the allure of the event overall and ticket sales as a result.
Or perhaps it is all of the above.
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On the down...
I don;t think Tiger can take all the credit..er..blame for the lack of ticket sales, if golf is the down then its the marketing fault of the local PGA in Australia. If they, the organisers, relied on Toger for ticket sales, then they got what they deserve with low sales, put some money and time into marketing man!
"If it doesn't work, you are trying to hard."
http://twitter.com/Roy_Ko
Golf is not on the down
in Aus and nor is the economy. Both are doing quite nicely. Last year, Tiger was making his first appearance there, for around 15 years and every man and his dog wanted to be a part of it. This year, the novelty has worn off just a little, hence the less than pre sell out of last year.
They will still have capacity crowds at Victoria Golf Club. This is Melbourne, where they will have 100,000 people come out in the middle of winter, midweek and at night, to watch a game they know little about!
A golf tournament with Tiger featuring will bring them out in droves. Watch and see.
I agree with chip
Outside the US, here in England anyway, no one talks about Tiger anymore. They did last November. But not for his golf of course. If he starts winning again, people would talk more, but until then, he is just another golfer right now. Also, if he only went down for the 3 million last year, a lot this year might just think he isn’t worth it anymore either.
Do they really call the summer weather “winter” down there ?
Good to hear the report, Chip – pretty typical of the media to paint as dark a picture as possible. Have to agree with you on the novelty of Woods’ return wearing off – and some are bound to stay away because of his moral dilemma. Sure couldn’t hurt if he was playing a little better going in.
OMP – a ducat is a gold coin – not a ticket.
"Fathom the odd hypocrisy that Obama wants every citizen to prove they are insured, but people don't have to prove they are citizens." - Ben Stein
Still,
If any other golfer shows up at the tournament, it’s a non-story. If the new worlds #1 shows up does it mean a spike in ticket sales? Not……..The only two golfers that drive ticket sales, and create a buzz are Phil, and Tiger………Unless it’s a regional thing. ie. Ryo in Japan, etc. It’s been this way for awhile now. You have to win Majors, which are seen worldwide, and you have to be spectacular. This is why Tiger is still the biggest draw in golf, even after scandal, and poor play, and why Phil is still the next biggest after his poor year……..post Masters. They are exciting, and they move the needle. See China this week. They are the major draws.
"The game is swell when it's played well."
by Fairways and Grins on Nov 2, 2010 10:05 AM EDT reply actions
Probably mostly true, F&G – but you can’t deny that Tiger has been special his entire career. If Lee Westwood decided to head to Oz, the media and fan reaction wouldn’t be nearly what it has been for Tiger in years past.
"Fathom the odd hypocrisy that Obama wants every citizen to prove they are insured, but people don't have to prove they are citizens." - Ben Stein
the funny dresser...
Lets not forget Daly as a draw card outside of USA…Daley’s quirky ways also sell tickets, not a smuch as Tiger, but certainly, outside of the USA and Europe, as much as Phil, IMO
"If it doesn't work, you are trying to hard."
http://twitter.com/Roy_Ko
I agree in US and Europe...
But he is still hot entertainment value in out of Europe and USA PGA’s or equivilent…IMO..Man id a charcter and brings that “I aint a virgin no more” dust to an event..
"If it doesn't work, you are trying to hard."
http://twitter.com/Roy_Ko
And more than a few guys can smack a golf ball into a sub-orbital flight...
Saw some guys over at the PGA Learning Center practicing at the the World Golf Hall of Fame over the weekend that almost made me gasp at how far and true they can hit the ball. Daly’s one real claim to fame as a player was “Long John” but now he might not even make the top 3 in driving distance.
Much as I like him and as much empathy as I have for Daly as a man, I think that his days as a force on the golf course are probably over.
by Charles Boyer on Nov 2, 2010 8:08 PM EDT up reply actions
There are thousands of bombers out there that will never make it off the Hooters Tour or some of the other mini tours.
It takes a lot more than a big driver to make it on the PGA Tour – and Daly had it all…except something consistent between the ears.
Daly was called “Long John” – no doubt – he was as long as there was back in his day – and the media lived on his driver because they were too lazy to really watch his game. People who really watched Daly knew he had some of the softest hands in the game – and many said he was physically more talented than Woods or Mickelson.
Top 30 ? I wouldn’t count him out of that group. But if you’re not making cuts, nobody looks at your stats.
"Fathom the odd hypocrisy that Obama wants every citizen to prove they are insured, but people don't have to prove they are citizens." - Ben Stein
true enough about his short game
Thing is, he’s struggling a bit with his short shots too.
I wouldn’t put just the media as being in awe of his tee shots. A lot of fans I know loved him because the exaggerated backswing he still uses to this day was such that not only was he crushing the ball, it LOOKED like he was crushing the ball.
A little shorter than JD, Ernie Els was once a pretty good man with a driver in his hands too, but his swing is the polar opposite of JD’s: it’s just silky and effortless in its appearance.
by Charles Boyer on Nov 4, 2010 11:43 AM EDT up reply actions
Is vs Was
Daly hasn’t been “Long John” in a long time. He’s just not the same man after doing battle with his demons for so many years.
I thought we were talking about Daly back in the day. Who didn’t love that long swing where he could scratch an itch on his left knee in the backswing ? :-) What amazed me was that he could hit a 3’ pitch shot with the same swing.
Didn’t say that only the media was interested in his long drives – I said the media was only interested in the long drives – it was the easy story.
You mention Els – but watch Daly’s swing. As long as it was and as much as it looked like he was putting a lot of effort into it, he was really smooth, too.
"Fathom the odd hypocrisy that Obama wants every citizen to prove they are insured, but people don't have to prove they are citizens." - Ben Stein
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