Tiger Woods Courts Controversy, but Brilliance Radiates

Tiger? Is that you? The man who avoids controversy like Kate avoids Jon, the man who is apolitical and non-confrontational and quite possibly the dullest megastar in the history of sports, is abandoning his equilibrium to criticize the PGA Tour? All because an official decided that Woods and Padraig Harrington were dawdling too long Sunday -- 17 minutes behind, to be exact -- and put a clock on them for the last three holes at Firestone?

Of all times to walk on the wild side and boogie down, this is odd. What I took from Woods' 70th career title is that he was typically unbothered by the edict, issued by European Tour chief referee John Paramor. After he and Harrington were told of the slow-play violation on the tee at No. 16, Woods responded with one of the epic shots of this or any other golf season, a 178-yard rainbow with an 8-iron that crept to within inches of the hole. While he was fashioning a birdie, Harrington was hurrying because of the clock issue and choking away a rare chance to outduel Woods, hitting a shot over the green and then plunking a flop shot into the water.

---

---

That should be the story, again: Tiger has something cold and calm in his DNA that rivals embarrassingly lack. Instead, Woods chose to defend Harrington and take the unprecedented step of challenging Paramor for rushing his rival. I can't believe that Woods would defend Harrington when it's clear he gagged away an opportunity, as even the loser acknowledged Tuesday about the fatal four-stroke swing. Somehow, perhaps because he's 33 and a husband and a father, he found sympathy for poor Paddy.

"Like I was telling [Harrington] out there, I'm sorry John got in the way of a great battle," Woods said of Paramor. "It was such a great battle for 16 holes, and unfortunately that happened.

"I don't think that Paddy would have hit the pitch shot that way if he was able to take his time, look at it, analyze it. But he was on the clock, had to get up there quickly, and he hit it in the water.''

He obviously likes and respects Harrington, who won the last two majors last year while Woods was recovering from reconstructive knee surgery but has struggled this year after questionable swing changes. "I've seen him miss cuts and he's out there all weekend long practicing and getting ready for the next week. I admire guys like that because that's how you become better," Woods said. "You have to go earn it. And I think Paddy is a great example of a guy who goes out there and earns it each and every day." Still, to defend Harrington's honor, Tiger had to take on the PGA Tour, which wasn't happy about his comments -- to the point an unnamed official was quoted Monday by the Associated Press as saying Woods would be fined for the remarks.

For golf to fine Tiger Woods is akin to the Louvre penalizing the Mona Lisa for being in its halls. You're not going to punish the cash cow, as was confirmed Tuesday by PGA Tour spokesman Ty Votaw, ignoring a clause in the Tour handbook that urges members "to refrain from comments to the news media that unreasonably attack or disparage tournaments, sponsors, fellow members, players or PGA Tour." In theory, Woods should have been fined and shouldn't be treated differently than anyone else who takes shots at officials. But in reality, they're intimidated by Woods, who surely could quit at any time, start a Tiger Tour and have every TV network and fan in his back pocket.

"I've heard from the Tour and there's no fine," Woods said in suburban Minneapolis, where he'll try to win his 15th major career title this weekend at the PGA Championship. "That was an erroneous report."

Nor did he express any regret in making the comments, which included dropping Paramor's name for golf fans everywhere to hate. "No, because he's the one who did it ... I thought they would have used better judgment than that,'' he said. "We were the ones that were probably going to win the golf tournament in the last pairing. We separated ourselves. And after what Paddy went through, we were still right there behind the group in front of us. So I don't know if the group in front of us was being timed or not. They didn't look like they were rushing. But it certainly influenced us in how we played and influenced the outcome of a tournament.''

