LOS ANGELES (AP) – Tiger Woods skipped his hometown tournament for the first time in 2002 to recover from remnants of a virus. That prompted a Los Angeles Times columnist to ask an annoying question to players at Riviera.
Why would anyone come out to watch if Tiger isn’t playing?
Among the victims that day were defending champion Robert Allenby (“Then don’t come – go home”) and two-time Riviera champion Fred Couples (“That’s crazy. That’s the most ridiculous question I have ever heard”).
The irritation was understandable.
Fifteen years ago, Woods was golf. A year earlier, he had become the first player to sweep the four majors, starting with a 15-shot victory in the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. Months later, he would win the first two legs of the Grand Slam. It seemed all anyone cared about was Tiger Woods.