David Meyers

Phil will win tour player of the year award over Tiger

While Tiger was toiling in Orland club championship series, Phil was showing that he is now the one to beat this year. We all know that Tiger has been the one to beat for the last decade, but Phil is the better of the two right now. In addition, I propose that he is getting better while Tiger is trying to find himself again. What? Is this sacrilegious? How dare I put down the man who came out winning his first three real matches? How dare I even hint that he is anything less than immortal?
The truth is, Phil has been putting his game together after the long break he took off. If you ask Tiger, he’ll tell you that his swing isn’t quite right and he is frustrated with his lack of consistency. The only reason Phil hasn’t been in hunt more often this year is because of his lack of feel, and if yesterday was any inclination of what is to come, I think he’s got the touch back. Quite honestly, he has never played this well since he came into the fold. A 13-stroke win is amazing for anyone; you might even refer to it as Tigeresque. While we were all waiting for someone to compete and give Tiger some competition, we might have gotten more than we bargained for.
Phil will dominate Tiger for the rest of the year. This is my prediction: Phil gets player of the year. Yes, a bold prediction to say the least, especially since it is his first real win this year. Ludicrous considering Tiger has such a lead in wins already, but I don’t care. This win showed much more than he still has “it.” He has more than “it,” he has actually caught up to his potential. This is not something that will fall apart throughout the year; this is something that will endure.
Disclaimer: I am neither a Phil Mickelson fan nor an anti-Tiger guy; I am actually a huge fan of Vijay Singh if the truth be told. What I saw yesterday was a man at the top of his craft, something I had yet to see this year

Basketball and baseball, no longer America's sports?

What I am about to say may be shocking…

Basketball and baseball are falling by the wayside in this great nation. Not only are they no longer getting the participation they used to revel in, but we are no longer the best at it in the world. If the World Baseball Classic taught us anything is that we are no longer dominant in a sport we introduced to the world. Basketball struggled for a bronze medal in the last Olympics. The only thing the U.S. has to offer is money so athletes come to our leagues for a big payday. Ironically, the U.S. invented both sports and was so dominant in each just a decade ago that we hesitated to allow our professionals to play against the world’s best. Now, our best doesn’t even compete very well. How does this happen?

I grew up in the basketball capital of Washington State, Grandview. Boys and girls grow up eating, sleeping, and dreaming basketball so I am definitely biased when I say, “I hate what has happened to two of our sports.”

I now live in Redmond, WA and I am a little disappointed in what I am seeing. I went to the park, actually several parks, looking for a pick-up basketball game. I was hoping for a little exercise and a little competition. It was a beautiful Saturday and I figured it would only take about 5 minutes to find a good game I could get into. Little did I know, kids don’t go out and shoot hoops anymore. Matter of fact, after driving around for half an hour, I found nothing. At every park I went to there were soccer games, kids playing tennis, and even cricket. Not a single game of basketball to be found. Instead of a sweaty game of b-ball, I went to the range and pounded some therapeutic range balls. How can this be? Are we giving up on traditional American sports and becoming a nation of soccer moms?

Where is the March Madness in golf?

A March Madness style event would create a golf hysteria for the PGA. The PGA lacks a great one-on-one tournament. Contemplate, for a second, how much interest this could create. The upsets, Cinderella stories, perseverance, and excitement would lead to, oh no, a spotlight on the sport. Golf competes with other major sports for attention, and this NCAA tournament will certainly steal attention from this weekend’s Bay Hill Invite. Why not attempt something similar? Imagine the possibility. Tiger would start off playing against the 64th ranked player in the PGA tour. As of right now, that would be K.J. Choi. If K.J. comes up with an upset it would be huge. As I write this piece, I listen to Pacific trying to upset Boston College, and the excitement is ridiculous. Boston College is a 4 seed losing in overtime to a 13 seed. It is a shame that either team should lose in this tournament given the heart of each, but it makes for great entertainment. Oklahoma lost to an 11th seed. For the rest of the tournament people will be examining the higher seeds such as UW Milwaukee with more scrutiny. This is great for the game. What if the nation cared to find out more about K.J. Choi? If he were to beat Tiger, he would be the man of the hour. This tournament could truly hold the nation spellbound and give excitement to a sport that is lacking enthusiasm by the general public. Imagine all the kids who go out and shoot hoops after watching March Madness choosing, instead, to hit the driving range with “Dad.” Meanwhile, kids look up to J.J. Redick, they could be dreaming of becoming Camilo Villegas or Vijay Singh.
It is double overtime between two schools, one had no reason to think they would win, and the other had all the confidence in the world. It is now a crap-shoot as to who will win. Thank goodness B.C. won because my bracket would have fallen apart, I have them in the Final 4.
I love the Madness!

