Tiger: The Master Dominator off the course, too

Florida Times-Union sports columnist Gene Frenette offers weekly commentary on various topics and he's in Augusta this week for the Masters. This is his post for Wednesday April 9.


AUGUSTA, Ga. -- If you think of the Masters tournament as golf's version of "American Idol," then Tiger Woods is Kelly Clarkson and every winner after her rolled into one.

As is the case at most major golf venues, there's a Woods addiction and everyone must get their fix, including the media.

When Woods held his pre-tourney news conference Tuesday morning, every seat in the 175-chair press room was filled and there were probably another 30-50 people standing. So all those numbers you hear about how Woods drives up television ratings at tournaments where he's playing, it also extends to his drawing power outside the ropes.

And just as Woods has been on a dominant run since last summer, winning eight of his last 10 tournaments since the PGA Championship, he blows the field away in press conference attendance.

Four hours after Woods' question-and-answer session with the media ended, two-tie U.S. Open champion and two-time Masters runnerup Ernie Els had his scheduled media session in the same room, just 100 feet from where the working press sits each day to write their stories.

Do you know how many showed up to hear Els speak? A grand total of 18, and it was a similar number for Adam Scott, the 2004 Players champion, when he conducted his session. At least the room was about half-full hen two-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson and defending champion Zach Johnson had their media sit-down time.

But it's a testament to Woods' stardom and television's all-Tiger, all-the-time mentality that golf's No. 1 attraction has created such an attention monopoly.

If it's like this at the year's first major, imagine how much it'll ratchet up at the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, the British Open at Royal Birkdale and PGA Championship at Oakland Hills if Woods' quest to win the Grand Slam in one calendar year actually happens.

Woods hasn't backed off his comment earlier this year that winning all four majors in 2008 is "easily within reason."

Nothing seems out of bounds when it comes to what Tiger can pull off on a golf course. That's why the attention he receives from fans and media at the Masters is well beyond reason.