Pernice BLASTS Woods for skipping Tour Champ

[VEEMAN1152]

That was so well said that i've got nothing! BRAVO!!

[Chadwick]

The way I see it is that the way Tiger has snubbed the Tour championship seems pretty sh***y. Also the way Pernice has spoke has spoken out leaves a little to be desired.

[skinkman]

The way I see it is that the way Tiger has snubbed the Tour championship seems pretty sh***y

 

agreed...we all want to see him play..and if he has any obligation like we think he has, then Phil too, barring sickness, ought to be there or criticized equally by Signori Pernice

[HipCheck]

DM, nice summary. Pretty much says it all.

[Furrankee]

Regardless, TW and PM do owe this event to the fans because they did sign up for it a long time ago. Plan accordingly.

 

Actually, Phil and Tiger never 'signed' up for the event. One of the announcers on ESPN mentioned that Stephem Ames, who did sign up for the event, backed out in the last minute, and in the process received a $106,000 check.

 

He went on to say that Tiger and Phil 'could've' made that amount if they had only committed to go and then dropped out. Apparently for the Tour Championship, if you commit but then decide to drop out, you'll still get the $106,000.

 

I know, minor point. :)

[Simp]

I think some people are really starting to believe that Tiger Woods is really the Messiah, as Earl put it.

 

let Earl rest in peace... :)

 

Trust me, Earl's resting in piece. I just paraphrased what he said.

[DemolitionMan]

Regardless, TW and PM do owe this event to the fans because they did sign up for it a long time ago. Plan accordingly.

 

Actually, Phil and Tiger never 'signed' up for the event. One of the announcers on ESPN mentioned that Stephem Ames, who did sign up for the event, backed out in the last minute, and in the process received a $106,000 check.

 

He went on to say that Tiger and Phil 'could've' made that amount if they had only committed to go and then dropped out. Apparently for the Tour Championship, if you commit but then decide to drop out, you'll still get the $106,000.

 

I know, minor point. :)

 

"signed up" was a concept, not actually the act of registering for the event.

[DemolitionMan]

He's right. You don't see the Colts, for example, making the playoffs and then elect not to go. It's an honor to be invited ... but then money talks and honor is a thing of the past.

 

it's nothing like that.

 

it's more like a tennis player choosing not to play at Wimbledon. sure it's a big tennis tournament, and sure, there a lots of players who get to play, but you don't HAVE to play.

 

just like you don't HAVE to play the Tour Championship.

 

Bad analogy in both cases. Although the theoretical Colts opponent would have a lot of savory comments for being a no-show, they would not mind the least getting to advance to the next round. In the NFL, you are playing for the Super Bowl, there is no Super Bowl in golf.

 

I don't recall any tennis player not electing to play Wimbledon because they needed to get charged up. Players miss due to injury and top players skip it because they may feel they are lousy grass court players, but no one skips 'just because'. Not to mention, the position in schedule and importance of Wimbledon really does not compare to the Tour Championship, more like the Masters.

[tbowles411]

Pernice needs to realize what Phil said a couple years ago. Tiger made a lot of guys rich on tour. Guys struggling in the mid 90s suddenly became millionares when El Tigre stepped onto the stage. Pernice included.

 

I read that after the season in 1999, Tiger was playing in an unofficial event and it was brutally hot. Stevie wanted to wear shorts and the official said no. Tiger said if he doesn't wear shorts, I'm not playing. The official threatened Tiger with banishment from the tour. He said, "Fine. Tell Finchem I'll go play in Europe."

 

Needless to say, Stevie got to wear shorts. The point is. Golf needs Tiger like it needed Jack and Arnie. Until golf makes the rule that players HAVE to play, you'll continue to see this. I wanted to see if he could get #7, and wanted to see if Phil could recover from his US Open collapse. But as in independent contractor, they can do as they please.

[acrazygolfer]

He's right. You don't see the Colts, for example, making the playoffs and then elect not to go. It's an honor to be invited ... but then money talks and honor is a thing of the past.

 

it's nothing like that.

 

it's more like a tennis player choosing not to play at Wimbledon. sure it's a big tennis tournament, and sure, there a lots of players who get to play, but you don't HAVE to play.

 

just like you don't HAVE to play the Tour Championship.

