Kid Gloves for Tiger

Earlier this week, the PGA Tour learned its most valuable lesson:

Tiger Woods is bigger than the PGA and bigger than the game of golf itself.

After being warned by a course official that he and Padraig Harrington were taking too long during their final round last week, Woods blasted the official after he felt that warning caused his playing partner to hurry shots and took away what would have otherwise been a stellar finish between the two competitors.

Well, first things first; Woods was right. Golf is a game of concentration and peace. If either gets interrupted, it becomes hard to find that center again, and the more frustrated a player gets, the further away from it he floats. The rule needs to be updated to allow any penalty to be exercised after the completion of the round. If a player knows that there is the possibility of a penalty at the end of the round, then they'll make a concerted effort to play at a speed that will keep them under that line. This way, they'll have found a pace from the start that works for them instead of trying to enforce them changing that pace midway through their round.

But that's not the point of this piece. The PGA rulebook also states that any players that mouths off about another player or tour official will be subject to a fine. Woods, perhaps the biggest face in American sports, knew this, but still felt the need to voice his opinion, and more power to him for that. Unfortunately by doing so, he put the tour in a tough position. He made the PGA Tour make a choice between penalizing Woods and alienating its biggest figurehead, or they could ignore it and keep him perched on his well-earned pedestal.

For its part, the PGA Tour chose to not fine Tiger and instead simply "discussed" the issue with him over the phone. Will this further embolden Woods to become the voice of the players? Will it make it more difficult for the PGA to police its players in future incidents?

The answer to both questions is most likely "yes", but given the alternative, the PGA Tour was willing to sacrifice face in order to keep Tiger happy.

Woods if everything an athletic organization wants of its star. He's warm to the media and the fans. He's a family man who grew up with strong morals and exhibits a strong code of conduct. And while he picks and chooses the events he plays in, he's still one of the hardest workers in sports, taking time off only for the sake of allowing others to shine in his stead. And his dominance has forced others to step up their game to compete when he does play. Without Tiger, the PGA Tour would be half the organization it currently is.

In the end, it wasn't necessarily a difficult decision for them, made in the best interest of the Tour and its relationship with its best player. But was it really the best choice?