Titleist Fairway woods are awesome!

Usually when I write a piece, I try and shed light on a relevant topic. Today is different. I am so happy with my fairway woods by Titleist, I feel like screaming from a mountain top. Apparently, this is my mountain top. I play the 15* and the 19* for my 3 and 5 respectively. The 904f series is almost a year old now, and this is why I bring it up. They have great balance and the head is conducive to hitting it off of tight lies, groomed fairways, and the deep stuff. Out of all my clubs, these two clubs require the least amount of skill to hit a great shot. Yes, I know that is the purpose, but they are much better than any other club I have found. I experimented with several brands and styles. In an effort to avoid trashing those clubs, I’ll just tell you these are better.
This club truly is for all players. People say this all the time about clubs, but in now way is that true. Scratch players will not waste their time with higher lofted drivers or more forgiving clubs because they want to control their shots. Higher handicappers and occasional golfers (14+) want clubs with greater forgiveness as they learn and perfect their game. So really, not many clubs are for everyone. This series of fairway woods by Titleist are actually for everyone. They are easy to hit, and for the seasoned golfer, you get the control you would desire.
The reason I think this information is so important is that Titleist will soon come up with a newer model. Perhaps they will come up with something better, but, more importantly, the 904 series are going on sale. If you look up these clubs on e-bay, you can probably find them for around a hundred dollars. Also, you can go to your local golf store and pick them up for around 150. These are exceptional deals for clubs of this level. Let me tell you, deals like this don’t last long. Take advantage of this while you can. If you are in the market for new fairway woods, go give these a try. Most golf stores will carry them and let you try them out if they have a hitting area.
My disclaimer: You will still want to find the appropriate stiffness of shaft according to your swing speed. In this case everyone is different, but the clubs are solid!

Now that's Entertainment! Tiger wins at Doral.

How does he do it? Tiger seems so dominating this year, it is hard to think that winning at Doral would be any kind of entertaining. Tiger wins another one, blah blah blah. Not so, every hole of the tournament was exhilarating. If he wasn’t head to head with Phil Mickelson, he was playing keep away with David Toms and Camilo Villegas. For good measure, he gets on in two on the twelfth hole that is a ridiculous 600+ yards. All I have to say is, “We’re not worthy; we’re not worthy.”

Women vs. Men part II

Women vs. Men part II: The putting green evening out.
This is a continuation of an earlier piece written last week. I proposed that women were finally receiving more notoriety, and deservedly so. Also, I stated that women were catching up to men in skill and comparability. I still believe this.
The quote for popularity:
“Annika, being the most dominant of the women in the LPGA, is one of the most recognizable women athletes in the nation. “You go girl.” Contrary to many other sports, the LPGA has not only allowed minors to participate, they have encouraged it. As a result, you have players like 16 year old Michelle Wie who recently signed endorsement deals with Sony and Nike that rival most men’s contracts. Morgan Pressel, 17, has people excited after winning the U.S. Women’s Amateur Title. At 19, Paula Creamer was rookie of the year in ‘05 with 10 top ten finishes. The fresh young mix and the grizzled vets of the LPGA make for exciting golf.”
Supporting Facts:
If you type Michelle Wie’s name into MSN search, you come up with 572k hits.
If you type in Annika Sorenstam’s name, 160k hits, Morgan Pressel gets 50k +, and Paula Creamer adds another 56k. We must compare them to the top men of the sport: Vijay Singh gets a modest 362k, Phil Mickelson gets 204k, and Tiger kills with over 3 million. What does it all mean? Michelle gets as many hits as Vijay and Phil combined. Tiger is carrying the team for the men’s side. Popularity is definitely evening out. Why Michelle gets more than Annika is another story all together, but the popularity is there nonetheless! If you need further proof, look at endorsements. Michelle became the first 10 million dollar girl.
The quote for talent:
“These women are not anomalies or something created by media, but awesome golfers! They are already throwing themselves into the mix at a few men’s PGA Tour events. Within, the next few years they will be competing for wins at these tournaments. It is an inspiring show of talent and equality.”
Women’s top drivers averaged 270 yards per drive compared to men’s 319 yards in 2005. This is a difference of about 50 yards, and a difference of approximately 16%. So what?
The average number of par-threes per round is 3-4. In addition, because of course layout and playing it safe, golfers often pull out the 3 or 5-woods instead of a driver. This further limits the drives per round. Accordingly, driving accounts for about 6 for every 72 shots on a course. This equals out to approximately 8% of the game.
It must be noted that 8% of the game definitely does not equate to 8% of the scoring. If you take a look at 2005 we see that Scott Hend, Brett Wetterich, and Scott Gutschewski were three of the top four drivers in distance. What did they do last year? Hend was 170th on the money list. “Driver for show, putt for dough” never had so much meaning!

