Capelle On Golf

Tiger came and he spoke. And he said nothing that could be remotely construed as a defense for the outrageous fees he’ll be receiving for playing later this year in the Australian Masters.

Indeed, if his arguments represented his defense, as several writers implied, then his legal mind is on a par with Charles Barkley’s golf swing.

After tossing the usual softballs at the Bay Hill press conference yesterday, John Bush bravely asked Tiger about his appearance fee at the Australian Masters.

That appearance fee is obviously a controversial topic. I’m curious, can you talk a little bit about that decision to go there? Will you possibly play in the HSBC, as well, and just your thoughts on appearance fees in general?

What a great series of questions. He opened the floor for Tiger to demonstrate his grasp of the issues surrounding his fees. He could have talked about the winners and losers, the economic impact on Australia, the fans and taxpayers feelings about them, why in this capitalistic world they are justified, how playing there has no impact on the number of his starts on the PGA Tour (where he said he’d be “helping Tim”), how perhaps he’ll be donating his fee to his foundation (ha ha), and so on. The door was wide open for Tiger to spin this perceived negative into one big positive. But he’s what we got:

WOODS - Well, this (the PGA Tour) is the only place that doesn’t have appearance fees. Most of the guys get appearance fees to play around the world.

CAPELLE – Tiger is chastising the PGA Tour for preventing the payment of fees. But playing on the PGA Tour in front of millions is what enables Tiger to earn over $100 million in off course income. Besides, he’s done an end around the direct payment of fees for years by playing in events sponsored by Buick, Accenture, AMEX, and others that are paying him millions annually in endorsements.

Appearance fees cheapen any event, so the PGA Tour is to be applauded for attempting to maintain the integrity of their tournaments while those that pay Tiger huge fees are reduced to exhibitions.

Finally, the fees paid to the other players are a small fraction of what Tiger gets, especially those out of the top 10.

WOODS - I’ve played all around the world and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed going. I haven’t played in Australia since The Presidents Cup. I’ve always wanted to get down there and play more in the Aussie Sand Belt because that is my favorite area to play. I’ve always enjoyed it, and I’m really looking forward to getting down there and playing.

CAPELLE – How could it be his favorite area to play when he never goes there? He thoroughly enjoys going to play golf as long as long as he’s paid a king’s ransom. If he enjoyed playing in Australia so much, he would have gone down there over the ensuing decade. Jack Nicklaus certainly did, and without a huge fee, playing in nine Australian Open from 1962-1978. And Nicklaus won six of them, showing that he was there to compete, not to pick up a huge check.

WOODS - Obviously I know there’s some controversy behind it, but I’m really looking forward to getting down there and playing and competing. And as far as HSBC, yeah, I will play the week before.

CAPELLE –The other shoe drops. He’s playing in the HSBC in China as well. Not coincidentally, both events are run by IMG, his management company. His fees for the two week trip have escalated to $6 million. But he wants us to believe that he’s going to for the competition in events that, unlike the majors, mean nothing in the history books.

Well, Tiger can circle the globe non-stop in his private jet scooping up huge appearance money along the way. But in doing so, he’s guaranteed that he’ll never be an international ambassador for golf a la Gary Player because his primary motivation is to grow his pocketbook, not the game.