Leave the man alone!

Photo by g-na

OK, Tiger Woods - the best golfer of our generation - is a womanizer. So what? While it may a little disappointing to see somebody that we respect so much as a person falling wayward with regard to morals and ethics, let’s not forget the impact that he had on the game we love so much.

He attracted a lot of fans to golf. I’ve interviewed many young golfers for the “On The Tee” and “Real Golfer” sections of the magazine, and many of them said that Tiger Woods is their favourite golfer, their source of inspiration. Nobody has the allure and attraction to get restless young people, much like my interviewees, glued to a golf tournament on TV. Fred Couples? Steward Cink? I don’t think so. They are great golfers, but no offense, but they just do not have the star power of Tiger. Just look at the horde of people following him in Shanghai when he played in the WGC-HSBC Champions! In addition to increasing viewership and attracting tons of attention to golf, he is also credited for increasing the prize money in golf tournaments.

Also, do not discount the amount of charity and youth development work he has done. He set up the Tiger Woods Foundation, which aims to create and support community-based programs that improve the health, education, and welfare of all children in America. There’s also the Tiger Woods Learning Center, a 35,000-square-foot education facility for young children. Plenty of money is donated to the underprivileged annually through Tiger’s events such as the Tiger Jam and the Chevron World Challenge, an off-season charity golf tournament that he hosts. Sure, he pulled out this year, but hey, everybody needs some time off to sort out their problems.

I just hope that the paparazzi and sensationalist media get off his back sooner rather than later. He deserves a lot more respect than what he is currently getting now. 

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