http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/news/story?id=3313069

Tiger Woods is growing more frustrated with photographers snapping pictures of him during his swing.

In an interview on ESPN's First Take on Wednesday. Woods addressed an incident at last week's WGC-CA Championship at Doral, Fla., when he reacted to the click of a camera in his backswing with an obscenity-laced threat.

Woods' intense competitive streak is well-known, and he's also been known to curse when his results don't meet his high expectations. But on Sunday, in a threat punctuated with profanity, he threatened bodily harm to the next photographer who snaps during his swing.

"It's been frustrating because that's what been happening lately," Woods told ESPN's First Take. "It's one of the things that comes with playing in the last group, one of the distractions we have to deal with."

What's more, Woods said, the distractions have affected his play.

"Each time it's happened, well three out of four times, I made bogey," Woods said. "At the time I needed to make birdie, I flinched on it. [The photographer] got me in transition on my downswing.

"You have no idea what's been said on the golf course all the time, in any sport really," Woods added. "It was the heat of the moment. That one shot took the momentum that I had built on No. 8."

for all the stories we've heard/read about how Earl used to distract him during his swing while teaching him the game, it kind of surprises me to hear him say that those distractions contributed to him making bogey.

 

 

---

dan

LIVESTRONG

osubass1:

for all the stories we've heard/read about how Earl used to distract him during his swing while teaching him the game, it kind of surprises me to hear him say that those distractions contributed to him making bogey.

Maybe that is his weakness.  So now that his competitors know, they can all put a "camera switch" sound device in their pockets and use it in a pinch.

Just call me Dirty Tricks in Ohio 

---

Ms. M.
Always Ready For Golf!!!

Oh Ms M that would be down right evil!!

My wife and I were talking about this just last night, and we both agreed that of all the people to be distracted and "go off" from a camera 'click', you wouldn't think it would be the most photographed and focused golfer in the world.... Or maybe it works the other way around...

  I mean everytime he tee's it up there are hundreds, sometimes thousands of people standing around trying to be totally quiet! Every once in a while there is going to be a sound, a sneeze, a bird, etc.

  He's only human and they should cut him some slack, i've seen much worse. And like Tiger said, "You don't hear everything that is said out there".

 

Oh wow, "Tiger Woods dropped the F-bomb" the headline that's been splattered all over the internet and newspapers.  C'mon other athletes have done worse.  The only reason this is big news is because it is about tiger woods.  The media can't find anything to scrutinize him with so they find this tiniest flaw of him cursing about a stupid photographer. 

I know that tiger is especially annoyed with cameras.Even though he has a good swing and great concentration,any big distraction will usually stop him in his swing,but when photographers try to get the perfect pic of tiger,they do it when he's on the downswing,thus the clicks knock out his concentration and he makes mistakes,like the '06 Open Championship (British),where the only bogey he made came when in the middle of a shot a member of the gallery with a camera phone took a pic of him,causing him to exclaim "Enough with the camera phones!" (or something like that). Since the paparazzi cant get it through their thick skulls that he doesnt want people taking a pic of his swing in the middle of his downswing,this will never end unfortunately.

I can understand Tiger being upset. The photographers have rules to go by as well as the gallery. So they should be escorted from the tournament then maybe they would play by the rules. Why do you think they ask for silence when the players get ready to tee off.It is so sad that some people think rules does not apply to them

Skipper 

---

TGIF: TIGER GOLF IS FUN

 Tiger, you are the #1 player in the world and one of the most recognized player in any sport. I understand that you get frustrated regarding all the press and coverage you receive but a little reality check here, it comes with the territory. To blame a photographer's clicking camera for your bad shot is just not accurate nor does it excuse the poor display of sportsmanship with the attitude and the language. Do you think other top athlete's in other sports do not deal with the same issues? This is not the first time you have displayed this attitude and language on the course and frankly I do not think your playing partners nor the fans ( and the young kids) that pay to watch you play care to see you act like a spoiled brat fouled mouth child on the course. You always refer to your level of concentration that you have and how you can block everything out to focus on your incredible talent, so why doesn't it work with a clicking camera?  You are better than this and you OWE it to the game, to your fellow players and to your fans ( especially the kids) to act like the #1 player in the world and knock off these foul mouthed temper tantrums, especially the threat to break someone's camera. Please grow up and stop blaming other distractions on you hitting a bad shot.