You tell me, why do people think that men are so much better than women if strength has so little to do with golf?

Is Tiger Woods about finished?

Call me a pessimist. Call me what you want, but I worry. With each win Tiger attains with a less than impressive performance, I worry. Whether or not you are a Tiger Woods fan, you must admit that he brings great drama to the PGA tour. If he wins, he does so in dramatic, if not impressive, fashion. It is great television. Without him, tournaments are rendered, “he won, but Tiger wasn’t here” status. I agree with these statements. I don’t necessarily want Tiger to win, but I want someone to win with him there, at the very least. Without Tiger, Phil, Ernie, or Vijay, it seems like watching a minor league baseball game.
Why am I worried? In my glass is half-empty world of golf I contemplate the cosmos. Tiger has hinted on several occasions that he will not play forever. He has no intention of playing into his twilight years as Jack Nicklaus has done. With his father creeping closer to the end, him being married, and being the unquestionable greatest golfer in the world at the moment, I wonder what he has to play for. I’m worried he will walk away from the game soon. He took his longest break between seasons and didn’t even pick up a club. Tournaments are offering him millions just to play. His endorsements have made him richer than Genghis Kong. He broke a record in Florida for the largest purchase price for a home on record. What more could he want? Where is the hunger going to come from?

Please tell me I’m wrong; I have nothing to worry about and Tiger will be around for my kids to watch. I just don’t see it.

Cheese and Whine: Getting over the Leavy Superbowl as a Seahawk fan

Like many Seattle Seahawk fans, I have forced myself into a good mood this week. With the feeling that someone just slapped my momma and stole my girlfriend resonating in my gut, I look for a reason to be happy. Tuff luck! My wife has no sympathy stating, “It’s just a game.” Further frustrating me is the fact that she is right. Darn her.
On the bright side, the sun has come out for four consecutive days. Celebrating this highly anticipated event, I go golfing with my father. We open our first of several beers to drink away our sorrows. I give him a few tips to avoid his infamous slice; he thanks me and smiles after hitting a strait drive. He feels better but what about me?
I look for a way to sooth my soul. I decide to crush the ball. Thinking of every questionable, bad, and what-were-they-thinking call during the Superbowl I pull out my Titleist 983K driver. Put a little extra umph into it, I feel my pain drift away.
“That has a chance,” inserts my dad.
“What?”
“I think it’s on,” he says referring to the green, a mere 380 yards away. We watch in disbelief as the ball looks to be reaching the green. At that distance, there is no way of knowing for sure it is on, or if it just seems that way.
As we jump in the cart he states, “That might be the longest shot I have ever seen.”
It was 20 yards short, but it was the last time that day I thought about the Hawks, the Refs, or the phantom holding call on Sean Locklear.

Women vs. Men: the putting green is evening out.

Women vs. Men: the putting green is evening out.
The world of golf has long been dominated by MEN. We would even go so far as to prohibit women from our courses. For the longest time, the LPGA was right up there with what the WNBA is now. Who cares? But times, they are a changing.
We all know the top earners for the men over the past few years: Tiger, Phil, Ernie, and Vijay, but wait. Unless you are among the people in-the-know, you are not aware of the other people that are on top of the money list. The average Joe has no idea who Jim Furyk, David Toms, and Adam Scott are. You could even argue that the vast majority of the United States has no idea who Retief Goosen is despite him being number eight on the money list. This is not said to put down the men’s PGA tour, but pointing out that as name recognition goes, women are pretty darn close.
Annika, being the most dominant of the women in the LPGA, is one of the most recognizable women athletes in the nation. “You go girl.” Contrary to many other sports the LPGA has not only allowed minors participate, they have encouraged it. As a result, you have players like 16 year old Michelle Wie who recently signed endorsement deals with Sony and Nike that rival most men’s contracts. Morgan Pressel, 17, has people excited after winning the U.S. Women’s Amateur Title. At 19 Paula Creamer was rookie of the year in ‘05 with 10 top ten finishes. The fresh young mix and the grizzled vets of the LPGA make for exciting golf. If you need further proof, just check out the number of blogs devoted to female golfers on the right.
These women are not anomalies or something created by media, but awesome golfers! They are already throwing themselves into the mix at a few men’s PGA Tour events. Within, the next few years they will be competing for wins at these tournaments. It is an inspiring show of talent and equality.