 

Bad analogy in both cases. Although the theoretical Colts opponent would have a lot of savory comments for being a no-show, they would not mind the least getting to advance to the next round. In the NFL, you are playing for the Super Bowl, there is no Super Bowl in golf.

 

I don't recall any tennis player not electing to play Wimbledon because they needed to get charged up. Players miss due to injury and top players skip it because they may feel they are lousy grass court players, but no one skips 'just because'. Not to mention, the position in schedule and importance of Wimbledon really does not compare to the Tour Championship, more like the Masters.

 

Let's see ... top 30 earners during the season get invited to the Tour Championship. Teams with winning records during the regular season get to go to the playoffs. What I meant was the invitation itself is an indication that you're a member of an elite group of individuals/teams so honor that recognition by attending/playing.

 

If the players don't want to play in the Tour Championship because of their "independent contractor" status, then don't dance around the bushes with excuses. If the contract with the PGA required 15 tournaments per year, then play the required 15 and tell the PGA to kiss off. It's a slap in the face to the tour and the fans to decline the invitation due to "fatigue" but then accepting back to back tournament the very next week with large guaranteed appearance fees. I love this game of golf but have lost all interests in watching a bunch of prima donnas pranking around on TV.

[putts2much]

ah, last win by Pernice...... 2001.... total wins..... a whopping 2.

 

 

 

i think Mr. Woods won that many in his rookie year..... or more like 3 months in 1996.

 

 

 

little boyz always dream to be like the champ!!!

 

 

 

opinions are okay..... but he can't back it up.

 

 

 

just my 2 cents.

 

 

 

:)

[Thug Hunter]

Seems to me Pernice should be grateful for Tiger not showing, now he'll have a chance to win. Tell me that hasn't crossed though some of the player's minds this week.

[cdesana]

Hi,

 

Or could it be the case where Pernice actually took the time to be a part of the board of PGA Players and realizes when the stars do not show at an event they qualitfy for could possibly hurt the tour as a whole.

 

Sponsors pay money years in advance thinking they will get the best filrd for this event.

 

Also what about the blue collar guy who spends his hard earned money to buy the tickets, takes a week of vacatin months in advance thinking he will also see these great players up close and personal?

 

CJD

[titleistpro2]

No doubt about it guys, Tiger and Phil definately gave everyone but themselves a raw deal....I guess sometimes in life you have to do things just for you, but this doesn't appear to be the ideal time for their public image....something tells me that they'll take notice somehow or other of what is said on here and the general public perception.

[cmarkmyers]

I read that after the season in 1999, Tiger was playing in an unofficial event and it was brutally hot. Stevie wanted to wear shorts and the official said no. Tiger said if he doesn't wear shorts, I'm not playing. The official threatened Tiger with banishment from the tour. He said, "Fine. Tell Finchem I'll go play in Europe."

 

Needless to say, Stevie got to wear shorts. The point is. Golf needs Tiger like it needed Jack and Arnie. Until golf makes the rule that players HAVE to play, you'll continue to see this. I wanted to see if he could get #7, and wanted to see if Phil could recover from his US Open collapse. But as in independent contractor, they can do as they please.

 

Full and complete apologies to tbowles411 and thanks to matt411 for correcting me. I put my foot in my mouth.

[TexasAg]

I'm writing this post from Beijing on a business trip (which is why it's in the middle of the night in the US). Tiger is playing next week in the HSBC Championship in Shanghai. His appearance at the tournament is a bigger deal is Asia than the tour championship is in the US. In the past Tiger has played both events. You can't adjust very quickly to the time difference coming over here (+13 hours from US East Coast). The difference is just too big. It would be very difficult for Tiger to play in the US and then 48 hours later be on a course in Shanghai playing a practice round. I believe Tiger has tried this in the past and perhaps he came to this same conclusion.

 

Either way, Nike is really working to build their brand in China (Nike Golf stores are popping up all over), and Buick is the king of American car brands over here. I also heard that Tiger is getting $2m for showing up. Put all of those things together and it's pretty easy to see where his priorities lie.

 

And as far as oweing something to the fans... are the only fans in the US? Americans tend to forget that there's a huge, huge world out there. IMO, within the next 10 years we are likely to see an Asia swing added to the PGA tour.

