by Chicago Polexican

Created on: December 19, 2008

Throughout sports history, regardless of genre, a few special individuals become the stars and namesakes of the sport because of an incredible talent or skill that raise the particular athlete above all peers. In basketball, fans across the world were able to watch the greatness of names like Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain, and Bill Russell. Baseball helped make the names of Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Nolan Ryan, and Alex Rodriguez household names in hundreds of countries. Even American football, which has now become the most popular sport in the United States, remembers names like Joe Montana, Jim Brown, Walter Payton, and Tom Brady.

However, just as these aforementioned sports continued to grow in popularity almost exponentially, the sport of golf seemed to always remain the "rich man's game" and out of the spotlight. Sure, there were names like Nicklaus, Palmer, Player, and Hogan; however these men were simply names that a few dedicated fans to the sport knew about... and talked about. Golf was always the boring program on TV over the weekend on either ABC, NBC, or CBS that most people would just pass over when flipping through channels, not thinking twice about watching Nick Faldo sink a putt to win the British Open or Tom Watson chip in from just off the fringe to seal a Major championship.

Then, in a flash of red shirts, black slacks, and exaggerated fist pumps, Tiger Woods drops into the scene and throws a wrench into the modern sporting era. Television viewers across the country became witness to a 20-something phenom during the 1997 Masters tournament that would change the face of an entire sport permanently.

The PGA Tour quickly becomes as noticable and talked about as the NFL or NBA, and equally as marketable by advertising firms worldwide. Television stations begin fighting behing-the-scenes bidding wars just for the chance at possibly capturing the next tournament victory of this man named "Tiger", which would undoubtedly recieve network ratings many times only rivaled by the Super Bowl. PGA Touring professionals and amateurs alike begin to work harder on his or her game, many times attempting to mimic the very swing that this new American sport icon uses to smash drives over 300 yards or stick wedge shots to within inches of the cup. Not a single driving range at a public course in the world can escape the gauntlet of Nike-logos draped across equipment, wardrobe, or dreams marching towards them. Children begin to swing Dad's old persimmon golf clubs around the back yard because they talked about this new icon only hours before with friends at school.

Is the PGA Tour more competitive when Tiger Woods is not playing golf? Possibly. Names like Kim, Scott, Harrington, and Mickelson may finally have the spotlight for awhile in order to show their talents.

But is the PGA Tour more exciting without Tiger Woods? Watching a replay of his biride putt on the 72nd hole at Torrey Pines this year may hold the answer to that question.

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