AT&T earlier today announced it was dropping its sponsorship agreement with Tiger Woods.
(Woods ‘leave of absence’ excuse to permanently strip him as host?)
Just as significant though was the less-reported news that the PGA Tour also announced that Woods would not be hosting the AT&T National Tournament on July 11-14.
Woods has also been the host of the AT&T National PGA TOUR event since it started in 2007. TOUR spokesman Ty Votaw said that since Woods is on indefinite leave from professional golf, he will not serve as host for the 2010 event. However, his Tiger Woods Foundation will continue to be the beneficiary of the AT&T National, under a contract that runs through 2014, Votaw said.
The National was a remade tournament largely manufactured by the PGA Tour with the express intention of creating an association with Woods.
So Woods is gone from the tourney, and all indications are the move could very well be permanent, which would leave the golfer without any PGA Tour stop association when he eventually comes back.
Votaw notes in his comments that the tournament is contractually bound to distribute proceeds to the Woods foundation through 2014. That sure sounds like he’s indicating that without a legal agreement, perhaps the charity would no longer be a beneficiary of the tournament. Why else mention the contract?
More importantly, the move by the PGA Tour to announce Woods’ non-participation indicates that Tour officials either know that Woods will not be back by the July start date of the tournament or that the Tour and AT&T National officials are stripping Woods of his hosting duties permanently.
If PGA Tour officials thought Woods was coming back before July, why would they make the announcement that Woods would not host the tournament? Other than to indicate he’d been stripped of his hosting duties permanently.
Neither scenario is desirable for Woods, and shows that the PGA Tour is apparently just as enthusiastic as AT&T at backing away from its biggest star. That’s especially stunning considering it’s Woods’ charitable organization that will suffer most from these machinations.
I think the Tour’s move could actually end up being more significant than what AT&T did today - as this is the first break by the Tour away from its biggest star.
Thanks to TigerWoodsisgod.com for headsup.
12:22 am on January 1st, 2010
Distancing yourself from the biggest star your “sport” has ever seen……wow. Brilliant move by the PGA. He cheated on his wife. He didn’t kill anyone. He didn’t commit a crime. Apparently the 51% drop in viewership in non-Tiger events is lost on these old geezers. Not to mention the untold millions the purses
These sycophants will come crawling back over broken glass on hands and knees the very second he walks onto the tee box. The first tournament he wins all these suddenly moral companies will race back to re-sign him.
This whole situation is laughable and hypocritical. If Tiger was a Wall Street exec or, gee….the President of the USA….he’d get half the shit he’s getting now.
12:33 am on January 1st, 2010
I’ve said it before in a previous blog and I’ll say it again here and now … when Tiger strolled past that young, limbless, wheel-chair bound veteran at this years’s AT&T Congressional Tournament, without offering even so much as a wink to the poor soul … the truth
regarding this man’s true purpose in life was finally revealed. Simply put, he is about himself and only about himself. Decency however, must “always” carry the day, no matter how talented or accomplished an individual may be. And so these developments today come as no surprise.
1:13 am on January 1st, 2010
If this is a move by the PGA Tour and them alone, this could come back to bite them in the ass. This could very well piss Tiger off to no end and he may never play another PGA Tour event again. He could just as easily go play every tournament in Europe and make just as much money and win just as much and play only the majors in the U.S. which are sanctioned by the PGA Tour as events but operated by Augusta, USGA, and the PGA of America. If he did that the PGA Tour is screwed.
If this was a move by Tiger Woods’ people in conjunction with the PGA Tour to maybe take him out of the public scrutiny if he is not around when his tournament rolls around than I guess I can understand.
I think the PGA Tour knows more than anyone and Tiger may not be around this year or into the future.
3:59 am on January 1st, 2010
After Tiger Woods comes back and plays golf like Tiger Woods, the line to kiss his ass will as long as it has ever been. Those that “move away” will be sorry.
11:36 am on January 2nd, 2010
As a observer of those who rush to judgment and hold the Tiger to a higher level of morality than any of them would like to be held to I say this.
When the tally is in I will tell all those I know that those sponsors who abandon you should be forgotten, and only remembe to avoid them in the future.
10:30 pm on January 2nd, 2010
Blomfeldt — that’s a down right fib dude. He did not pass him without so much as a week. He touched him with a high 5 with the best of intentions. and what have you done for the men and women who have been injured. Nothing I assume as you cannot even add a post that is true. Shame on you. Be pissed off because was an idiot but at least don’t spread hate and lies as that is what the media has already done….half truthes. What a piece of work you are. Good grief. At least be truthful…I guess you are one of those that only hears and sees what you want then elaborate from there.