I thought the "thank you" video clip was great after the tourney. Showed that Watson had a lot of class as well as game and the reference as to who did not show class was spot-on. Wouldnt it be great if this display by Watson could stir-up some of the class that has been lost from the game in the last 12 or so years.

PS - Cink handled himself and played fantastic too.

It was a great clip by Rick, IMHO

I saw that they were taking shots at Tiger, what the hell was that about?

Lack of class.

I'm not going to lie, that was a pretty blunt portion of the clip and was shocking to me. I don't remember any more from the clip than image of Tiger digging his club in the ground because of it.

I didn't see this. Can I find it anywhere?

My wife and I both thought the shot at tiger was low brow and ought to have been left out. It isn't like he is the only person who smacks his bags with his clubs or cusses.

Do I think it would behoove Tiger and Golf for him to manage his temper better? Absolutely. Do I think it was appropriate to take a completely non-veiled shot at him while supposedly celebrating the great achievement of Tom Watson this week? No, I do not.

The whole "Thank you" editorial by Riley would have been better without that little blast, he should've stayed focused on paying tribute to somebody who made history today. Tom may not have won, but he did a lot more than any other 59 year old has ever done on a stage like that.

Plus I find it a little hard to swallow somebody scolding someone else in public about not keeping it classy (San Diego), when I am certain Rick would not have said that to his face. That in my opinion is showing a lack of class as well.

I personally thought it was funny how they shot at tiger, because it's 100% true. Tiger needs a chill-pill

I thought it was funny how they were talking about class and then they take a shot a somebody. IMO it shows no class on there part.

It was a nice way to show what Watson did and how he was a true gentleman to the game...NOW... and FOREVER!

I don't know the relationship between Reilly and Tiger if there is one or not. But I'm going to go out on a limb and say he has some axe to grind with Tiger somewhere. While I don't like the way Tiger throws or slams clubs a bit too often, I think it was a cheap shot in an otherwise great tribute to Tom Watson.

My fiance who isn't a huge golf fan but knows alot about all the top players and really hates all the attention Tiger gets when he's not in contention and all the over hype of Tiger this Tiger that, thought it was hilarious and about time somone on National TV said something bad about him.

I guess two different opinions.

It was a little low, but not undeserved. Fan or not, Tiger is "golf". He's the guy most of the young guns AND our kids look up to. His poor behavior is one of those hidden things the media pans away from *most* of the time. They have to since he's the cash cow for the PGA and the ratings.

Either the cameras continue to hide it or parents have to figure out a creative excuse for his behavior while not allowing our kids to act in the same way. What am I supposed to tell my kids? "When you get to be #1 you can throw tantrums on the course? Great message. Tiger needs a wake up call and a public one isn't such a bad thing.

Golf channel talked about it, even calling him out at one point (that I saw). When you have a guy like Watson bring back the class of the game from years past it's not such a bad thing to use the stage to remind the tour, the players and the public how a golf icon should act.. or not act as the case may be...

Tiger gets all the adulation and comparisons with Nicklaus etc when he wins, he gets the grief and same comparisons when he loses with all the class he showed this week. Two sides of the same coin.

When you are on top, people are always going to take shots at you. How you handle them determines your future. Tiger probably was banging his hot wife during this waste of time clip.

And that comment above speaks volumes about the attitude of many Tiger fans, and why he gets a free pass from them despite his classless and ungentlemanly antics on the course.

An undeserved shot is one thing. Calling out someone who ought to know better -- to many new fans of golf, the only player they know or follow -- is something else entirely. How many players who took up the game because of Tiger now think it is perfectly OK to behave in the manner he did? Many, I suspect. Mr. Woods needed to be taken to task for his behavior, and kudos to Rick Reilly for doing so. Not many golf journalists would be brave enough to do so -- but it needed to be done.

