Wouldn’t it been refreshing if after his round on Friday Tiger Woods had said to ESPN’s Tom Rinaldi, “Before I comment on my round—which was pretty awful—let me first apologize for some of my language today and also for my behavior on the 16th tee. I lost my temper and kicked my club and that shouldn’t have happened. There’s no excuse for it; I’m sorry it happened and I’ll try to do my best not for it to happen again.”
But that’s a fantasy scene. Tiger lacks any sense of humility and self-reflection to ever make it a reality. Despite his dramatic fall from grace which shattered his marriage and his public image, he’s still the same old Tiger, full of himself. Even when he won at Bay Hill, Tiger’s immediate post-round comments were revealing. He couldn’t or wouldn’t even mention by name some of the people who helped turn his game around. He said something to the effect, “You know who you are.” Gee, isn’t that nice. Let everyone just fill in blanks on your thank yous, Tiger. Smart, time-saving precedent for other winners, too. “Normally, I’d thank a number of people for helping me on this journey for tonight’s Oscar but as Tiger Woods said, ‘you know who you are.’”
As it’s oft been cited, the game of golf reveals character. In this important category, Tiger once again has missed the cut.
