Great moments in golf history: Tiger says “fuck” then wins Bay Hill

Golf is a four-letter word.  So is fuck.  When I’m on the golf course, those four-letter words go hand in hand as often as “Jack,” “Coke” and “FORE!”  It’s the nature of the beast.  This weekend, Tiger Woods showed us again why no one, not even the world’s greatest golfer, is immune to a little hissy fit.

After inclement weather pushed Sunday’s final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational (the tournament formerly known as Bay Hill) to Monday, Tiger held a comfortable lead most of us knew he would not relinquish, not even with tee shots like the one he hit on the eighth hole.

Up four strokes, Tiger’s tee shot landed right behind a tree, giving him no clear look at the green.  Tiger recognized this as soon as he approached his ball and let out a short but rather effective “Fuck!” for all to hear.  Again, it’s happened to the best, and worst, of us.

The only problem is, when we hit a ball into the woods and ultimately drop an F-bomb, there aren’t millions of people watching.  Listen to the clip below as the announcers disapprove of Tiger’s potty mouth.

Get ‘em, boys, as if Tiger gives a flying “fuck” what you have to say about him and his choice of words.

I can’t imagine what those announcers would say if they ever heard me play eighteen.  My rounds make a Quentin Tarantino film look like Sesame Street.

I’m pretty lenient when it comes to foul language on the course.  I adhere to the George Carlin school of thought, that there is no such thing as bad words, only bad intentions.

So what are we to make of Tiger’s tantrums?  Are they inappropriate, a sign of immaturity, crassness, a little too McEnroe-y for his own good or are they just a sign of a man showing emotion in a very difficult sport?  Should Tiger tone it down or should we all lighten up?

And for the record, where is the PGA Tour during all of this?  Why can’t they fine golfers (yes, even Tiger) for the use of profanity on the golf course when there are fans, particularly kids, in listening distance?  There’s already a dress code, so why not a curse code?  Not that $25,000 means that much to Tiger but there’s nothing wrong with cleaning up the sport with a healthy fine and a large bar of soap, if they were so inclined.

Personally, I’m not offended by profanity, as long as it’s used emphatically and not egregiously.   Like fighting in hockey or posterizing dunks in hoops, I think it adds to the appeal of the sport.  Plus, it’s real.  That’s what made the film Happy Gilmore so ironic.  Sandler’s character was the antithesis of what we expect to see on a golf course.

But I’m also not a parent trying to shield his kids from the profanity of others.

I’m pretty sure most eight year olds have heard a bad word uttered somewhere along the way.  As long as parents are educated, caring and not stuffy enough to explain he didn’t mean anything by it, I’m sure Tiger’s tirades won’t scar a child for life.

Or just have your kid pick up a golf club.  In no time at all, he’ll understand why cursing is, and always will be, an inherent part of the sport.

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46 Replies to “Great moments in golf history: Tiger says “fuck” then wins Bay Hill”

  1. Pingback: Great moments in golf history: Tiger says “fuck” then wins Bay Hill - BallHyped Blog Network, Golf | BallHyped Sports Blogs

  2. Just wait till the Masters when the Elin Nordegren curse kicks in! ESPN and CBS better shut off their mikes when around Tiger cuzz its gonna hit the fan!

  3. It all comes down to that stupid American puritan ethics regarding sex. If this was TV coverage in Europe, the announcers wouldn’t have even noticed Tiger’s choice of words, let alone comment on it. Besides, its only words. Its not like he was actually using it as a verb with Lindsey Vonn on the 18th hole. Americans need to get into the 21st Century. As George Carlin was fond of saying, “Why is it,I can say ‘I pricked my finger but I can’t say I fingered my prick?'” As a culture, we Americans are the most uptight, anal retentive assholes on the planet. We’re not respected around the world for good reason. We’re assholes, bullies and hypocrites. Thanks for letting me vent. Now on to a topic we can all enjoy: Florida Gulf Coast’s Andy Enfield is not only the hottest basketball coach in the country but he has the hottest wife too. Super model Amanda Marcum. Check her out: http://www.wallpaperhub.net/zoom/Amanda-Marcum/7181/

  4. He he…

    You said anal.