I am not giving him a free pass because he has a hot wife. Most people with millions of dollars have hot wives. I follow every player on tour and know a ton about other pga professionals. Yes, their are millions of Tiger followers that dont have a clue about anything about golf. Trust me I live here in DC and seen the millions following him here at the AT&T classic this year. Last year I went I could follow any player I wanted without a problem of any type of crowd. No one was even following AK last year. Plain and simple the guy is hard on himself and really wants to win every single tourney he is in espically a major. Imagine practicing how much he practices and come out and play like crap, when he was playing pretty damn good in the warm up sessions. For him to play that bad, hole after hole, how else would you feel? happy?? We should be thankful that we are able to watch him and that he puts forth maxium energy and effort to win every tourney. He could be someone who just collects his millions of dollars and goes out there and doesnt give a damn if he wins or not. I like watching the fierce competitior inside that just wants to win win win. Of course I am use to overpaid atheltes not showing up on gameday here in the washington sports arena.

HAHAA indeed.


Cool clip though, this whole week showed me alot about watson.

Well said...Tiger needed to be called out for his poor behavior and hopefully he still has some humility left in him to change. Watson set a great example of how to handle yourself when you are winning and losing.

anybody know where to see this. My tivo cut off and I ddint get to see it.

I pull for Tiger Woods to make even more golfing history. I congratulate him on his charitable efforts. But his course theatrics when things are going wrong is not a good thing.
I was pleasantly shocked when the ABC piece captured his Prima Donna antics in contrast to the composure of Tom Watson. A picture is worth a thousand words. Maybe he'll elect not to play in any tournament broadcast by ABC?

All week long Tom talked about "the spirits" or "some higher power helping me".

...it really took me by surprise at the end when he said:

"I don't know, maybe it was my higher power, maybe it Bruce Edwards up there, my caddie pulling for me..."

That was great. I had forgotten about Bruce for the entire tournament. All week long he had a strange look of "inner peace" on his face. A look that can't be faked... good stuff.

I still haven't seen the clip you guys are talking about.......link?

link mer plz?

Tiger needs to be called out more often for this type of behaviour. Congratulations Rick! You just made the enemies list (Faldo, Roberts, Kostis, Econo-Save). Can you ever recall Jack/Arnie/Watson swinging clubs around in anger? Most of the media is guilty of this double standard but we have a unique situation here in that one guy is paying everybody's salary (or a decent portion of it) by the amount of money he is able to attract from advertisers. We perceive Woody Austin as a "hothead" while Tiger is merely "fiercely competitive".

I believe Tiger understands the importance of role models (and knows that many kids look up to him as well) as he often speaks in glowing terms of the biggest role model in his life; his dad. What he needs to remember is that when he's on the golf course, the camera is on him always so act accordingly. If Tiger were to watch video of his Friday performance with his kids when they are older, I'm sure he'll be downright embarrassed. One hopes that after getting to meet some of America's veterans during his AT&T tournament, he realizes there are bigger things in life than losing a golf tournament.

Sadly, Tom Watson showed us how to behave when things aren't going your way on the 72nd hole/playoff. His game went off the rails at the wrong time and he was naked out there for all to see yet still conducted himself in a most graceful fashion.

The tiger shot shouldn't have been in there. But maybe tiger was watching and he could take notes. I watched junior tourney yesterday and saw no less than 7 kids slam their putter into the green or fringe after missing a putt, . No excuse for that behavior.

Over the years one thing has become very obvious. Those that defend Tiger vigorously also are those that can't spell.... Very high correlation...

Next door neighbor's son is constantly slamming his clubs after bad shots. Kid is one of the better junior amateurs in the state. His father asked him why he keeps doing it, and his response is "Tiger does it, it just shows my competitiveness".. Age 14.

The first paragraph in your post is not necessary and is painted with a pretty broad brush.

Hey, Sandy! Good to see you posting, hope you're doing okay.

I totally agree, kids mimic what they see.

Spot on mate. However the boy's dad should take away his clubs until he learns to behave.

+1 seen that first hand with juniors.

And Christie Kerr can be lumped in too. She is a fool on the golf course (and off). I am embarrassed for her whenever she plays. She has "geek" built in. Who forcefully kicks their golf bag with the toe of their shoe not once, but 3 times in a row - the hole prior she slammed her driver into the ground twice in anger...and not at any event, the prestigious Women's Open.