[matt411]

I read that after the season in 1999, Tiger was playing in an unofficial event and it was brutally hot. Stevie wanted to wear shorts and the official said no. Tiger said if he doesn't wear shorts, I'm not playing. The official threatened Tiger with banishment from the tour. He said, "Fine. Tell Finchem I'll go play in Europe."

 

Needless to say, Stevie got to wear shorts. The point is. Golf needs Tiger like it needed Jack and Arnie. Until golf makes the rule that players HAVE to play, you'll continue to see this. I wanted to see if he could get #7, and wanted to see if Phil could recover from his US Open collapse. But as in independent contractor, they can do as they please.

 

Uh, that NEVER happened. I severely doubt you read it and why you would spread such a wives tale is beyond me. Tour players and caddies have been complaining for YEARS about caddies not being about to wear shorts. Way before Tiger was even born. Just because the tour decided to allow it recently has no bearing on Woods. The tour started 'testing' shorts on caddies after a Garland Dempsey, who carried for John Maginnes, collapsed in 1999.

 

Next time do some research instead of starting stupid rumors.

yes it did. and it is pretty easily findable for someone who wanted to look something up before trying to make someone feel stupid with the ridiculous use of "uh." The article was in that really small golf rag called Golf Digest.

 

http://www.golfdigest.com/features/index.s...sinterview.html

 

very close to the top of the interview.

 

I really wish "uh and um" were disallowed in forums.

[Golfchicago]

Seems to me Pernice should be grateful for Tiger not showing, now he'll have a chance to win. Tell me that hasn't crossed though some of the player's minds this week.

 

 

Yeah it is odd to hear a player complain with that perspective. Also, it is odd that Phil and Tiger would skip this event. This has be touted the fifth major. You would think this is a must play for any player who makes it. It just doesn't make sense.

[Hifade]

How the hell does race enter into this? Using words that refer to bigotry are WAY over the top. That has NOTHING to do with this. In addition, what is "Italian wants to bring Tiger instep?" What the hell does that even mean and how does being Italian fit in this picture?

 

Ethnicity and racism have NO bearing and are JV comments when included in these discussions

 

Let's think before we comment and type next time.

 

 

 

 

 

and why is Pernice, the bigot only showing up to complain this year.?

 

no..he is the Italian who wants to bring Tiger instep.

[sandy]

http://blogs.golfdigest.com/hawkins/2006/1...ce_and_mal.html

 

He has always been a bit of a dilitant. He sucks up to VJ big time and half the time what he is blabbing about is put in his limited brain by VJ (including the Tiger driver issue). For all the "success" he has had on tour you really wonder what gives him credibility on anything tour related. Seems to like to hear himself talk.

[stuckntx]

Sorry, but calling BS on the purses rising before Tiger :)

Should he play, yeah, maybe. Is it a major? No, it is a money grab for the top 30. Think Finchem would care if Harrison Frasier called and said he's not coming? He wants Tiger there for one reason, to satisfy the sponsors. I am certain that the sponsers are pissed off that Tiger is not playing and there lies your answer. Tiger IS the reason for the purses being where they are today. To deny that would be displaying an obvious bias against the guy.

[sergizmo]

I find Pernice's comments nothing short of hilarious. Tiger has done, and will continue to do, waaaaaaaay more than Tom Pernice could do in ten lifetimes for the PGA tour. Tiger has brought in more sponsorship/money, more extensive TV coverage, has helped to market golf as a legit sport, has started his own charitable organization and no doubt donated tens of millions etc...

 

What has Tom Pernice done for the PGA and for golf? Does ANYONE tune in to or go to a PGA event to watch Tom Pernice? And how much money has Pernice donated to charity? Has he started his own charitable organization?

 

Pernice just does not get it. He runs his mouth as if he is a top 3 player in the world with multiple majors destined for the hall of fame. He should wake up to the fact that he is a field-filler and nothing more.

[fats]

You have to wonder why he would actually want Tiger there, I guess he enjoys getting his A## Whopped.

[choeppner]

Just for the sake of fun, I did a player comparision chart on pgatour.com. No wonder he's so sour. LOL

 

-CHRIS-

 

 

[choeppner]

Damn...I don't think I could have put it better myself. Nice well thought out and well worded reply.