Tiger Woods' comeback at the Buick destiny?

How is it, everyone in the U.S. watching the final round of the Buick knew Tiger would win? Nathan Green had the tournament locked up heading into the tees on the seventeenth hole. Up by two strokes on the field, all he had to do was par out, and he would have been the Buick champion. On the first playoff hole he had, by far, the best drive and he blew it. Jose Maria Olazabal did nothing to tempt fate, on two playoff holes. It was as if fate had deemed it necessary for Tiger to win.
I do not profess to be the oracle of the PGA tour, but I knew Tiger had it won as soon has he stepped onto the 18th green. Everyone knew! The announcers, the audience, Jose Maria, and Nathan Green all had to know.

My question is: With three players heading into a playoff, why was it already a certainty that Tiger would win the tournament?

For Tim McDonald’s take click here: Will no one step up to challenge Tiger Woods?

A funny story about me and Matt Hasselbeck:

Sorry for those of you who are looking for a golf blog. I figured with the upcoming Superbowl, this story would be appropriate. Also, I apologize for the length, I just couldn’t bring myself to cut anything out.
When I was just a young lad dreaming of being the next Dan Marino, I envied his tan, his passing ability, and the love that the entire state of Florida gave him. He had the stature of a Greek god in my adolescent eyes. I imagined coming from behind passing to Mark Duper and Mark Clayton in my pretend world of a two-minute drill. I assure you, I was always successful in my comebacks.
Looking back, I remember the smell of the damp grass, the crispness of the air, and continually whipping my nose with the cuff of my hooded Miami Dolphin sweatshirt. If I run into some of my boyhood friends they still jokingly call me Dolphin boy.
Growing up, I’m 27 now, the only thing I miss is that innocence and imagination. I think nostalgia is a wonderful, freeing thing, but the past is the past right? This past summer I got suckered, so I thought at the time, into helping out at Matt Hasselbeck’s football camp. It was sponsored by Qwest at Qwest field in Seattle. In my eyes it was too early in the morning and I was going to be relegated to standing around with my thumb planted firmly in my backside for an entire day. To say the least, I was not entirely excited. It was not the fact that it was a Hasselbeck football camp because he has become my favorite player, but I figured my job was going to be handing out hotdogs at lunch or some other monotonous job. Little did I know…
The coach at our high school (I teach in the Seattle area), who had asked me to come, was friends with everyone at the camp. I am not going to fill this blog name dropping, but the camp was filled with past Pro-bowlers and present Seahawk studs. This was all fine and dandy, and my one connection was introducing me to all these Huge names. I looked at it as a pleasant surprise. Cool, I get to meet NFL players.
The camp hadn’t started yet, but I was shaking hands with people I had seen only on television for the past several years. We were all ushered onto the field for introductions. I didn’t realize it was the introductions because I was shaking hands with Bobby Engram and just followed the crowd I was in. They lined us up in front of about seven hundred people. I was not supposed to be in the line-up, but I was too embarrassed to walk out. In the introductions, they were giving names and telling a brief history of each person. I was standing between Bobby Engram and Matt Hasselbecks dad, the former Patriot. The line-up included Hall of Famers, guys with two and three Superbowl rings, Pro-bowlers, and me, a former High School football player. A nobody! I was just praying the announcer remembered my name from the brief “Hi, how are ya?” we had. He did, thank goodness, minimizing my embarrassment for stumbling into this line-up.
As the camp began, I hung out on the outskirts of what was going on trying to appear that I belonged there. It wasn’t a face saving act; I just didn’t know what else to do with myself. In the very first drill Matt Hasselbeck started, he called me by name. “Dave, I want you to run an out and up.” He added the reasoning for the kids, but all I could think about was the fact he chose me and remembered my name. I was playing catch with Matt Hasselbeck. Instantly, I felt like a little kid again. I pretended different, but I was as giddy as a school girl on prom night.
The camp moved on and I ended up participating heavily in passing drills. With one of Matt’s little brothers, we threw to high school crossing the middle of the field. I was having a blast, but the best was yet to come.
During lunch all the kids and most of the camp “coaches” left the field and went into a lunch room. I wasn’t hungry so I went around picking up stray footballs to set up for the second half of the camp. Matt Hasselbeck and his little brother who plays college football somewhere in Boston as a quarterback were having a brotherly competition. They were trying to hit a small cone about 35-40 yards down the field. Jerheme Urban, a lesser known Seahawk wideout, was shagging balls and tossing them back to the two. After several close throws, Hasselbeck calls my name again. I am 10 yards away minding my own business and he calls, “Dave, come on, give this a shot.”
He flips me a ball as I walk up to join the fun. I stepped into the throw, giving my best Dan Marino impression. Watching them miss the cone by inches on several attempts, I had no misconceptions that I might hit is on my first throw. Really, it was kind of a blur. Tunnel vision took over and I don’t remember the ball in the air. When the ball came into focus, I realize it had a chance. It connected, flipped up three feet in the air, and fell victoriously to the ground. I couldn’t stop myself; my hands flew up in the air mimicking the signal a football referee gives for a touchdown. Both Matt and his brother gave up a collective OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I played if off humbly, knowing that it was a fluke they hadn’t, themselves, already hit the cone. Once again, I was giddy!
The rest of the camp was fun. Matt and the rest of the “coaches” of the camp treated me as one of their own. A part of me wanted to ask them if they wanted to go get a beer, but I didn’t want to push it. I didn’t ask for an autograph from anyone. Maybe I should have, but the memory of that day is better than any signed baseball cap. For one day, I felt like a kid again.

