As Tiger Woods makes his 2012 debut on American soil this week, he is not surprisingly the center of attention. It is well documented how Tiger changed the sport of golf, but his impact on American sports extends beyond the golf course.

On the whole golf and tennis are both currently thriving, but these sports are in two very different places. Golf’s current excitement is based on the lack of a dominant force, and the fun that comes with watching who will step forward each week. Tennis, on the other hand, has been dominated by three all time greats who are playing at levels never seen before- Djokovic, Nadal and Federer have won 27 of the last 28 majors. However, American tennis (especially on the men's side) is beyond struggling. On February 1 there were only 8 American males in the Top 100 of the world rankings. This is a shockingly low number. What many people have missed when considering this rough patch in US Tennis is the enormous role that Tiger Woods has played.

The inescapable truth is that tennis and golf remain country club sports. As great a job as many organizations have done to introduce these sports to less privileged children, they are simply unable to provide the consistent access that is necessary to allow a player the chance to be great. Obviously this impacts the composition of the elite players. Think of how the landscape of the NFL would change if the majority of the US population had access to a football field once a week or possibly even once a month. The one group that has unlimited access to these facilities are members of country clubs.

Access issues are old news, but how does Tiger Woods fit into the tennis side of this equation? What Tiger did when he burst onto the scene about 16 years ago was make golf cool. This caused the kids running around the country club pools at that time (think early teens and younger) to ask their parents for golf rather than tennis lessons. Pre-Tiger, tennis was the game for the athletic kids and golf was a secondary consideration. Enter Tiger and every kid wanted to give golf a chance. Fast forward to 2012 and the Tiger influenced generation has reached its late twenties and early thirties. Players this age are starting to hold the mantle for American golf, but elite American players of this age are completely absent from professional tennis.

It would be easy to counter with the argument that we are not necessarily in a golden age for American golf. Someone could correctly point out that the top 4 ranked players in the world are European. Still, 9 of the Top 20 ranked players in the world are American. 6 of those players are younger than Tiger, and that does not even include Keegan Bradley (last year's PGA Championship winner) or Bill Haas (last year's Fed Ex Cup Winner). If born 10 years earlier, I bet Dustin Johnson would currently be hitting 140 mph serves rather than 325 yard drives.

So where does American tennis go from here? Much like Tiger cost tennis young players, he also cost the game young fans. This is a big reason why the Golf Channel is flourishing but the Tennis Channel has not been able to receive full national distribution. But tennis in the US is not lost and the US Tennis Open remains the most attended sporting event in the US. This leaves the sport in an interesting spot. Is this a blip on the radar for a sport that has been extremely popular for nearly a century? Or will tennis go the way of horse racing, where fans only tune in a couple of weekends a year?

There is also the possibility that a transcendent figure like Tiger Woods will come along in Tennis and in 2028 someone could write this same story about the struggles of American golf.

http://espn.go.com/dallas/golf/story/_/id/7548062/golfer-lose-leg-stabbing-being-allowed-play-through

Where has all the golf course etiquette gone? Breaking golf clubs and stabbing people over not being allowed to play through? Seriously? People need to relax a bit on the course. Everyone has come across annoying people who take 15 practice swings before every shot and play like snails, but that is no reason to get up in arms and start assaulting people.

"You will always define events in a manner which will validate your agreement with reality."
- Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

Tiger Woods walks, talks and looks basically the same as he did when he won the US Open by 15 strokes in the summer of 2000. He wears red on Sundays, just like he did when he won the PGA Championship by five strokes in 2006. But anyone with more than a cursory interest in professional golf knows the Tiger Woods of 2012 isn't the Tiger Woods of 2000 or 2006. 15 years of golf at the highest level has taken a physical toll, leading to multiple knee surgeries. The public airing of his multiple infidelities turned his name from one companies lavished millions to be associated with to one that matched Kim Kardashian and Jesse James as late night joke fodder.

So why would the international golf media treat the 2012 Tiger Woods like the 2006 Tiger Woods?

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The final score, San Francisco 49ers 36 New Orleans Saints 32 has probably upset you, but I'm coming as close to back flips as my 65 year old body will allow. Exciting game. It was reminiscent of the 1982 game San Francisco vs. Dallas where the winning score was Montana to Clark at the back of the end zone. This was such a great game. My condolences, em. Bring on Giants or Packers! Who Dat? WE Dat!!

By now, I'm going to assume that everybody has heard or read the disgraceful post-round interview by Kelly Tilghman with Matt Every, who had just had his best round as a PGA Tour member. A round that set him up as the overnight leader going into the weekend of the Sony. (If not - here is a YouTube link to it - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWnqIDI9Y9s )

This was a short 3-minute interview - not a long form sit down. There was not going to be enough time for in-depth discussion (Tilghman should know better - Strike 1) - and as it came off, Tilghman didn't even take time to get the story right. Every was not suspended for an illegal substance, he was suspended for conduct unbecoming. (Strike 2 on Tilghman) Here's where you might see a wasted pitch, but the overly aggressive Tilghman couldn't help herself and forced the issue. After Every plainly said he was done with the issue, Tilghman went right back at Every with another question on the subject. Strike 3, you're out.....left up to me, Tilghman would be on the next single oar outrigger to Orlando. (no such luck)

Post round interviews are basically round recaps, how did it go, are you ready for tomorrow, etc etc etc. They are generally where sound bites come from.