No, it influenced how Harrington played. "I reacted poorly to the situation, and that's my own fault,'' the Irishman said. "[Woods] can take the moral high ground and say what he wants. Having lost the tournament, I'm going to take it on the chin and say it was my mistake.'' Which is admirable of him, because the focus should return to Woods' greatness, not his challenge of a rule that is part of golfing tradition and necessary to protect a TV network's programming interests. If he wouldn't have tweaked Paramor, we'd be heading into the season's final major raving about Tiger's renewed predominance. He has won the last two weeks with a panache that suggests he's ready to rule the sport again and get on with his chase of Jack Nicklaus, whose 18 major titles remain four ahead of Woods. The ratio of total victories to major victories -- 70 to 14 -- is starting to bother some people, which is why Tiger might want to clamp down No. 15 at Hazeltine to avoid an offseason of doubting headlines. Just keep in mind that Woods has won 13 of his last 23 starts, including five of 12 since his surgery, and that it would be absurd to question him.

"It's been a great year either way,'' he said. "For me to come back and play as well as I've done and actually win golf events -- when at the very beginning of the year, I was feeling the way I was -- to be honest with you, I don't think any of us would have thought I could have won this many events this year.

"It usually takes a while for an athlete to come back [from ACL surgery], and most guys, or some of the guys who have had it in our sport, have not gone on to have the years I've had this year. I'm very proud of not only winning the golf tournaments but how consistent I've played. The only one bad event I've had was the British Open. Otherwise, I've had a pretty good run of top 10s, stroke-play events, like 18 or 20 in a row, I think that's pretty good. As far as the Masters, I did not putt well. I putted well in streaks and I didn't finish off the rounds the way I should have. At the U.S. Open, I putted very, very poorly. Hit the ball well enough to win, but certainly did not putt well enough to win. And the British Open, I had six bad holes that cost me a chance of contending on the weekend.''

He has putted well of late. If he putts well this weekend, he'll win. The Woods critics say he shouldn't have played the last two weeks heading into the PGA, but how can the strategy be ripped when he won twice and gathered momentum? Stewart Cink won the British Open after Woods missed the cut. Think Cink is cocky this week? "I'd say he's got a better chance than anybody else in the field. How's that for an answer?'' he said. "I mean, he's driving it pretty well. He's got a short game that history has never known. He's got the clutch putting that history has never known. And he's got the ultimate tank of confidence to draw from. So case closed."

Um, so, why even bother playing the tournament? Because Woods has shown signs of vulnerability and hasn't always ended his year as desired. Five times, he has arrived at the PGA Championship without a major title to his name for the calendar year. Only twice has he erased the drought, the first time 10 years ago at Medinah. It was there that he outdueled a young Spaniard named Sergio Garcia, who became the favorite of the suburban Chicago crowd and exuded a heels-kicking joy before Woods nailed a big putt and beat him by a stroke. Who knew that Tiger would go on to win 14 more majors than Garcia, who may never win one. "You would have thought he'd win more. He has been so close," Woods said. "He's been in the final group a few times and he's been right there with a chance. He had a major on his putter on the last hole at Carnoustie, and he hit a good putt -- it just didn't go in. He's been there, it just hasn't -- he hasn't gotten over the hurdle yet, but he's been there. It's just a matter of time. Sergio certainly has the talent to do it."

Meantime, Woods continues to paint the greatest legacy known to golf. He even is thinking about his future, confirming for the first time that he'd like to play in the Olympics if the sport is adopted for the 2016 Summer Games. "If I'm not retired by then, yeah," he said.

"I think that golf is truly a global sport, and I think it should have been in the Olympics a while ago. If it does get in, I think it would be great for golf and especially some of the smaller countries that are now emerging in golf. I think it's a great way for them to compete and play and get the exposure that some of these countries aren't getting."

There he goes again, making social statements. Is that you, Tiger Woods? Glad to hear some opinions, even if it detracts from sporting theater rarely seen on this earth. Not that he's perfect. Recently, ESPN's Rick Reilly scolded him in a column for his potty mouth on the course.

"It is what it is," Woods said. "Unfortunately, I do make mistakes. I hit bad shots and say bad things at times. I don't mean to; it just comes out. It's not something I try to do. It just happens. Have I been trying to get better at it? Yeah, my entire life. But it happens from time to time, and I'm not the only person who does it."

Seems controversy has found him. In a way, it's refreshing. But never, ever forget what he is: an athlete who steals our breath and hijacks our imagination like few others. He'll win No. 15 on Sunday, after which the Countdown to Jack can begin.