Capelle On Golf

In the pre scandal days, golf was Woods’ top priority.

Sure, he was dedicated to his kids, but he could fix his schedule anyway he wanted to, not having to worry about things like visitation rights. Now he must miss tournaments, as he has said, because of family responsibilities. While it is great that he is a doting parent, his court ordered scheduling has had an impact on his comeback.

Pre-scandal Woods could play anywhere he wanted because the PGA Tour would always give him a pass to play overseas, enabling him to pick up huge appearance fees. Since he was making over a hundred million a year and had not yet seen his net worth depleted by a huge settlement, money was not quite the issue that it apparently has become. As a result, in the old days Woods played at his beloved Torrey Pines every year from 1998-2008 (winning six times), then missed a couple of years because of injury before returning to Torrey last year.

Wood’s goal in the early season of 2012 should be to rebuild his confidence, get a W as soon as possible and, most importantly, to prepare for Augusta.  Winning majors is, or at least we think it is, still his top golfing priority. So, towards that end, he should play at Torrey. The trouble is that he wants that huge appearance fee from the folks at the Abu Dhabi, and he feels he must kiss some corporate butts for his foundation. While that is all well and good, he should be arranging his schedule so that he has the best chance to resume his quest to win majors and become the Best Ever.

So, going forward, when Woods needs everything going for him to reestablish his career momentum, he must adjust his schedule to be with his children, and he also seems preoccupied with rebuilding his image, his brand, his bank account, and his portfolio of sponsors.

Life has gotten more complicated for Woods, and this could cost him his shot at the Best Ever. Given the way Woods has handicapped himself, if he can pull this off, it would nothing short of a miracle!