Tiger Woods vows golf can no longer be No. 1 in his world. That’s nice. Really. But just because Woods believes he’s walking the righteous path toward redemption doesn’t make it true for the rest of us.
We don’t need Woods to be our moral compass.
Golf needs him to be a Tiger, crushing tee shots 300 yards and winning major championships until Jack Nicklaus cries uncle.
Maybe Woods is 100 percent sincere when he claims: “It’s not about championships. It’s about how you live your life.”
Here’s hoping that’s a promise Woods can keep with his wife and children.
But let’s be honest. A happily married man who can’t sink a 30-foot birdie putt quickly disappears from telecasts during the final round of the Masters. The one sin America would not forgive Woods is letting himself become a nice guy unable to close the deal at the 18th hole.
Perhaps it’s fitting that Woods begins his search for atonement on the hallowed grounds of Augusta National Golf Club, where the most famous tournament in the world begins today in the heart of the Bible Belt.
Tournament chairman Billy Payne took his turn Wednesday preaching to Woods, so there could be no mistaking: The good old boys in green jackets frown on a husband who cheats.
“Our hero did not live up to the expectations of the role model we saw for our children,” Payne solemnly said in a prepared statement. “Is there a way forward? I hope yes. I think yes. But certainly his future will never be measured only by his performance against par; but measured by the sincerity of his efforts to change.”
Pardon me while I laugh out loud.
No offense to Payne, a truly decent man I have respected dating to his work with the Summer Olympics in Atlanta.
But preaching from the pulpit of Augusta National, which still views females as second-class citizens and didn’t admit its first African-American member until Woods became a teenager, seems arrogantly oblivious to the Masters’ own dirty laundry.
Since Woods knocked over the fire hydrant and hot gossip began gushing out of control, TMZ has had a guffawing good time trying to determine whether the number of mistresses Tiger has taken to bed surpassed the total trophies he has brought home from major tourneys.
Please don’t take this as condoning marital infidelity, but the steamy indiscretions of Woods are mere tabloid infotainment compared to a decades-old tradition of institutional bigotry practiced by the most famous golf club in the United States.
Tell us, Mr. Payne: What’s worse?
When Woods is introduced at the first tee this afternoon in Georgia, there will be God-fearing people who won’t be able to cheer for him in good conscience, just as there are folks who will forever find it impossible to laugh at Woody Allen movies after his scandalous affair with one of Mia Farrow’s adopted children.
The vast majority of fans, however, cannot help themselves; they love winners. So here’s betting that sinking putts will win back hearts in the gallery, whether Woods saves his marriage or not.
No doubt Payne spoke from the heart when he offered Woods a chance to make amends: “We at Augusta hope and pray that our great champion will begin his new life . . . in a positive, hopeful and constructive manner, but this time with a significant difference from the past. This year, it will not be just for him, but for all of us who believe in second chances.”
No argument here. But save the sermons for church.
Americans are hooked on sports for the adrenaline rush.
Today, there’s really only one reason to watch the Masters.
To see if Tiger can still roar.
We’re addicted and, truth be known, don’t want a cure.
Mark Kiszla: 303-954-1053 or mkiszla@denverpost.com