...oh yeah, she is just being competitive.

I agree totally, 100%, it was a cheap shot at Tiger.


I also agree he let his emotions get away from him, a little more than usual. Tiger could/should dial it back, but Riley (sp?) took a cheap shot using Tiger as the "Classless" example and no one else...lame.

A couple things, first it was a cheap shot. Not saying that Tiger dosent need to be taken to task but why do it in a Tom Watson "thank you" piece? Second all these people that say Tiger should be ashamed of what he does to the youth, how do you manage to go through life NEVER getting angry or showing emotion. I am curious because I would like to learn.

It must be great to walk around in the world of lollipops and rainbows. But in the real world people get angry people show emotion.



Did they SLAM it or did they tap it on the ground? I think we have all done that after missing a putt.

Again how do you guys go around and never get angry it must be a special skill that I just don't have

Where is the clip of this comment?!

How dare anyone be held accountable for their behavior....

With the advent of the "Tiger Syndrome", golf course behaviour has gone downhill. Maybe the PGA should grow a pair and start fining players AGAIN for on course actions. Those of us old geezers that remember Tommy Bolt and his crowd, saw what the PGA "could" do. They fined their butts when they went off in public. Tommy was probably the worst offender, much like Tiger today.
Rick's piece may seem like a cheap shot to many, but it pointed out the fact that there are still some players that know how to act on the course, and still be competitive, even after bad shots. For example, after Watson knocked it in the hay(on the first or second playoff hole), and failed to get out. He sucked it up, walked to the ball and hit it again. You know he was boiling inside, but you'd never know it. Class.

Rick who? Where's the clip?

Everyone keeps posting without clueing us in as to where the clip is....

Please post a link to this clip.

I'm uploading the video now I recorded by pointing my iPhone at my television. CRANK YOU VOLUME!!! its a little low but the quality is there. I held the iPhone with my hand so it might be shaky... If you have trouble with your slow internet, at the beginning of the video pause and let it load before you hit play again. If you accidentally catch up with the loading process during your playing of the video, it can stop the feed, so keep that in mind.

For the record I think this was a great editorial, and the shot at Tiger is just a tiny fraction of the video. To Reilly's credit he calls the Tiger Woods Era "wonderful". Enjoy guys...

Thank You Tom Watson: (Courtesy of ABC Sports)

http://gallery.me.com/esld#100016/IMG_0224&bgcolor=black

Thanks for posting the vid cave butI can't get it to play:0(

Here is a link to Reilly's column for ESPN The Magazine though.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?id=4347419

Anyone else having trouble? You need quicktime installed if you are on a PC, but in this era of iTunes I thought everyone would have Quicktime installed by default.. I tested it and I can view it on all the computers at my office...

I just called my buddy and he CAN view it on all the computers at his work, so it should play fine.

If the link takes you to the thumbnail, remember you have to click on it to bring up the larger movie. Also if you are at work you may be behind a firewall. Watch from home.

I posted it on youtube for those having trouble but the quality on youtube is horrible

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZyeoTswiuc

As a added note, John Feinstein did a very similar piece on todays GC Golf Central where he made mention of Watsons behavior vs others. They didn't clip to Tiger or mention his name, but it was obvious who he was talking about if you follow golf. As far as I know Feinstein doesn't have a beef with Tiger?



Well, you just made the entire point of the thread. You can learn by watching Tom Watson. Maybe that's too much for people to aspire to?

Regardless, throwing a tantrum and showing emotion are two different things. Tiger throws tantrums.

When they actually show him doing it I'm embarrassed for him and feel sorry for the guy playing with him. We all know how bad it sucks to be stuck with the idiot who acts like that during a casual round. How would you like to be trying to make the cut in a major and have the guy you're playing with acting like a fool.. UGH..

...and parenting like that allows bad behavior to perpetuate.

