Everybody Hates Tiger (at Esquire at least)

Don't read the April '09 issue of Esquire magazine if you're unabashed fan of Tiger Woods'.
It might unnerve you, to say the least.






Esquire/Getty Images

In anticipation of Woods' return to golf following his knee surgery hiatus, Esquire commissioned four of its top contributors to weigh in on what Tiger's domination of the sport means to them.
Shockingly, their respective essays ranged from disrespectful to spiteful to overtly insulting. The sense you could get after reading them collectively is that Tiger's a self-absorbed prick destined to die alone and unloved with his fortune and records.
In one wordy, derisive sentence, Tom Chiarella states that Woods will likely wind up, "like that old PGA guard - dried-up, irrelavant dicks..."
Scott Raab follows that up by typifying Woods as being "another cruel, lonesome bastard", "one crabby son of a bitch" and "so at ease with being hated".
Wasting no time in his essay, Chris Jones writes, "the thought of his Chiclets reflected in another shining trophy makes me want to punch a hole in the moon".
In the final (one-sided) volley of words, Charles P. Pierce pulls the proverbial punch: he abstains from attacking Woods directly, but compares his late, doting father Earl to a con man who foisted "unmitigated rot" on the media about his son's unlimited potential.
In all, it's surprisingly harsh reading. Woods' fans and detractors alike should wonder about the motives for these screeds.

Tom Brokaw On The Masters: Race Matters

First, the good news. The bad news can wait...
You can pick up the unassuming-looking April issue of Golf Digest now on newsstands and read how veteran newscaster Tom Brokaw did his journalistic duty to enlighten humanity, and may have squandered his opportunity for "honorary guest" status at Augusta National Golf Club at the same time.



Golf Digest invited Brokaw along as a "guest" at last year's Masters Tournament and the magazine prints his open letter to Augusta Chairman Billy Payne in its (thin) Masters preview. While making it ultimately clear how much he'd relish returning to Augusta National if invited back, Brokaw compares the exclusive club in northeast Georgia to a "pop-up principality" where the outside world's current customs don't apply.

Brokaw made it a point to get acquainted with some of the few black patrons you'll see at the Masters, and came away with this impression: "(They're) disappointed there are not more blacks in professional golf."



He also writes a gripping depiction of a 6-year-old black boy, Carrington Osborne, and his father, Marvin, from Chattanooga, watching Tiger Woods tee off on the first tee on Sunday with a reverence usually reserved for church.



Brokaw's "First Impressions" essay likely won't change a thing about the "pace of play" at Augusta National, but it was encouraging to have a brighter light shed on "Amen Corner" just the same...

...And now, the bad news: Any fans of Travel + Leisure Golf magazine out there need to find some other golf news source to subscribe to. News just broke that T+L Golf is folding under economic pressure. Ironically, the cover feature for its final issue was titled "The 18 essential experiences of the fully realized golf life". Apparently, remaining viable in a troubled marketplace wasn't one of them.






Photo: jeff panis

Feds: 'Jim Thorpe Whiffed on Taxes'

Troubling news from reliable golf sources...



The IRS is after black golf pioneer and successful Champions tour player Jim Thorpe for tax evasion.
It's ironic how this news broke so soon after the premiere of The Golf Channel documentary, "Uneven Fairways". In it, Thorpe spoke openly his days spent so dirt poor that he risked scorn (if not worse) by betting on pick-up games he didn't have a dime to back up.
Thorpe is yet another heroic figure who might ultimately be laid low by the tax man's mighty rake.
Let's hope he escapes this hazard with his dignity intact.
Photo: YAHOO.COM