Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post writes that Tiger Woods is a ‘poor sport’ and a ‘sore loser’.
Miss a shot and Woods tosses the offending club in anger. It is a wonder he has not taken a divot out of the shin or forehead of caddie Steve Williams.
Is that how Jack Nicklaus or Ben Hogan or Bobby Jones believed in playing a game for gentlemen? Should we care?
The competitive fire in Woods’ eyes burns so hot they can burn a hole through the chest, and Tiger is so intense he has been known to walk past his own mother on the golf course and be blind to her presence.
On the opening day of the Masters, a sea of red numbers on the leaderboard posted by everybody from Chad Campbell to 50-year-old Larry Mize turned Woods green with envy.
After an inconsistent round of 70 in which his frustration showed when he slammed a club after airmailing the green on the final hole, Woods was asked what it was about him and the first round at this prestigious tournament, where in 15 tries he has never posted a score in the 60s.“Yeah,” Woods said Thursday, barely concealing his disdain, “that’s how I won it four times too.”
Kiszla goes on to write about how competitive Woods is and whether or not we as sports fans should care whether or not he can be kind of prickly when he’s playing.
Personally, I could not care less. I think Tiger has been such a phenomenal presence in the sports world over the years that writers are trying to drum up new storylines. That’s not to say Kiszla doesn’t make good points in his article, but it almost seems nowadays that writers are finding ways to criticize Woods’ game anyway they can. The bottom line is that most great athletes have egos the size of Saturn (the planet, not the car company) and they buy into how good they are. Tiger is no exception and considering how competitive he is, it’s no surprise that he’ll toss a club after a bad shot or give a snarky comment from time to time. Most of the great ones hate to lose and Tiger is no exception.
I agree – he’s a tough competitor. He handles himself mostly in a professional manner. In golf we see these guys up close, and there’s no way he’s always going to come across as a warm and fuzzy guy while he’s competing.
Everything’s all good when hes winning but Tiger Woods is a sore loser.. Watch his lips.. almost everytime he has a bad shot he mouths a profanity and even has been caught on tv saying profanities.. I know its pressure but have a little more class.
being competitive is one thing.knowing how to accept defeat is another.look at manny pacquiao.hes the best boxer of his gen and so down to earth.
Tiger Woods is one of the least proffesional of all the young golfers on the PGA Tour. I only know a few spoiled rich kids that display the temper that he does if things do go as he expects.
There should be penalties for such displays as throwing clubs or slamming the ground with a club.
Woods is a whiny little punk when he loses. The fact that he is a great player does not give him a free pass in this regard. Is this what we want to teach kids?
“That’s right Junior, become a great player and that gives you the license to be a pouty faced whining little puke who can throw clubs and still get his ass licked by sports writers.”
It’s about time someone puts Tiger Woods in his place. No doubt the greatest golfer probably of all time, but he does throw clubs when he makes a bad shot and you can see him mouthing profanities on camera as well..
Oh yeah, he loves pumping that fist when that great shot goes in, but he acts like a baby when it doesn’t go his way. That’s not being competitive. That’s being a sore sport and a jerk. I’m tired of this guy always getting a free pass for everything. Too much damn PC in the way we treat him.
Yes Poor Tiger showed his true collers today in losing the golf tourament, instead of being grasious in defeat in probably what was one the biggest upsets in golfing history, he storms off to the clubhouse in defeat… His putter wasnt working today everybody knows that feeling, and oh by the way he still took home a very nice paycheck, give this guy his day Tiger he played supereb and you were a little off. Take that frown off your face, and now you know how other golfers and America feels, with the whole fist pumping thing, you didnt like as know likes it when you do it. Take a lesson, you are the greatest golfer in the world but it takes more then that to be a class act… You failed today, maybe you can learn something from this, to prove everyone wrong quit being a jerk…..
Tiger Woods is the greatest golfer of all time. To compare him with past greats such as Jack, Ben, and Bobby is completely erroneous. Watching PGA golf on tv is basically a Tiger Woods reality tv show, so even when Tiger is playing bad (which is still great in comparison to other PGA pros) we see how Tiger reacts when he hits bad shots, which is just the same as every other golf player on the PGA. My point being is if Jack, Ben, or Bobby had the kind of shot tracking tv presence as Tiger does, you would see the same reactions. I completely disagree with the Tiger being a poor sport and he should be given more credit for the added pressure of being treated basically as a golf god, and yes, he is human. Just look at his 2nd place finish to Y.E. Yang and tell me if Tiger is truly a poor sport.
Tiger sounds like a anal-retentive robot when he talks and is one of the poorest sports in the game of golf today. He is a great player, no doubt, but does not know how to lose graciously. God forbid, Tiger plays poorly… he always expects to win. It’s about time someone knocked that snot-nosed chip off his shoulder.
>> Personally, I could care less.
“… could ‘NOT’ care less.”
He’s a spoiled brat. He’s a jerk. Media loves him because he’s black. I’m not racist. I love George Foreman, Walter Payton, Michael Jordan, etc. But douchebag is douchebag. Tiger’s a douchebag. Seeing his crybaby face makes me want to punch it.
Tiger is a sore loser. And a cheater, i am glad his image if finally starting to look more like the real thing.
I’m waiting for this very unstable Tiger to throw a punch at someone on the course. It’s obvious he cannot control his emotions at all. Nicklaus, Palmer, Watson, never, ever threw a club, or smashed one against their bag, take a purposeful divot, not talk to the reporter after a loss, swear outloud, etc. To compare Tiger to one of these guys is impossible. Tiger is the biggest douchebag in sports today. Now the puke can’t keep it in his pants for his gorgeous wife only. Doinking a few women while your wife is pregnant? Hey, way to go Tiger! Only reason his sponsors haven’t dumped him is because of money. They have the same morals as Tiger.
tiger can be a bit intimidating with his alpha male personality but then all successful people are like that including women who reach the top somehow. his mother and father sure trained him right when it comes to basics like looking out for #1. he’s a fighter and not a lover and is playing the capitalist game with zest and gusto. in his world it’e every man for himself and devil take the hindmost. i wish him every ounce of success in his journey in sports super-vision!
Tiger has no clue on how to be a gentleman. He can swear on national TV and get away with it. He is a poor loser and never talks about his fellow competitors in a positve way. All he talks about is himself. He can sleep with 17 women and everybody forgives him. He has no morals will never be the greatest golfer. He might be the greastest horndog.
Tiger’s comments after finishing 18 at Augusta where immature, unprofessional, cry baby’esque at best. To be as pompous as to say he came to win after having a 5 month break from competitive golf says what about the pro’s around him who work at their game everyday? That his competitors are that much less talented than him? What a narcissist!!! Swearing and throwing clubs is unsportsman like in the game of golf. There should be unsportman like conduct and be fined a stroke or something. Did we see Mickelson lose his temper with errant shots or missed putts. No!
Tiger has no class, it is a shame that he possesses that much talent, because quite honestly, he does not deserve it!!! What a disgrace. I will never cheer for him… Grow up Tiger you cry baby immature little spoiled brat and be a man…