What, if anything, did the father have to say in reply to that? If my son is reading this, he KNOWS what MY response would have been: I would have picked up the kid's bag, hoofed it back to the clubhouse, and told the Tournament Director that my son had just withdrawn, and that I revoke permission for him to play in future events until I send a letter indicating that I give him permission to enter once again. And, if he was 16 and legally able to drive, I would hold out my hand and say, "License. Keys. NOW." My son knows that from his own experience.

It's better to be a father than a friend to your children. Sometimes, at best, it's possible to be both, but father trumps friend every time, IMO.

Hey, thanks a lot! Perfect! I appreciate you taking the time to put that clip up! Now I know what everyone's talking about. Thank you very much.

Great tribute. Some times a player, the game or a fan can gain more from a loss than a win. In many ways this is one of those cases. Remember the old adage "It's not if you win or lose it's how you play the game"

Props to Tom he is a class act and a role model.

Here's an interesting clip of some press Watson did at Sunningdale (Senior British Open) from the BBC website.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/golf/8163315.stm

Apologies if it is not watchable outside the UK, but in it Watson said he got a call from Nicklaus on Sunday evening and Nickalus said that the final round was the first 18 holes of a golf tournament he ever watched on TV. He also said that he thought Watson played 18 right and things just worked out that way.

You really think that the PGA Tour DOESNT fine for things like that? Really? For somone who seems to be competent, you don't really understand. The PGA Tour has such policy's in effect, however, they don't air their dirty laundry and have a press confrence about it every time it happens like the NBA or the NFL. That would be much more detremental to the tour and all the sponsors to do that.

We see every second of Tigers play and "antics", and yes, it is not fair to others who are playing well. However, the public that pay the bills pay to see Tiger, plain and simple. All our whining about it wont change that. There are others who act similarly... or even a lot worse. but we wont see them because of thier behavior and the fact that we don't NEED them on TV in order to sell the sport.

I think all of you and your tall horses your standing on need to get a proverbial life. Its a sport. If we want people to take it seriously as such, there needs to be some personal connection to the people. We all have probably felt like Tiger did this weekend, and it's, in a way, good to see that. When he wins wire to wire it's almost worse... because who does that over and over again like Tiger? But the struggles... yeah I've been there and your a liar if you say you havn't. Basketball, Football, Hockey, Soccer, Tennis, name a sport in which you haven't seen frustration... Tiger made golf a mainstream sport... the good and the bad that come with that. Deal with it. Or just go fishing...

That is complete garbage. Tiger and Nike encourage the constant coverage - it is what makes the brand of Tiger so valuable. He also sets exceptional standards for his winning, and most Tiger fans, like you, believe in those and think he is some sort of God, but he sets no standards for behaviour and you lot think he is just a normal guy when he acts out. Hypocrisy, no?

Also, golf was a mainstream sport long before Tiger arrived, and will remain so after he is off the scene. He doesn't win wire to wire so often these days.

Fortunately the BBC does not have the same fawning coverage as some of the US networks. After he buggered off on Friday, he was barely mentioned over the weekend.

Finally, amongst many examples of bad grammar and spelling., I think the expression you are looking for is 'high horse' and people normally sit, rather than stand, on them.

That Jack called Tom and told him about the shot on 18, and confirmed that he did everything right, is just proof of what golf and what their friendship (which was born in the heat of competition) means to them. Funny how they are still (for me) two of the best role models in golf, and that after almost 40 years.

+1. Their coverage does seem to be more even handed.

And pray tell, just how much do you think el Tigre has been fined in the last 10 years due to his behaviour, compared to the rest of the PGA Tour players??
I would venture to say, very little IF any.
Maybe that's a stat they(PGA)needs to start publishing.
Oh BTW, yes I've shown frustration, I threw a club about 20 years ago. Hit my new Mizuno bag and ripped a hole in the side of it. I've never thrown another club.

If you read the thread you'll see I'm not a big fan of Tigers tantrums, but I think this part of the thread might not have much validity. I've heard that Tiger is actually one of the most highly fined players.

Would be interesting to know if it was true or not. But, in the end it doesn't matter. He's got the cash to cover it. The PGA isn't going to change his behavior only he can do that...