Erm I would argue that other top althetes in other sports don't deal with the same issues, I think this through playing a variety of other sports and watching many sports. If I played a game of football [soccer] and had to take a penalty and someone took a photo as I was about to kick it or shouted it would have very little effect and in fact things like that happen regularly throughout most games, if the same happened in my golf swing it would have a great impact as we all know. I think there are very few other sports with the same amount of concentration that need to be dedicated to every single shot, I personally have no problem with what Tiger said and its once again just a slim opportunity for people that dislike Tiger to have a rant of their own on how he should live his life and how he is so awful.

---

Dan

Fuc$ that

personally i don't have a problem with the way Tiger reacted in that situation, but i do wonder how many people on this site would defend those type of actions had another player done the same, mickelson, garcia, sabbatini etc....

I wouldn't defend any of the players, but similarly I wouldn't criticize them because I don't have a problem with it. The truth is many of those players do act in similar ways and they don't get any of the heat that Tiger gets.

---

Dan

twitb71:

http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/news/story?id=3313069

Tiger Woods is growing more frustrated with photographers snapping pictures of him during his swing.

In an interview on ESPN's First Take on Wednesday. Woods addressed an incident at last week's WGC-CA Championship at Doral, Fla., when he reacted to the click of a camera in his backswing with an obscenity-laced threat.

Woods' intense competitive streak is well-known, and he's also been known to curse when his results don't meet his high expectations. But on Sunday, in a threat punctuated with profanity, he threatened bodily harm to the next photographer who snaps during his swing.

"It's been frustrating because that's what been happening lately," Woods told ESPN's First Take. "It's one of the things that comes with playing in the last group, one of the distractions we have to deal with."

What's more, Woods said, the distractions have affected his play.

"Each time it's happened, well three out of four times, I made bogey," Woods said. "At the time I needed to make birdie, I flinched on it. [The photographer] got me in transition on my downswing.

"You have no idea what's been said on the golf course all the time, in any sport really," Woods added. "It was the heat of the moment. That one shot took the momentum that I had built on No. 8."

Ohh "Men Behaving Badly" in public again... What are we gonna do? I can only imagine  what; The Babe, Wayne Gretszky sp? the LPGA and all of those angelic politicians must think.  In my experience, I've noticed women and children (and clergy) judge a  good "Man" basically by two (2) gauges: 1. Is he a provider?  2. Is he a protector? 

They know our hearts...and they know the best of us [men] are azzholes, from time to time... do they still love us...if so, who does that leave to be doing all of this sweating the small stuff?

---

... he thinks in secrete and it comes to past, environment is but his looking glass -
"As A Man Thinketh"

osubass1:

for all the stories we've heard/read about how Earl used to distract him during his swing while teaching him the game, it kind of surprises me to hear him say that those distractions contributed to him making bogey.

I have to agree and have said this for a long time.  How is a camera shutter worse than some jingling change in their pocket (a la Earl training Tiger to focus)?  Is he the only guy that a camera man takes a picture of while he's swinging?  I highly doubt that (even if he is photographed way more than any other Tour professional.) 

I don't really care that he swears, but I think it does get a little ridiculous at times.  I mean, if Rory went off like that and swore at some dude with a camera, he'd be strung up from the tallest pole (after he was taken down from the one he was already run up).  But Eldrick does it, it is the camera man/woman's fault for being unprofessional.

---

imo, a good article on the subject...

http://www.golfdigest.com/golfworld/columnists/2008/04/gw20080404moriartyview