Over the last two days, Tiger Woods has been the talk of CBS’ coverage at the Match Play Championship. Today, Jim Nantz talked with PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem.
THIS JUST IN……FROM CBS SPORTSCBS Sports’ Jim Nantz interviewed PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem during the Network’s broadcast of the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship on Sunday, February 21. During the interview, Nantz asked Commissioner Finchem for a reaction to Tiger Woods’ comments on Friday.Nantz: I have to ask you. You were in the room, we saw you on Friday when Tiger held his gathering. What was your reaction to what you saw, what you heard?Commissioner Finchem: I thought it was a very solid first step. And a solid step for him in his process in what he has to deal with. My sense is that people want to see him come back and play. But they want to see him come back when he’s dealt with his personal issues and he brings the right comportment to the game. For him to specifically say, I want to rebuild the trust that I’ve had historically with parents, with kids, and I want to bring and enhance respect to the game when I come back, I think those were very powerful things to focus on. And in doing so, he sort of set the bar for himself. He said judge me by my actions and not by my words. And let’s face it, we’ve watched this guy over the years, when he gets focused on achieving something, he typically gets it done. Clearly, that’s where his head is right now. I saw a real strong determination in his face. He’s our number one player. Obviously we want him back. We want him part of the game. But to see him, as he said, it’s not so much what you achieve but how you can overcome. He’s got a lot to overcome now. But I think he has the bit in his mouth to do it. And I certainly wouldn’t bet against him.
And yesterday, Jim Nantz and Nick Faldo discussed the Tiger Woods apology.
CBS Sports’ Jim Nantz and Nick Faldo on Tiger Woods during the Network’s coverage of the World Golf Championships: Accenture Match Play Championship on Saturday, February 20.JIM NANTZ: It is interesting Nick because everyone has to have an opinion on it and judge the way they look at it whether it was heartfelt or not. I do believe it was a bit scripted and robotic at times. But clearly remorseful, in just about every single category right down the line.NICK FALDO: I can’t imagine Tiger ever thought in his career he was going to have to stand up to the world and be humiliated and have to apologize.NANTZ: I really thought that going into it there was a chance he would add some insight on when he’s coming back…I don’t think even now he even knows. I felt all along that Augusta would be in the cards. Now I don’t see anything imminent as far as his return.FALDO: I agree with you. I already thought Augusta made sense. You can go there, the privacy the week before to prepare yourself. You have the patrons I am sure that would look after him. He would feel a little more secure because he is stepping into a new environment. An environment where he has no idea how the public are going to receive him.FALDO: For me if you want to get back to the fairway and be a part of the family, it could be done. Personally I think he can jump on his private plane, get back out here and maybe it wouldn’t do him too much harm to come back out on tour and show everybody he’s human. Come and play, take what he gets. If he plays badly, he plays badly. He has to start all over again. But I can also understand with Tiger…his whole career he only wants to come to the golf course when he is 100% ready because all he wants to do is win.Is he going to be capable of being this new Tiger? Tiger Woods the golfer when he plays again will he be motoring around the golf course with the same kind of vibe and attitude that he had before?FALDO: I can’t imagine that would happen. To go to the golf course you have to have pretty good self-esteem. When you are standing there basically the world is looking at you. And it really was with Tiger. What he’s done off the golf course he can never erase that, that is with him for the rest of his life. So how he rebuilds everything and comes back out as a golfer he almost has to become a saint.
That’s it for now.