Clemens, McConaughey, Timberlake make a mockery of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic

Roger Clemens, Matthew McConaughey, and Justin Timberlake make a mockery of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic:

“Say man, you got a joint?”
– Wooderson (McConaughey in Dazed and Confused)

“Er. Not on me man,” answers a 14-15 year old incoming freshman, “Mitch.”

“It’d be a lot cooler if you did,” replies McConaughey in his Southern drawl.

This is the quote I think of every time I see Matthew McConaughey in real life. And while Dazed and Confused conjures up moments of nostalgia (some good and some bad), for the life of me, I cannot understand why the PGA Tour insists on having celebrities in PGA tournaments. Remember, this is the man who was arrested for smoking pot while playing the bongos naked as a jailbird. Can you imagine if the NFL, in some early regular-season games, letting Tom Selleck play quarterback for the Patriots? Should the Los Angeles Lakers let Tom Hanks take the floor as a center? I know, I know, golf is not a team sport and this has been going on in the PGA for decades, but the same theory applies. The NFL and the NBA are not looking for celebrity pick-me-ups. It’s an embarrassment.

The PGA Tour, by having this type of event, is admitting to a lack of entertainment in their events. If their own stars will not participate in the event, they invite Roger Clemens to excite, and get the audience involved. It just doesn’t do it for me. If I want to see Roger Clemens, I’ll watch the Astros next year.

Instead, the PGA Tour should be looking for ways to shorten the never ending tour. This makes each event more meaningful, and ensures that the stars, we want to see, will be there. We need more bang for our buck, so-to-speak.

Bye the way, Roger, please come play for the Mariners.

If this piece isn’t N’Sync with how you feel, let me know:

Singh his praise after watching The Mercedes Championships and The Sony Open

On the 22nd of February, Vijay Singh turns 43 years old. Given his age, one might think that Vijay is ready to start falling from contention with the elite golfers of the world. The irony is that Vijay has been getting better, it seems, with age.

At forty-one he finished first on the money list, ahead of Tiger, and last year finished second with over $8,000,000 in earnings. At this time, he seems not only viable competition for Tiger Woods, but possibly the better of the two. A Fiji native, this man seems poised to continue this hot play late into his fifties.

Opening this season with a second place at the Mercedes Championships and a sixth place at the Sony Open, he showed that this year will be no different from the last two years. He will compete! It is only a matter of time that he passes Sam Snead for career wins after the age of 40.

How does he do it? Breaking his swing down is a great way to find his secrets. The secret is flexibility and smoothness of motion. There is no identifiable hitch in his swing, and the effortless motion in both his backswing and follow through show how incredibly flexible he is.
Check out Vijay’s smoothness of swing: He is making it look easy, and as long as “the ageless one” keeps healthy, there is no reason to believe he will not be #1 at the end of the year.

