Tiger Woods PGA Tour Groupies: February 2010

Mark O'Meara on Tiger Woods

By REX HOGGARD
Senior Writer, GolfChannel.com
Posted: February 10, 2010

It seems the media and fans aren't the only ones trying to make sense of the tragedy that has become Tiger Woods' life. Mark O'Meara, one of Woods' closest friends when he joined the Tour in 1996, weighed in on Woods' plight and how the world No. 1 has handled the intense media scrutiny that has descended on him since he ran his SUV into a central Florida fire hydrant.

"I would have handled it differently, myself, personally, but that's who I am. Whether he's handled it right or wrong, only time can decide that," said O'Meara, who added that he hasn't spoken with Woods since last year's British Open in July. "Tiger is being Tiger. You guys have spent a lot of time with him and seen how he is."

O'Meara, who was on a teleconference for the Toshiba Classic media day, also offered his Isleworth neighbor some advice and an invitation.

"I know he wants it to be private, but it's difficult to be private when he's a public figure. That's part of what's happened in our lives. Media is such a big influence. That helps make Tiger a lot of what he is," O'Meara said. "I've tried to contact him a few times, let him know I've been thinking about him and his family. My phone is always on."

And "O," as Woods calls O'Meara, wasn't the only major champion addressing the Woods' predicament on Wednesday. The LPGA's Lorena Ochoa talked to a group of reporters on a national teleconference Wednesday but was limited in her Woods comments.

"I don't have much to say," said Ochoa, who will make her 2010 debut next week in the LPGA season opener in Thailand. "I think for all of us it was a big surprise and a disappointment in many ways, but hopefully he is taking care of his problems and will be back soon. I don't have anything else to say."

Labels: tiger woods

Johnny MIller on Tiger Woods

RANDALL MELL, Senior Writer, GolfChannel.com
Posted 02/06/2010, 5:07 PM EST

NBC-TV analyst Johnny Miller weighed in on Tiger Woods during the Northern Trust Open telecast Saturday afternoon.

If you missed it, Miller said he normally reserves his comments on players to what’s happening when they arrive for a tournament, but he offered this on Woods:

“His integrity’s been shattered,” Miller said. “More importantly, he’s injured his marriage and his family and it’s going to be tough for him. President Obama did say something. He said `I’m a strong believer that anybody can look within himself, find their flaws and fix them.’ I hope Tiger, I’m sure he’s heard that, knows he has a heck of a road to hoe to get that respect and integrity back and build the game back up again.”

On the challenge Woods faces in a return, Miller said he is going to have to address some personal issues publicly. Miller referenced media reports that Woods has visited a sexual rehabilitation clinic in Mississippi.

“As Phil Mickelson said, he has got things more important than the game of golf," Miller said. "But I really believe he’s the kind of guy, he’s a fast starter when he takes a lot of time off. He’s been injured before, he’s had his father’s death he’s had to deal with. He’ll come back strong. He has so much talent and so much game, but he’s going to have to go through a lot of media blitz. He’s become almost bigger than the game of golf. He’s come past that, it’s almost Entertainment Tonight and People Magazine. Everybody’s going to want to know what he does, what he’s thinking, what he’s been through. He’s been at Gentle Path there in Mississippi. They are going to want to know all these things, but he’s going to have to face the music. He’s going to have to show people he’s done everything he can to repair his marriage and [show] some genuine sorrow in his voice and feeling from his heart that he wants to change and make his life better.”

Labels: johnny miller, tiger woods