 

-CHRIS-

[Golf_Beauty]

Thank you, midasmulligan2000! :) :) :)

[Golfchicago]

This may be one of the sillier "controversies" I've seen in golf in the past several years (Tiger's absence this week is being discussed all over the internet). And really, when people are expressing their opinions about Tiger, they are conveying far more about themselves - and their view of life - than they are about Tiger.

 

My view also, obviously, comes from my life. I'm a successful technology entrepreneur. Not as rich as Tiger, pretty comfortable. And you know what? I don't feel like I "owe" the technology industry anything. Why? Because the technology industry doesn't feel as though it owes me anything. So long as I keep producing services that are in demand, and satisfy clients, I do very well. But if I don't - I fail. Period.

 

Same, IMO, with pro sports of any kind. At the top, they are - at the end of the day - wickedly Darwinian. Thousands try for every hundred that even have a chance - and out of every one of those hundred, there's merely a handful that actually hit the elite level. The enormity of the risk a person takes by spending years of sacrifice and dedicated practice just to have a chance (that may - and statistics say probably will - all be wasted if one doesn't make it) is nearly frightening.

 

And you know what? The "game" of golf, the PGA Tour, and the "fans" don't feel as though they owe the people trying anything. The many that try and don't make it don't get supported by the Tour, or sponsors, or "fans". In fact, if Tiger had a serious accident tomorrow (or had had one before he became rich), and became a parapalegic - would "Golf" be supporting him? Sponsors lining up the sign him? Would the Tour be helping him? Would the "fans" (who claim he "owes" them something) feel like they owed him something? Absolutely not.

 

Neither the fans nor the sponsors "made" him rich - they did not give him money due to some altruistic desire. There's no social contract here. Large numbers of people watch him whenever he plays - because he is flat out exhilarating to watch. They watch for their own selfish pleasure. sponsors sign him because he is a powerful brand. The minute he stopped playing - no one would watch him just sitting in a chair. Sponsors would not sponsor. Gamemakers wouldn't want to make video games out of him. No one would give him anything - or feel like they "owed" him anything.

 

And yet - because he is so good, so commited, because he gives people so much pleasure when they watch him, gives sponsors so much value when they sign him, and has (entirely inadvertantly) increased the purses of everyone now playing the game on the Tour - somehow because of this he "owes" them something? What?

__________________________________________________

 

Further, Tiger has never made any bones about the fact that he thinks the Tour season is too long. (In fact, Phil does too). 2006 was a year in which he started by struggling to complete the integration of his swing changes, and lost the man that was his father (and apparently best friend) to cancer. He only played in 15 Tour events - and yet still dominated the entire tour by a substantial margin. The majors are done. The season is done. After this year - I wouldn't blame him if he just decided that he wasn't gonna touch a club for a couple of months, and we didn't see him again publicly until next spring.

 

The Tour Championship - regardless of all the gushing about it - is a minor event. It is rather like golf's equivilent of the football or baseball All-Star games - yes, it is a real honor to make the team (especially for those that never have before) ... but the games themselves are not exactly known as the peak of the sport. Generally it is mostly the fanatics of a sport that watch the All-Star games. Golf's a bit different, because the Tour Championship is a competitive event with a purse, but it certainly is not a major, it matters little who wins, and far more people will be watching the basic NFL scedule tomorrow than will be watching the "Championship". Its a big deal for Tour players to finish in the top 30 (you're sort of one of the elite) - but the golf itself is quite often ... actually, kind of uninspired.

 

Thing is - doesn't matter what the sport is - if you're running something called a "Championship", and two out of the top five players in the world in that sport decide they'd rather have a week off than play in it ... the problem is not with the players, its with whomever is scheduling and organizing the event.

__________________________________________________

 

Final thing to mention is something else that makes Tiger stand out - I do not think I've ever heard him trash-talk another player. And the few times he's gotten even slightly snarky have largely been in response to someone taking a shot at him first. He has never instigated something ... and sure as hell has not actually questioned someone's character in public. He actually understands - and has always seemed to honor - the traditions of golf as well as the strokes. It is (or was) a gentleman's game. You compete vigorously, but you also genuinely wish your competitors well. You'd never hear Ben Hogan questioning what was "inside" Byron Nelson "as a person".

