Spuzz
Yep. Tiger definitely enjoyed an advantage, and he was quick to take full advantage of it, back in his prime anyway.
He would always putt-out every chance he got, simply because he knew that his playing partners would have to deal with his fan base moving onto the next hole while they were still putting. And, of course, that's completely within the rules in stroke play. But still... he saw an advantage there in that aspect and took full advantage of it quite often.
That's one of the things I like most about the Masters. They don't tolerate that kind of BS. No cameras, no cellphones, no heckling. And they don't care who you are, how famous you might be, how much wealth you have. I'm reminded of a story about the late actor Jackie Gleason, from "Honeymooners" fame, who was removed from a Masters Tournament back in the early 1970's. Everywhere Jackie went - he had a crowd around him. And he always enjoyed a few adult beverages or two. So he shows up for one of the tournament rounds at the Masters, and he and his gallery were loud and boisterous. He was warned about his antics and his distractions prior, yet felt that he was above board.
Cliff Roberts came out personally and told him to leave.
If they have the influence to remove celebrities, not to mention certain broadcasters from covering the tournament (Jack Whitaker, back in 1966 when he referred to the group following Nicklaus as a "mob scene", or with Gary McCord back in 1994 when he used the terms "body bags" and "bikini wax" during the same telecast) - they wield all of the power.
Uppity? You bet. Hoity toity, this is how we run it and this is how we expect people to act? Certainly.
But they run the show, arguably the biggest show in all of pro golf each April. I'm reminded of another Clifford Roberts quote, which happened many moons ago when he was still the chairman and involved in the tournament. That particular year, Masters Sunday fell on Easter Sunday. When asked about how his tournament would be competing with the Easter Sunday festivities, Roberts said, "We're not rescheduling our tournament. Find out who is in charge of Easter and have them change their date."
Not that I'm a fan of Clifford Roberts. He was an obstinate son-of-a-bitch to be sure. But the tour today could use someone with an ounce of his hard-headedness as it relates to enforcing the rules. The PGA Tour is so worried about turning people off and losing money that they no longer have a backbone.
