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Tom Watson on warpath over Padraig Harrington and Tiger Woods
Thursday, 4 February 2010
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Just nine words and a shrug of exasperation from golfing legend Tom Watson has served as a timely warning to Padraig Harrington that he's in danger of putting one of the most impeccable reputations in sport at risk.
As the universally popular Irishman agonised over his decision whether or not to put the controversial ‘Ping-Eye 2' wedge in his bag for today's first round of the Northern Trust Open, Watson, 60, offered the most damning indictment yet of those who take advantage of a legal loophole in the new rules governing clubface grooves.
Watson's media briefing in Dubai, where he plays this week's Omega Desert Classic on a sponsor's invite, was exceptional.
In contrast with many of his peers in golf, the eight times Major Champion speaks without fear or favour.
For example, he verbally bludgeoned Tiger Woods for failing “to carry himself (on the golf course) with the same stature as golf's other great players, like Jack (Nicklaus) and Arnold (Palmer), Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson” because of his “language and club-throwing”.
“You can grant (leeway) to a young person that's not been out here for a while but I think he needs to clean up his act there and show respect for the game that the people before him have shown.”
As for Tiger's astonishing extra-curricular activities, Watson said: “He has to take ownership of what he's done. He must get his personal life in order.
“When he comes back, he has to show some humility to the public — if I were him, I'd first do an interview with somebody before going to a tournament. I'd say ‘you know what, I screwed up. And I admit it. And I'm going to try and change. I want my wife and family back. I have to earn her trust back’.
“If he wants that to happen, that's what he's going to have to do,” Watson continued.
“It's going to be interesting to see how he handles his return to public life. I wish him the best. He's messed up. He knows it. The world knows it. You know, he's going to have to take ownership of that.”
As for Harrington, Mickelson and the thorny issue of Tour players using 20 year old Ping-Eye 2 wedges to get around the new rules prohibiting ‘box grooves', Watson, the vanquished hero of the Turnberry Open last July, agreed wholeheartedly with Lee Westwood's assertion it's against ‘the spirit of the game.'
“Exactly,” he said emphatically. “I couldn't put it any better.”
Then, throwing up his arms and eyebrows in unison, Watson cut to the heart of the matter with his next nine words. “Why would they want to do that?” he exclaimed. “Come on!”
After all, Mickelson and Harrington probably are the two best wedge players in golf. “Yep, it doesn't make any sense to me,” he added. “It doesn't make any sense at all.
“I don't think it looks good for
players to use it (the loophole) to be honest with you. I just don't think it's the right thing to do.”
On foot of an out-of court settlement between Ping and the USGA in the early 90s, all ‘Eye 2' clubs manufactured by the company before April 1, 1990 are exempt from any measures taken in the States to limit the depth, shape and sharpness of grooves on club faces.
New measures to limit the depth and sharpness of clubface grooves have been introduced worldwide by the R&A and USGA to reduce the amount of spin (and therefore control) generated when hitting balls out of the rough.
PGA Tour players' committee member Scott McCarron has publicly apologised to Mickelson for his ludicrous suggestion in a newspaper interview that his fellow-Californian was “cheating” when he decided to take two Ping-Eye 2 wedges out of his garage and use them at Torrey Pines last weekend.
Mickelson and, for that matter, Harrington are legally entitled to use the rule-busting clubs. However, the integrity of golf is also at stake.
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Comments
25 Comments
It's surpising that the caption for the article mentions Tiger Woods and Padraig Harrigton and not Phil Mickelson. Is Phil getting another free pass from the media??
Posted by Jim | 06.02.10, 04:14 GMT
I too agree with tom watson. if you are so good with the wedge,why not use the wedges that are now approved . I think phil is a tremendos person along with being in my eyes a very great golfer and i love to watch those flooooooooop shot . take the ping clubs out of your bag phil,please
Posted by michael | 05.02.10, 20:36 GMT
Stupid stupid rule. It should be an all or nothing rule.
Looks like the USGA & R&A didn't fancy a fight in court with Ping and reached this ludicrous compromise.
Does anyone believe that all parts of these clubs are pre-1990? The clubhead maybe but even then how do we know? Never noticed a date of manufacture on my clubheads. Plain DUMB.
I would hate to see Harrington go down this road. Without doubt players who do so will be seen as "cheats" even if the letter of the rule says they are not.
Posted by Dave Hodgins | 05.02.10, 17:06 GMT
I don't understand the argument that using the old Ping wedges is against the spirit of the game. Golf has always been a game with very defined rules. In golf something is either legal or illegal, there is no gray area. I am not a fan of Phil Mickelson, but do agree with his stance regarding the Ping wedges. There have been discusions of "against the spirit of the game" with regard to steel drivers, titanium drivers, etc. In golf either something is legal or illegal, there is no gray area.
Posted by Pat McClain | 05.02.10, 16:37 GMT
Watson Nickolas Palmer Norman are gentlemen Tiger is not, never has been and never will be.
Posted by Lou Hinton | 05.02.10, 12:52 GMT
While I understand and appreciate that sports personalities do indeed have personalities, I do ask why this gentleman, Mr Watson feels he has the right to lambast Mr Woods. Hasnt this man suffered enough and had his familiy torn apart by his own behaviour? It is something for him and him alone to deal with and sort out. The last thing he needs is for people like Mr Watson to keep dragging his issues out in public, again and again. The modern world, let alone the modern world of sport, does not operated according to the rules of yesteryear, fortunately or unfortunately...Mr Watson is 60 and it shows. Asking Woods to show humility is one thing, but preaching is quite another. Unless, of course, Mr Watson has no issues of his own to address and feels the need to focus on other people's misfortunes. I say, leave Mr Woods alone and let him sort himself out with help from his friends. Mr Watson, I presume, is not one of them.
