Sadly, you can forget Justin Rose’s victory or Bubba Watson’s putt that would’ve sent this weekend’s tournament at Doral to a play-off. The highlight of the final day was seeing NBC’s coverage of Tiger withdrawing at the WGC-Cadillac Championship on Sunday.
The television oversaturation of Tiger continued in comical fashion.
After a tee shot on number 12 hole, Woods informed his playing partner Webb Simpson he would withdraw. NBC then used one of its high-rise crane cameras to follow Woods to the parking lot to document his departure.
While it wasn’t exactly helicopters chasing O.J.’s White Bronco or paparazzi hiding behind bushes outside the Viper Room in Hollywood, it did seem a little over-the-top as I watched on television.
The high-rise camera showed Woods getting into what might be the largest black Mercedes-Benz sedan in the world. You know, the kind sheiks and presidents cruise around in. To add drama, a medical vehicle pulled up alongside the Benz to drop off what looked like ice bags for, what we later learned was Wood’s sore and swollen Achilles.
Woods issued a statement about an hour after his Benz split the scene.
“I felt tightness in my left Achilles warming up this morning, and it continued to get progressively worse,” said Woods. “After hitting my tee shot at 12, I decided it was necessary to withdraw. In the past, I may have tried to continue to play, but this time, I decided to do what I thought was necessary.”
I chuckled at the entire debacle. Woods was more than ten strokes behind the leader at the time of his withdrawal and basically a non-factor on the final day.
I love watching Tiger play, but the preoccupation about his every move borders on the ridiculous.
In the big picture, the PGA Tour and networks need to move on.
Obviously, Woods should be a focus of their coverage, but they must realize at some point that the golfer formerly recognized as Tiger Woods will not be returning anytime soon, if ever.
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