Get up you couch potatoes! There has never been a better time to head to the gym, take a walk around the lake or earn some brownie points with your woman through a weekend trip to the mall to shop for shoes.
We can thank Tiger Woods for all the free time.
Woods captivated everyone in the golfing world and beyond last week by fending off a knee injury with four dramatic rounds at Torrey Pines. Then, in a 19-hole playoff with underdog Rocco Mediate on Monday, limped his way to a stunning U.S. Open title and 14th career major.
What we all found out two days later was that Woods would need additional knee surgery (an ACL that is his fourth knee operation) and major R&R from two stress fractures in his left leg.
It was about as great an emotional swing in a 48-hour period as any golfing fan can muster.
So, what are we all going to do now on Sunday afternoon, the time we set aside over the next three months to watch every time Woods headed down the homestretch?
What is the PGA Tour going to do with its star sidelined for the rest of the season? What kind of fallout will we see from major sponsors and tournaments that Woods planned to play in?
Of course, as we all know now, Woods tortured himself and us needlessly by ignoring doctors who told him to lay low longer and not play in the Open. The bull-headed stubborn Woods turned the other cheek and trudged on, moving within five majors of Jack Nicklaus’ record. I guess it’s that kind of determination that makes Woods the great player he is – or was.
Was?
Other than a bad back or neck problem, left knee issues are a golfer’s worst enemy. Woods, now 32, will need to be extra careful with his recovery time since his swing packs the same punch of Dick Butkus hit. We’ll see if it’s recommended that he change his crunching delivery once he gets back on the range. And we all know how tricky swing changes can be. Just ask Curtis Strange.
Granted, knee surgeries aren’t nearly as career threatening or debilitating as they were 20 years ago, but as I like to say, there is no such thing as “minor surgery.”
If the death of his father, marriage and parenthood couldn’t distract Tiger, another force – one that he can’t control – just may bring down the greatest golfer ever.
Remember these stats when considering Woods’ assault on golf’s record books. Nicklaus logged 11 or more starts on Tour for 25 straight years, Palmer had a similar streak of 24 straight years. Tiger has had to shut it down after just six tournaments this season. It’s amazing what kind of healthy longevity Nicklaus and Palmer had the good fortune of enjoying during their Hall-of-Fame careers.
And it’s not like golf didn’t have a TV ratings problem before. It sure has a full-blown crisis on its hands now. Baseball could lose a Barry Bonds, football a Peyton Manning and hockey a Sydney Crosby, and each sport wouldn’t miss a beat. Golf doesn’t have that luxury with the star status of Woods.
This all comes at a time when there is really no No. 2 player on Tour, let alone a No. 3, No. 4 or No. 5. Phil Mickelson has proved to be more than easy fodder for Woods over the last few seasons, so he’s damaged goods in the eyes of the golfing consumer. Same goes for former Big Five members Vijay Singh, Ernie Els and Retief Goosen. Even when those players were on top of their games during the 2004 and 2005 seasons, each is a remedy for a three-hour nap on Sunday, not edge-of-your seat drama.
I won’t be shutting my game down this summer, but I will be walking past the TV remote and out the door on Sunday afternoons for something more productive than watching a meaningless PGA Tour event without Woods.
How about you?