Posted by John Ablorh | 05.02.10, 08:36 GMT
Publicly 'kicking' Tiger while he is down, most likely working on himself, trying to improve?
Best one can say about Watson is that his timing is wrong and his motivation is suspect.
Posted by jgf | 05.02.10, 08:04 GMT
Phil used the square groove Ping wedge not to gain an unfair advantage, but to show the tour that the decision to change the rules of the game to outlaw square grooves is inappropriate and bad for the game. He viamentally disagrees with this ruling. The only thing this rule will do is put MORE room inbetween the tour A players and the B players. OOH, and cost hundreds of millions of dollars to clubmakers who invest in technologies to make advances like square grooves possible. He used the wedge to protest the rule. It is not in his bag this week, and he made his point.
The wedge was an 'up yours' to the rule, and it brought a lot of light to the subject...afterall we are writing about it.
Posted by dave | 04.02.10, 20:12 GMT
I would agree with Tom Watson if he had commented on all of the drunk, gambling, womanizing players of his era, but he did not and I do not agree with Tom.
Posted by Gdubya | 04.02.10, 19:30 GMT
It is so easy for Tom Watson and others to climb on up on their high and mighty pulpit to take swipes at others. Doesn't he realize that he is lowering the spirit of the game when he does so? He criticizes others and then engages in grandstanding - not particularly the action of a gentleman in a gentleman's sport. Why not just play golf and leave all the noise to the rag magazines. That's what golf really needs.
Posted by Straight Shooter | 04.02.10, 19:07 GMT
Who does Tom Watson think he is to decide how Tiger should make his entrance back to pro golf? Jack Nicklaus said it best... "I wish him the best but it is not my business to comment".....
Posted by Joey Snyder | 04.02.10, 18:39 GMT
Golf already has a governing body, the R&A and the USGA, which is their to make and interpret the rules, so let them deal with the rules and players stick to just playing the game. If a player feels there is an advantage to using the Eye 2 wedges then he should get some. Players take advantage of knowing the rules all the time to improve their lies/position during situations that allow for a drop. How about a player that takes a drop from an immovable object and purposely drops on a sprinkler head to gain more separation from the original obstruction. Why isn't that cheating? It's not cheating because the rules of the game allow it, just like they allow use of the Eye 2 wedges. I suppose if you would like to stand your ground on the "integrity" of the game than perhaps we should all go back to playing with hickory shafts and stop allowing technology to improve our games. Thanks to improvements in technology very few records mean a thing anymore. Where's the integrity in that?
Posted by vtgolfer | 04.02.10, 18:36 GMT
Kudos to Tom Watson who has always been a class act and was once again at last years open. Obviously Tiger Woods screwed up, would you like it if somebody you married did that to you? Obviously what he did was selfish, narcissitic and arrogant. They asked him a couple of questions and he answered them, too few other golfers have been honest about Woods and as for the grooves, Watson is probably correct about that as well. They've eliminated them from the professional game for a reason, don't risk your reputation because of a loophole. Abide by the same rules as everybody else.
Posted by Brian | 04.02.10, 18:15 GMT
Scott McCaron has political aspirations in the golf world so he now seeks media attention by being outspoken on everything these days. Too bad he is not a smarter guy. He does his sport no good seeking publicity by calling great players "cheaters" for using legal clubs. If the PGA wants players to stop using the Eye 2 despite its inablity to change the rules to do so, the PGA should declare its position on that issue in gentlemanly terms and expect compliance rather than let some intemperate bozo
Posted by GBC | 04.02.10, 17:33 GMT
Every player on tour has the right to play the ping wedges. Maybe he's really mad because he can't find a set for himself. It's not cheating until the rule makes those clubs illegal. As for his comments towards Tiger Woods. Who is he to talk about another person's personal life and comment as to how he should handle it. If Tom was in a situation where he needed to work on something in his own personal life i'm sure he wouldn't appreciate some old fart telling him how he should handle his affairs.
Posted by Tim | 04.02.10, 17:07 GMT
Who cares what Watson has to say, he's getting a little goofy!!
If Tiger comes back for the Accenture What do you think the ratings will be??? Off the charts, maybe the highest ever!!!
Posted by Gordo | 04.02.10, 16:53 GMT
Tom Watson is pure class and well respected by all in the game of golf. I wish I could say that about Phil and Tiger. The only ones who should shut up is them. Get on with the game and try to honor it as TW has.
Posted by david S | 04.02.10, 16:08 GMT
Problem is they are legal. They can be used. Doesn't much matter what Watson or McCarron think. Unless the rules change it does not endanger the integrity of the game.
Posted by Beuck | 04.02.10, 16:04 GMT
Watson is not perfect!
Posted by Debbie | 04.02.10, 16:02 GMT
I don't think Watson is correct in giving out harsh critics to other golfers... None of us, including Watson , is a saint... We all make mistakes at times..... Why has he to condemn others publicly ? If Watson is doing it with a good heart hoping to help a friend, he can make a suggestion one-on-one... Making public critics of other golfers is seen as an unprofessional act of going publicity for himself rather than giving constructive help to others.
Posted by wctw | 04.02.10, 15:54 GMT
25 Comments