How Will the PGA Tour Survive Without Tiger Woods?

That collective gasp you heard came all the way from the PGA Tour offices the day after the U.S. Open, when Tiger Woods declared that he was done. The face of golf is now gone, for at least the rest of 2008. His recent surgery was deemed a success, but it is not clear when Tiger will be back and how long it will take Tiger to be the player we have grown to love. So how will the PGA Tour survive? The short answer....they won't. Just like when Michael Jordan left basketball, Tiger Woods departure for the rest of the year will kill the PGA Tour season. The last two majors will now be placed with an asterisk in the history books. They might as well call them minors. Afterall, the PGA Tour is Tiger Woods and then everybody else. As much as we would like to believe that golf will be fine, unless Tiger can come back and be the Tiger of old, we may have just witnessed the last greatest golf event.

Could this be one of those memories like Jordan hitting that game winner against the Jazz to win his last championship? Tiger's winning putt at Torrey Pines could be his final memorable shot. Does anyone remember a single moment of Jordan's days as a Wizard....I didn't think so. If Tiger comes back and is just an average golfer, do you think he will continue? No. He is very aware of his legacy and as much as he wants to break Jack's records for wins, majors, etc, he is too proud to be just like everyone else. If cannot compete to win, he will not compete. And this is more likely than what anyone else will tell you.

Tiger's golf swing will have to be reformed. This is surgery number 3 on that same knee. Of course, the doctors will tell you he will be fine, but Tiger will not be able to make that move of snapping his left knee straight. And as any golfer can tell you, a drastic swing change can lead to disaster. Does anyone remember David Duval? There have been plenty of stories about golfers who have changed their swing and not been the same golfer. This is a very real possibility for Tiger. He has been making the same move since birth and now at the age of 32, he is going to transform his swing? We are not talking little adjustments like he has done in the past, we are talking major overhaul. His knee will not be able to support that swing much longer, even if it is repaired. So the PGA Tour needs to start putting plan B in place in case this does occur.

Look at other sports rise and fall. They all fell when the league was focused on 1 or 2 players. Tennis hasn't been the same since Agassi and Sampras retired. The Williams sisters brought women's tennis up and now can any American name the top 2 women players? Look at the NHL, there's a sport that is in the tank. I think it was easier to find a needle in a haystack the the NHL playoffs on TV. They haven't been the same since Gretszky. Baseball fell apart years ago and was brought back by Sosa and McGwire's steroid-fueled home run display. And like I talked about before, the NBA hasn't been the same since Jordan retired. Finally, this year the ratings were boosted a little, but not near the ratings the Bulls/Jazz series got. The only sport that seems to be insulated is the NFL. That is mostly due in part to the fact that people care more about the names on the helmet than on the jerseys. Fans realize players come and go, but the team stays. So that takes us back to the PGA Tour. If you believe that Phil Mickelson, Adam Scott, Steve Stricker, Ernie Els, or the like can bring in a fan base, you are dead wrong. People want to see some make the clutch putt, not stumble to victory.

The only chance the PGA Tour has is if one of their young stars makes a run in Tiger's presence. We already know what those other "rivals" are capable of when Tiger is on. So if those guys start giving Tiger a run for his money, we will all just believe Tiger is as good as he once was. We need a guy like Anthony Kim who just joined the tour last year to start making a run. Someone young, new face that hasn't challenged Tiger in the past. Sorry Sergio, you missed your chance too. So here's hoping that in the next year to two years, a collegiate golfer steps up through the ranks and wins at least 3 times. This way, golf might just be able to keep its mystique. The only way Rocky was able to make 1000 movies, was to bring new challengers in. If they kept bringing back Apollo and Drago after Rocky beat them, everyone would just think Rocky was getting old and wasn't the same. Phil and the others are the already beaten challengers. The PGA Tour needs a new challenger.....let's just see if there are any takers.