Tiger vs. Sam Snead (2 very different golf swings and what’s best for you)

You have probably heard the phrase, “I want to be like Mike.” This is a reference to wanting to play basketball like the great Michael Jordan. Kids all over the world began wagging their young tongues out while going for a picturesque lay-up. Not wanting to think about the many tongues that got accidentally bitten as a result of this phenomenon, this article will tell you why you shouldn’t want to be like Tiger Woods.

Tiger has developed a new swing over the past two years. His swing has been carefully constructed since he dropped the coveted golf coach, Butch Harmon. It must be said that this is most definitely not a diss on Tiger. He’s truly great, and I am no one to judge his decision to change his swing. He wanted to get better, and felt the change would help him get there. Has he gotten better? I’ll let golf commentators everywhere debate that. Instead, I will analyze his new swing, and tell you why YOU and I should never attempt to replicate it.

The key to an accurate repeatable golf swing is many things. Spacing, flexibility, strength, balance, and several others contribute to a swing. The problem I have been witnessing lately is the need to be like Tiger. Even club professionals feel the need to sell this swing. The problem is, no one has the time to master his difficult swing. He has made his swing more difficult to replicate. Instead of trying to be like Tiger, handicappers should be learning from the great Sam Snead.

Click this link to see Tiger’s old swing: This is a beautiful example of how to swing a golf club. His arch comes up at a higher angle; look again at where his elbow is pointing on his backswing. Pointing slightly behind him, it helps his swing arch remain rather high. This is much easier to repeat for a handicap golfer. The problem lies within his new swing. (Again, I am not saying Tiger shouldn’t do it just you) His back elbow is now pointing at his back hip. This levels off his swing arch, and adds more torque behind it. It is a much more difficult swing to master.

Click here to watch Sam Snead’s swing: There is only one word for these two swings, effortless. This is what we should be trying to replicate. As repeatability goes, it is much easier.

Now look at a still to see the difference in Tiger’s new swing: Notice how his elbow has dropped and is now pointing to his backside hip. While allowing for more tension in his muscles to be created, it encourages slicing the ball. For everyone other than Tiger, it will introduce an inside-out swing. This is a major downfall for players before attempting the Tiger swing. Why make your swing harder?

PGA Tour - a never ending story

Imagine flying from one destination to another, forgetting which time zone you’re in. You have a home, but the only time you see it is when you decide that you do not need the money. Knowing the bartender’s name at each clubhouse doesn’t make you an alcoholic, it’s just networking. Your wife and kids have to take a flight to see you, but on the bright side, you are no longer scared of turbulence; you’ve been through it a hundred times! For these reasons, Tiger, Phil, and “The Goose” did not make it to Hawaii for The Mercedes Championships.

The Mercedes Championships is a great tournament, and the course has been improved immensely. It is beautiful, greens are quick and true, and the time they play makes for excellent live coverage. Still, many people are disappointed that some of the biggest names in golf will not participate. If you happened to watch the opening yesterday, you saw the commentator look as if he would puke because Tiger, Retief, and Phil didn’t show up. He made a limp effort to tell their side of the story by repeating their excuses, but you could see his utter disappointment.

The PGA Tour season fills virtually every week for twelve months. The question is not if, but which tournaments you should skip. How can you blame them? With so many tournaments to fill a year, it is no wonder why excuses are being waved like white flags. Can’t you just picture Retief Goosen saying “I give up, Tiger can have the darn title; I just wanna sleep in my own bed!”

The problem is that these players get hassled for missing a tourney. Why? At least in Tiger and Phil’s case, they are the faces of the PGA Tour. Television viewership is estimated to be down a minimum of 50% if Tiger is not competing. It’s like watching the Chicago Bulls win without Jordan. Who wants to see it? As a result, the PGA Tour and its sponsors are hit directly in the pocketbook. It is the same, admittedly to a lesser degree, if Ernie, Vijay, or Phil Mickelson does not show up.

The argument can be made that watching a “no namer” win is just as fun as watching the top dogs win, but, you must admit, it is only fun to see David win if he is slaying Goliath. Why would anyone watch if Goliath decides to take the week off? There is simply no drama in watching an underdog beat an underdog!

The PGA Tour has a problem. They have over-extended their reach. It is not possible for a professional to make every tournament, and because of this, the sponsors have good reason to be upset. They make money when big names are playing. Why advertise if no one is watching? Therefore, a shorter, more condensed season is the only answer to fix the broken Tour.