    Shit, Snake. In Europe, they have nudity on television and all we do is hint about it. We blame childhood violence on heavy metal and video games rather than bad parenting.

    Let me as you this. Has there been a high-profile European athlete to come out of the closet?

  5. Said it?…Hell, he lives it.
    His affinity for it is why Elin’s bank account is bigger than Tigers list of conquests.

    BFD in my estimation. The dude is human. He let his frustration show and there happened to be cameras rolling. Fuck happens.

  6. i remember a few years back the pga asked tiger to tone down on the language
    his response was simple…
    “you don’t want to hear me curse, then take the mikes off of me”
    and that was the last we heard of that

    agree with bleedprpl&gold, the dude is human
    in fact, he’s even more — he’s us…
    we just have that talent baggage holding us back

  7. It’s amazing what we pay attention to and criticize in an effort to tear people down. It certainly is the price you pay for being in the spotlight 24/7, but I would offer that if the media wants to circle that child and reference what he heard, then I would extend that conversation to parenting and suggest mommy and daddy have a conversation explaining that some folk are passionate about what they do and have high expectations. When things don’t go their way they sometimes express emotions. It’s not always the best, and because it’s directed at themselves and not anyone else, it’s not harmful. It isn’t always appropriate, but it does happen.
    Get off Tiger, let me see if there was an announcer that during their heyday, didn’t do something similar if not exact. We just have more coverage now…because of Tiger. Folk need to stop hatin’

  8. I…

    I think at this point, we ALL recognize that the Tour needs Tiger more than Tiger needs the tour.

    I looked up to see if the PGA had fined him for kicking his club at last year’s Masters and could not verify that they had, which means they hadn’t.

    It’s golf, man.

    FYI… I played yesterday and intended to keep track of how many times I cursed but my abacus ran out of batteries.

  9. Well, I don’t personally care what language anybody uses on the course…I myself dropped some F-bombs just this past Friday on the links. Like you said though, we are not on TV in front of millions and Tiger should know better.

    On a different note…is Gmony the same Air G from back in the day in Gainesville…same Air G from UC Irvine Anteater lore?

  10. D…

    That is the one and the same G Mony, he can’t get rid of me that easy, although I’m not too sure how much air he’s got under those hi-tops nowadays.

    Not that any of us do anymore either.

  11. Ya know, Snake.

    As much as I love the Mike Singletary rants and Denny Green rants and Jim Mora’s “playoff” bits that will live on in eternity, it’s hard for any of them to top Elia.

  12. I think that is the first time I’ve ever agreed with Johnny Miller (someone that should be muted 100% of the time).

    Having said that, I’ve dropped bombs in the middle of golf tournaments and can’t say that I wouldn’t do it in on the PGA Tour. Because the real question is that when someone is that focused on taking care of the business at hand is the rest of the world even in their purview?

    Most likely not.

    The points you make are good ones Chris and I’ll add one more…if Tiger wasn’t such a polarizing figure would it even matter?

    If Fred Couples dropped the F-bomb in a tournament (which I’m pretty sure he has) wouldn’t the media and people just say; “Oh Freddy was just really mad,” and give him a pass.

    Also the hardest element in the use of profanity on tour is the concept of the gentleman’s game and that no one ever associates Nicklaus, Palmer, or Player with F-bombs.

    Personally, I really don’t care whether Tiger drops the bombs or not. Obviously he’s not keeping this “classy” but then again do you need classic to win a tournament? John Daly would say no.

  13. Can s omeone explain to me what the hell is happening now in the tournament ? Syracuse downs the Hoosiers and the Canes get their rear ends handed to them by Marquette ? C’mon now , let’s get it together guys . Upset alert , Gators ?

    Tophatal …………

  14. Chris

    Your thoughts on this story involving the Longhorns’ former standout qb Major Appelwhite ? Kind of a ” double standard ” , don’t you think ?

    n December, Bev Kearney, the highly successful women’s track and field coach at the University of Texas, was looking forward to a new contract from the university with a substantial raise. In early January she resigned to avoid being fired for having a consensual relationship with a woman on her team in 2002. It is unclear who brought the relationship to the attention of the university, but Kearney acknowledged that she did have a relationship with a student-athlete.