You can bet that the PGA Tour had a few words with xxx Golf Channel people about this ambush. The Tour is very protective of its players. Xxx Golf Channel has pretty much tried to sweep the interview under the rug, trying to deflect all attention onto Every. The interview is not posted on their web site, only an edited (read "sensored") media center session that eliminated 10 questions asked about the Tilghman interview. (PGATour.com did the same thing).

Here are the 10 questions and answers:

Q. You brought up the incident at Deere. Not as much talk about what happened but how it has affected you over the remainder of that year, and obviously you only had‑‑ did you have like Disney was all you had to try and keep your card?
MATT EVERY: Yeah.

Q. And then how you focused on that or what you did to kind of get that behind you.
MATT EVERY: Those three months that I was off, I did practice a lot for Disney, but I mean, how much can you really expect having a three‑month layoff trying to‑‑ I think I had to finish probably top 5 or top 10 to have any kind of status for the next year.
As far as putting it behind me, though, I have other stuff that is important to me. I didn't really‑‑ I was pissed for sure, like for probably a good month, but then after that, it was kind of like‑‑ I didn't write off Disney and say, I already know I'm not going to get my status. But I kind of in the back of my mind was like, okay, we're going to have to go to Q‑school this year and try and get it, but I didn't. So then I was on the Nationwide, and once I got my card through the Nationwide last year, I kind of feel like it's completely behind me now.
I felt like my penalty for getting in trouble was not only the three months but being on the Nationwide Tour last year.

Q. Why were you upset?
MATT EVERY: A lot of reasons, man. I was upset at myself. I was upset at‑‑ there's some stuff I can't talk about, but I was pissed at the way it was handled. I don't know. I'm not a‑‑ I don't do drugs. It was a crappy deal, man. Wrong place, wrong time, perfect storm, and you know, I got three months out of it. It's over with. I'm not mad at the TOUR. They did what they had to do. I totally understand it. But it's over with.

Q. Did you have to make a lifestyle change at all because of that?
MATT EVERY: No, man, I'm married, I've got a kid on the way. I'm not like this party animal.

Q. I'm not suggesting that, but maybe the guys you might have hung with or something like that?
MATT EVERY: No, I still hang out with the same people. I have great friends, man. If one of my friends likes to smoke marijuana every now and then, I'm not going to say, well, you can't be my friend anymore. Honestly, man, I know more people who smoke marijuana than who don't smoke marijuana. I know that's probably not the politically correct thing to say, but it's the truth. It's not a big deal to me. Like I don't frown upon people doing that stuff. I don't do it, but I don't frown upon it.

Q. You lost for me a second when you said you were upset about the way it was handled. It got me thinking that you didn't like the way the TOUR handled it, but then you said you're not upset with the TOUR at all. What part of the handling things did I miss there?
MATT EVERY: Well, the‑‑ I don't think the police handled it very well. But whatever. And the TOUR, too, man, if they would have thrown a month at me instead of three, that would have been nice.

Q. Did you think the punishment fit the crime?
MATT EVERY: Probably, but there's nothing I can do about it now. We're all under the TOUR. I'm not bigger than the TOUR, never will be. It's their call, and I did it, and it's over with.

Q. Is it a stretch to say that once you got back to‑‑ once you paid your penalty of Nationwide essentially, which I think is correct, that you look at this as a second start at all, this season?
MATT EVERY: Yeah, I honestly kind of feel like a rookie out here this year, because I was doing just fine until I got to Hilton Head. I broke my finger, six weeks there, then I get back and I was out for like two weeks, then get in trouble, there's three months. My rookie year was cut‑‑ I still almost kept my status and played half the tournaments that everybody else played. I feel like it was a pretty good year for me. I just didn't get to play much.

Q. Is there any question in your mind if you hadn't been off for those three months that you would have kept your card?
MATT EVERY: Oh, man, I would have been‑‑ well, if I didn't break my finger I think I would have kept my card, even if I got those three months, because I was playing really well. But I can't‑‑ I mean, that's not fair for me to say. Everyone can say, oh, if I would have done this.

Q. But you felt like you were playing well enough could have kept it?
MATT EVERY: Yeah. I mean, yeah. There was plenty of tournaments left. And the tournaments I missed were New Orleans, huge purse; Charlotte; TPC; Byron Nelson; Colonial. I was in all of those. And then I got four starts last year. No offense to these tournaments, they're great, and I'm going to play them this year, but I get Puerto Rico, Mexico. That's not really that fair, but whatever.

