Let nothing interfere with watching a well-played Masters

While he hasn’t yet hit a golf ball in earnest in the 2018 Masters Tournament at Augusta National, Tiger Woods is dominating the year’s first major as if he was the only story. And it’s not just this week; the press has been talking up Tiger since January and weeks ago, odds-makers made him the favorite to win it.

That’s fine with me. Tiger is the greatest talent since Jack Nicklaus and apparently the most popular. Comparisons of the two are valid, in their golfing ability. But there couldn’t be two men less alike in their private lives. Jack is the quintessential family man. Tiger’s entanglements with women have caused him more pain, embarrassment and bad press than anyone could have foreseen before his messy and, let’s face it, damaging breakup with his wife, Elin, due to his admitted philandering.

My own lovely, saintly mother, who died in 2007 at age 102, was gone before the breakup/blowup occurred in Tiger’s life. Mother knew nothing about golf, but she loved watching it on TV and Woods was one of her chief golfing heroes.

“He’s such a good player,” she said more than once, “and so well-spoken and polite when he’s interviewed.”

Indeed he was. But the grand story crashed and burned in 2009 when Tiger’s extra-marital activities came to light and Elin divorced him the following year. His story ever since has been about more than his superior golf game, just as Bill Clinton’s story, ever since the Monica affair and his impeachment, has been about more than the U. S. presidency. It’s difficult to mention one without at least thinking of the other.

An Associated Press story in two northwest Connecticut’s morning papers Tuesday made no mention of the Woods dust-

up with ex-girlfriend Kristin Smith, which involves an alleged nondisclosure agreement, but describes in positive, expansive detail, the approving cheers and applause directed at Tiger when he appeared in late afternoon to play a practice round.

Because the Masters is in a class by itself among prestigious golf tournaments, and because its

history is so rich in tradition, I’m one who is hoping the most recent Tiger adventure does not interfere with the competition itself. This would be a shattering blow, particularly if the favorite plays with the old skill and tenacity that he has shown in his previous tournaments this year.

I’m an old golf writer who has been there for 10 of these grand events. When the Masters is being played, I smell azaleas and dogwood on the 13th hole and hear the cardinals

whistling on No. 11. I like everything about it, including the officials in their green jackets (not to be confused with the winners’ green jackets), the caddies in their special coveralls and the beautiful women. (I overheard a veteran golf writer who had covered about 30 Masters, say, “At no tournament in the world are there as many beautiful women in the galleries as there are at Augusta.” How true.)

I watched Nicklaus win in 1986 when he was 46

years old and thought to be too old to accomplish such a feat. When the overwhelmingly popular victory was won, a man in the press room turned to a friend and said, “a great golfer? Of course. And he’s such a decent man.”

I want only to watch a competitive tournament this week, not a tournament corrupted by the intrusion of discussions about its biggest star’s dalliances or “girlfriend problems.” Is that too much to ask? I hope not.