    Anyone familiar with athletics knows that some coaches do have sexual relationships with their athletes. It happens at all levels – youth sports, high school, college and professional. At the youth and high school levels, it is a criminal offense. At the college or professional levels, it may not be a criminal offense, but it is a breach of coaching ethics and an abuse of power by the coach, even when the relationship is consensual.

    I believe that coaches who engage in sexual relationships with athletes on their teams should be fired. I draw a hard line on this issue. It doesn’t matter what the gender or sexual orientation of the coach is, it’s wrong and should not be tolerated.

    What complicates Bev Kearney’s situation is that, in the wake of her resignation, the University of Texas has now publicly acknowledged that an assistant football coach who had a sex with a female student team manager was treated quite differently.

    Major Applewhite, a former quarterback for UT and now an assistant football coach admitted to having sex with the student during the Fiesta Bowl in 2009. In addition to keeping his breach out of the media, Applewhite, who was married at the time, was disciplined, had his salary frozen for eleven months and received counseling, but retained his job. The incident was minimized as a “one night stand.”

    Though the ethics and/or criminality of sex between coaches and athletes should apply equally to all coaches – male or female, gay or straight – often the reactions and punishments assigned to the coaches do not. The University of Texas’s differential responses to Applewhite and Kearney highlight the problem.

    Applewhite, a white, married heterosexual man coaching football was protected from public embarrassment. His breach of ethics was minimized as a one time lapse of judgement punished lightly and he continues to be employed in good standing by the university.

    Kearney, an African-American lesbian track and field coach, was immediately offered the choice of resigning or being fired for her breach of ethics eleven years ago. She is no longer employed by the University of Texas. Over. Done.

    Even given the differences in the specifics of each situation, UT’s wildly different responses to the two coaches’ ethical breaches is apparent.

    Kearney has filed a lawsuit against the University charging race and gender discrimination based on the different sanctions meted out to Kearney and Applegate (I suspect Kearney might have also included discrimination based on sexual orientation too, but Texas has no laws protecting against this kind of discrimination).

    The UT board of regents met earlier this month to discuss personnel matters “regarding legal issues concerning individual athletic personnel and legal issues related to inappropriate relations between employees and students.” I bet they are talking about Kearney’s lawsuit too.

    Bev Kearney, Major Applewhite Treated Very Differently Despite Both Having Sex with Students

    =================================

    Click on link to read in full

    ==================================

    Sheer and utter bull#hit, the response from AD DeLoss Dodds and the Longhorns’ Board of Regents . Bev Kearney is within her rights to sue for wrongful dismissal .

    What’s allegedly the difference between Kearney’s actions and that of Applewhite’s ? Kearney was divorced at the time of relationship with a student , whereas , Applewhite was married , and his wife was pregnant with their child . WTF !

    Tophatal …………………

  15. Chris

    You’re missing out , give a Jerry Jones a call , I hear he’s hiring . It seems he’s also getting dumber by the second .

    Romo has just inked a seven year deal ($119 but can top out to $130 million with additional incentives ) that will pay him more guaranteed money than Joe Flacco .

    Tophatal ……..

  16. Al…

    Bulls took down the Heat without Rose AND Noah and for the first time this year, the Heat’s rebounding woes became evident. Looks like Bron Bron really didn’t want to lose that game but alas, all he can hope for this year is another championship and not breaking the all-time win streak.

    You still think they’ll take it, don’t you?

    And yes, the Gators took down Gulf Coast. We’ll see where they stand in a few hours against the Wolverines.

  17. Jed….

    I’m pretty sure Palmer, Nicklaus and Gary Player have all had their moments. It’s just that we didn’t have the cameras or technology for millions to hear.

    You raise a good point. What if Mickelson let out a nice juicy F-bomb on live television.

    Yeah, like that’d ever happen.

  18. Al…

    The ‘Cuse took care of the Hoosiers and is now sitting comfortably in the Final Four. We both know that team should not have been a four seed.

