There’s a popular bumper sticker in Alaska that reads “Please God, let there be another oil boom, I promise not to piss it away this time.”
Now the golfing world, which saw a huge opportunity by the name of Tiger Woods fall into their laps, may have a shot at a do-over with Michelle Wie.
While there’s no denying that Woods helped shine a huge spotlight on golf, in the end, the gains of his mercurial breakthrough are slowly falling by the wayside. According to the National Golf Federation, the number of core golfers in the U.S. (golfers that play at least eight rounds a year) dropped nearly five percent between 2003 and 2004.
“The number of Core golfers has been essentially flat for the past four years,” NGF president Joe Beditz said in June. “Given the statistical margin of error around these numbers, we don’t put too much emphasis on one-year variations in participation. What we can say is that the number of Core golfers is more than it was 10 years ago, but less than five years ago.”
So at this stage of Woods’ career, it seems fair to say that while he’s helped the PGA, Nike and his own bank account, his overall effect on golf as a sport has become somewhat minimal.
Remember those kids saying “I’m Tiger Woods” in the Nike commercial? Well, they’re back to wanting to be like Mike, or the current Jordan heir, LeBron James.
With Wie prepared to make her much-anticipated arrival into the world of professional golf, the LPGA now has a shining opportunity to draw younger players to the sport. With Paula Creamer, Natalie Gulbis and Annika Sorenstam already on the scene, the opportunity for some epic rivalries has arrived.
The big paycheck from Nike is in the mail, and her dream’s of dominating both the PGA and LPGA tours are being nurtured, but in the end, will more than a select few benefit from golf’s newest superstar?
–WKW
WorldGolf.com's William K. Wolfrum blogs about everything in the world of golf and travel, including Michelle Wie, Lorena Ochoa, Tiger Woods and other PGA and LPGA headlines. Plus, he offers the humorous and obscure in news, politics and pop culture.
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