 

Tiger seems to live this spirit ... genuinely. I remember the look on his face, for instance, the last time he beat John Daly (remember, the playoff, where Daly missed a very short putt?). The pain and disappointment on Tiger's face was almost as bad that on John Daly's. His only comment afterwards was that "you hate to win like that". He honors his opponents - and seems to honor them all the more when they really push him to the edge. Like the players throughout history that have called penalties on themselves (what other game will you see that in?) Tiger's attitude towards his competitors is part of the finest traditions of the game.

 

Tom Pernice? In the final analysis, Tiger Woods did not hurt the game of golf simply because he decided not to play in a tournament. Tom Pernice slightly degraded everyone involved in the sport - and the traditons of the game itself - by acting like a petty little man. By questioning another player's character, all he did was bring his own into question. Certainly he has his opinions, and he's free to express them publicly. But here's one of the hundreds of differences between him an Tiger ... he'll attack Tiger publicly - but Tiger would never do so to him.

Wow, I like the way you think! I think this about covers it!!!

[saaam]

I've got a very non US Tour view of this situation, (I'm an Aussie).

I believe Tiger has a responsibility not just to the US PGA Tour but to golf world wide. This year has seen Tiger emerge as a truly world wide player, who played multiple times in Europe, played in Dubai, now China and Japan. This can only be a positive thing for golf world wide and certainly in my eyes starts to put him up there with the likes of Nicklaus, Palmer, Norman etc who were truly world wide players and brought the game to the masses outside of the US.

IMHO the game of golf does not solely revolve around the US PGA Tour.

[theothertwo]

I've got a very non US Tour view of this situation, (I'm an Aussie).

I believe Tiger has a responsibility not just to the US PGA Tour but to golf world wide. This year has seen Tiger emerge as a truly world wide player, who played multiple times in Europe, played in Dubai, now China and Japan. This can only be a positive thing for golf world wide and certainly in my eyes starts to put him up there with the likes of Nicklaus, Palmer, Norman etc who were truly world wide players and brought the game to the masses outside of the US.

IMHO the game of golf does not solely revolve around the US PGA Tour.

 

I travelled to Asia last year and was amazed at how big Tiger is over there, first thing you see at some of the airports were huge larger than life Tiger ads. So if we're talking about giving back to the game of golf, I agree with the above post, Tiger is not just a U.S. or PGA Tour superstar anymore, he's a world player now and should play in Asia and Europe. He's half Asian anyway so maybe he loves travelling over there, I know they love him over there.

 

As far as the Tour Championship, I agree with a previous poster who said it's more like an all star game, fun to watch but not really an important event. Maybe they should only invite the top ten or something. That would leave Tom Pernice out!

[Xsfspeed]

Thank you midasmulligan2000! Very well said. :) Just a few thoughts to add:

 

The relationship between Tiger and the PGA Tour is one of interedependence. Tiger needs the tour to provide venues and put on the tournaments. He also needs membership to continue his quest to break all of Jack's and the Tour's records. The PGA needs his star power to bring in the sponsors and fans. Before the "haters" misinterpret this; I am not saying that the PGA would have no fans or sponsors without Tiger, just that he brings in additional fans and sponsor dollars that would not otherwise be there. That's why this whole episode is such a big deal, because it is important to the Tour. It is important to people like Tom Pernice Jr. I don't think Tiger owes anybody anything. Tiger does plenty for fans and the community. He puts on a great show. He also gives both his time and his money to clinics, chairties, and community centers. I don't think Pernice has even made as much money on Tour as Tiger has already given away!

 

Honestly, I do not think the Tour or Tiger would wither and die without the other; but there would be consequences should their union end. As previously mentioned, Tiger respects the game too much to do anything to intentionally hurt the game. Still, if Tiger hypothetically got fed up and decided to walk away from the PGA Tour, I don't think there would be any shortage of events for him to play or sponsor dollars to support him. The Tour would just go on about it's business and keep putting on events. Although the idea of it's marque player leaving the tour could also have dangerous consequences, as other players and fans may follow suit. Not to mention the sponsors that "may" decide to pull their support. Of course, this subject is a whole separate discussion on it's own.

 

Bottom line, is that if Pernice plays on the PGA Tour, I could care less. If Pernice left the PGA Tour, I could care less. If Tiger left the PGA, I would be watching a lot more Asian and European Tour events to see him play. I would even put money on the idea that we would still see him in at least 3 out of the 4 majors.