    In regards to the two Texas coaches, both were wrong and should be penalized the same exact way, however, we’ve already seen the US Supreme Court waffle on same sex marriage so it shouldn’t surprise us that other institutions have viewed such instances differently.

    And Romo got his but that’s just the going rate for quarterbacks these days.

  19. Those were some pretty impressive games that we saw concerning Florida and Syracuse . Now comes the tough part of the tournament altogether .

    That is simply sheer and utter bullshit concerning what’s taken on place on the Longhorns’ campus with Bev Kearney and Major Applewhite . The response from the Board of Regents and AD DeLoss Dodds is the sort of idiocy we should now come to expect . Sexual assaults are on the rise of campuses across the country and we have seen it locally with regard to UCF , the University of Tampa and USF . And look at the incompetency there and how they deal with that specific issue .

    Granted , this was said to be about consenting adults and yes both Kearney and Major Applewhite were wrong . But that doesn’t explain Bev Kearney’s firing and Applewhite’s promotion . This comes down sexism and quite possibly racism . The fact that Bev Kearney initially sought to fight the actions of the university before the firing . If Kearney were a Caucasian female track coach , do you honestly believe she’d have been fired from her position even with the success of having guided the school’s track team to 6 NCAA national titles ?

    If interested ?

    Hell , you know me ! There comes a time when you have to say enough is enough!

    Batman and Robin move over , there are a new pair of caped crime fighters in town , namely The King and D-Wade

    Tophatal ………..

  20. We knew they would be, Al.

    Syracuse-Indiana? Duke-Michigan State? Some classic match-ups, not to mention today’s action.

    I’ve been busy breaking down Michigan game film over the past few days. Contain that backcourt and we should be fine. That’s easier said than done, however.

  21. Chris ,

    Stop talking about breaking , please . Kevin Ware’s leg breaking in the game between Louisville and Duke was unbearable to watch . Damn ! I bet people in the arena were sickened to their stomach .

    I’ve seen people shot , I’ve seen people die in vehicular accidents , and I’ve seen death by an incendiary device from my time in the military . Yet , even this incident, had me looking for a slop bucket .

    Dropped this baseball piece . I know you’re behind on your reading , so as and when ready .

    It’s not your grandfather or father’s game of baseball

    So Stern can drop a $250k fine on the Spurs because Pop doesn’t play several of the Spurs’ starters . Yet somehow D-Wade and LBJ can claim suddenly they have injuries , before the two teams met on Sunday , and nothing is done in terms of a fine ? What sort of bull$hit is that ? David Stern is a goddamn hypocrite !

    Tophatal ……………..

  22. Al…

    That Ware accident has to rank among the most gruesome sports injuries ever. Even Joe Theisman said “Damn, that kid’s leg looks bad.”

    Still though, Louisville pulled out the “W.” I wonder if they’ll use his injury as a rallying cry as they roll through their final two games.

    To your point about Stern, I did notice that Bron Bron and Wade were conspicuously absent from last night’s game. I’m surprised Pop didn’t say anything about it. Or did he and I missed it?

  23. Chris

    My gut , is still turning after the Ware incident . Pop being , ever the professional , may well let GM RC Buford and team owner , Peter Holt deal with the antics and ongoing idiocy of David Stern .

    Is it Longoria’s wish to prove as a kid from Cali, he is in fact , anally retentive ? Why be so critical of Shields and Upton ( BJ) after their departure , when as teammates , they have done far more than he , in order to make contributions to the Rays’ organization ? He may well now be the BMOC (Big Man on Campus) , but Evan Longoria , has yet to show any leadership qualities whatsoever as a player on this team , much less be a vocal leader . The kid remains an immature a$s wipe !

    Tophatal ………..

  24. Al…

    I hear Ware is now going to travel with the team to Atlanta for the games. How insane is that?

    And I didn’t hear what Longo said about both Upton and Shields. What did he say?

    And remember, Longo took less than market value to stay in Tampa Bay. Those other guys did not.

  25. Pingback: Sports Chump » The throwing of the golf club: An exercise in tamed aggression

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