(http://www.asapsports.com/show_interview.php?id=76811)

Tilghman has been a part of xxx Golf Channel since day one - she SHOULD know better than to try to get away with things like this - but at this point, I don't think she cares. I believe that she, like way too many other members of our power-happy media prefer the mantra "it's better to ask forgiveness than permission" than to doing things the right way. I think she beileves that the golf channel watching public doesn't care enough to remember reprehensible ambushes like this, much less react to them in a significant manner. I think she probbaly believes, as do many media and marketing people, that there is no bad publicity. As long as people are talking about what you did, it's good. (nonsense in my book)

Geoff Shackleford was pretty turned off by the interview as well. His article about it is worth reading, as are the comments. There are some pretty funny things to read there. (http://www.geoffshackelford.com/)

Matt Every is a good guy who put himself in a dumb situation. Kelly Tilghman is typical media - always ready and willing to embarrass a player...a player not named Tiger, of course.

I don't know how many of you have favorite songs, or even a playlist you take along to the range to help with rhythm and tempo, but I came across a new song that has been great for my putting and short game shots.

It's a song called "Welcome to America" by Kevin Rowe. (Kevin is an up and comer who has been in the Atlanta area for about a year from England...and is a golfer) Even better, you can download it for free at http://kevinrowe.com/fr_home

What are some of your favorite tunes to help get you into a good rhythm while hitting balls ?

The 2012 Golf Season is finally upon us, and that means that Fantasy Golf is back in action. There was some confusion if there was going to be another Waggle Room Fantasy Golf League this year or not. Have no fear Fantasy Golfers... there is!

The league is run through Yahoo. To join, email Charles or post your email address here and he will send off the official invite through Yahoo, and that will get you joined up with no problems.

See you on the cyberlinks...

- Jeff

My girlfriend and I as well as many other fans of Waggleroom had a great time last season with the Yahoo Fantasy Golf and we are wondering if your going to do it again ?

The 2012 Season starts on January 6th in Hawaii, so there isn't a lot of time left to get it going.

Thanks in advance if you do start one and no biggie if you do not as we will find another or just play the regular yahoo one.
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Spent a couple of hours at the local PGA Tour Superstore and it turned out to be my lucky day. The Wilson and Exotics reps were there with their new lines.

The new Wilson Ci-11 irons are sweet ! Black finish with a high tech looking cavity. Looks like it's between a traditional sized head and a midsize, very nice top line. The ball really took off in the simulator. If you've hit the Taylormade 2.0 irons, they felt similar. Didn't get to hit the new superlight driver. Someone else had been in earlier, demo'd it, and talked the rep into selling it to him at full retail on the spot. A demo. They won't be out in most markets until March or April, but it looks like a strong seller.

The Exotics rep had the new XCG5 line. Like their earlier lines, the woods and hybrids are cannons. The new driver has a 40 gram shaft, and it seems easier to get up in the air than earlier models. For you fans of strong 3-woods - how about a 10.5* 3-wood ? The new hybrids are defiinitely players clubs. They flattened the face, so you really have to work hard to hook the ball. For low ball flight guys like me, it's not an ideal club, but if you're a high ball hitter wanting to bring it down a bit, or don't want anything on the left side of the fairway, this could be for you.

If you're in the loop for new clubs, you might want to hold off a few months so you can try these...maybe ask for a gift certificate in the stocking instead of a box of clubs under the tree.

The European Tour holds the final tournament of the year this week, the Dubai World Championship Live. This event will be held from the 8th of December to the 11th and it is Presented by DP World. It happens at the Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The tournament is worth $7,500,000 and right now the Race to Dubai has Luke Donald in first place with Rory McIlroy in second. Martin Kaymer from Germany is in third, and Charl Schwartzel takes fourth. Fifth place right now is Lee Westwood.

2011 Dubai World Championship by DP World presents the best in the golfing world as they fight head on to win US $7.5 million in prize money. This year nearly 60 players will be playing to capture the attention of the golf enthusiasts.

The 2011 European Tour circuit reaches its climax this week with the Dubai World Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates. Robert Karlsson defends the title and Luke Donald will look to secure the Race to Dubai.
After Rory McIlroy's victory last week in the UBS Hong Kong Open, he's moved within striking distance of Luke Donald at the top of the Race to Dubai standings. Should the Northern Irishman win this week, and Donald finish outside the top nine, the Englishman would be thwarted in his historic bid to finish the year at the top of both the European and PGA Tour money lists.

Others that will be participating in the Dubai World Championships this year include Paul and Peter Lawrie, Felipe Aguilar and Jaco Van Zyl. Christian Nilsson will also be playing along with Rhsy Davies, Ross Fisher and Gregory Bourdy. Edoardo Molinari, Shane Lowry, Thomas Levet, Retief Goosen and David Lynn. Sign up at the banners on this page and get your membership, so you can watch live golf online from your computer or mobile device, anywhere in the world. All you need to do is click on the links to get started.