We began with a question as to why the media only recognize Tiger's behavior on Saturday? I suppose one could consider this as evidence of a conspiracy against Tiger at one extreme. Another way to consider it is that the media gave Tiger some space to get himself under control after such a long layoff. I think the latter is more true, as shown by this example:
In his February public apology, Tiger Woods vowed he would show more respect to the game of golf. No more fist pumping, no more club tossing and no more profanity-laden outbursts after bad shots.
He made it about 42 holes.
During Saturday's third round of The Masters, Woods repeatedly cursed at himself loudly enough for television microphones to pick it up and air it live on CBS. The mini-temper tantrums came during a stretch on the front nine when Woods made three bogeys in four holes.
After a poorly-struck tee shot on the par-3 6th hole, Tiger closed his eyes in disgust and loudly said, "Tiger Woods, you suck." He followed that with a Commandment-breaking expletive and a shake of the head.
Clearly, in February Tiger connected the dots between his ebullient and aggressive behavior on the course and disrespect for the game. Some would argue that cursing doesn't show disrespect in a society that, after all, now includes these words regularly in television programming and daily life.
I have an alternative viewpoint, that I share as one who struggles to contain my own use of such words. I could blame my own use of foul words on (a) being an old Army sergeant, (b) growing up in the hippie era, (c) desiring to be authentic in communicating or whatever. The truth is that I don't use such word in professional contexts because it shows a lack of control and a lack of respect for others and I try very hard to not ever use them.
Sure, some things are hard to break. When I hit my thumb with a hammer, I have great difficulty not channeling my father, who only cursed in such times. But, I am making progress.
Slamming clubs into the ground and cursing is more than just a sign of emotional immaturity. If you examine the psychology literature on the use of foul language and public displays of anger, it is intended more to affect others than oneself.
Having hit a bad shot, I don't doubt that Tiger is angry with himself. But I also recognize that his display is intended to reduce the disadvantage of his bad shot by disrupting the concentration of his playing partners. Given all of his recent psychological counseling, I am quite sure that he realizes this consciously now, if he did not previously.
Take Tiger's uses of the Lord's name in vain. If you're not religious, it's no big deal. Who cares? Well, the many members of Abrahamic religions who believe God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses. They would recognize taking the Lord's name in vain as a most grievous sin with eternal implications for the person who does it.
So what, that's their problem, isn't it? Well, something that they consider to be so offensive would impact on their concentration because it is a deep affront to their sense of religious identity. Even if Tiger does not know the psychological theory behind this, he recognizes that his behavior has an effect on his opponents, which he can observe in small details such as their breathing and pupil size. Anyone who has grown up in Asia can tell you that people can and do monitor such small physiological changes in others to assess their interest and reaction in social interactions.
Take the displays of aggression (e.g., slamming clubs into the ground, into his bag, or throwing them). Again, he may well be angry with himself but he realizes that his behavior affects the composure of his opponents. Responses to aggressive behavior by others, by the way, are pre-cognitive. That is, they are automatic responses in the limbic system that elevate arousal and direct blood, hormones, and other resources to fight or flight. More importantly, they disrupt concentration by directing attention at potentially threatening stimuli.
Tiger also knows that his behavior also has an effect on the crowd, who begin to talk about it--while his opponents are planning and playing their shots. Again, this disrupts their attention. This is especially true when he does one of his fist pumping displays on sinking a putt.
This is why this type of behavior is forbidden in golf. Recognizing that golf is a game of concentration, the R&A discusses this saying, "The overriding principle is that consideration should be shown to others on the course at all times." From the USGA rules on golf etiquette:
Unlike many sports, golf is played, for the most part, without the supervision of a referee or umpire. The game relies on the integrity of the individual to show consideration for other players and to abide by the Rules. All players should conduct themselves in a disciplined manner, demonstrating courtesy and sportsmanship at all times, irrespective of how competitive they may be. This is the spirit of the game of golf....
No Disturbance or Distraction
Players should always show consideration for other players on the course and should not disturb their play by moving, talking or making any unnecessary noise. (
USGA)
I'd love to see a statistical comparison: Performance of Tiger's playing partners on the hole and subsequent hole when Tiger makes one of these displays versus their performance on other holes in the round. The statistic would be performance to the average score on the hole for the day by all players. I choose this comparison because wind conditions and other factors affect the difficulty of holes and Tiger may be more likely to behave like this on more difficult holes, so the analysis would control for that.
And, by the way, Tiger tries to bury it behind acknowledging fans, but he agrees completely with what I say, as evidenced by his pre-Masters presser:
Q. You said in February that when you returned to the game that you wanted to
show more respect for the game; in what way are we going to see sort of differences out there between the ropes and outside the ropes?
TIGER WOODS: Yeah, great question.
I'm actually going to try and obviously not get as hot when I play. But then again, when I'm not as hot, I'm not going to be as exuberant, either. I can't play one without the other, and so I made a conscious decision to try and tone down my negative outbursts and consequently I'm sure my positive outbursts be will calmed down, as well.
Just trying to be more respectful of the game and acknowledge the fans like I did today. That was just an incredible reception today for all 18 holes, and show my appreciation for them. I haven't done that in the past few years, and that was wrong of me. So many kids have looked up to me and so many fans have supported me over the years. Just wanted to say thank you to them, especially going through all of this over the past few months, it really put things in perspective for me and how much I have appreciated or underappreciated the fans in the game of golf.
