Tiger Woods is now one of the most respected and beloved players in golf.
Now that the greatest golfer of all time is in the twilight of his career, fans long for his return after Woods announced he underwent yet another back surgery in October. Woods’ 2019 Masters win made him one of the most universally adored victors of all time among fans and players.
Woods is popular among his fellow competitors and is readily available to give advice to the likes of Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler. The generation he inspired hangs on his every word as he passes down a wealth of knowledge to the current greats of the game.
But that wasn’t always the case for the 15-time major winner. Woods was a fierce competitor, and in his prime, looked to crush his competition, not coach them. That’s why many speculate Woods had a poor Ryder Cup record.
Sergio Garcia and Woods had a long history of animosity, which started at the 2013 Players Championship. That led Garcia to explain why he thought Woods wasn’t well-liked on the PGA Tour.
Why Sergio Garcia said Tiger Woods was ‘not the most popular guy’ on the PGA Tour
At the 2013 Players, Garcia claimed that Woods distracted him during a shot on the second hole. As the Spaniard stood over his shot, Woods pulled a 5-wood from his bag, drawing cheers from the spectators.
Garcia, who was standing around 50 yards away, missed his shot right, and while he wasn’t in his backswing when Woods pulled the club, he was over the ball and the commotion likely affected him.
In fairness to Woods, he couldn’t see Garcia from where he was standing, and he couldn’t expect fans to cheer just because he took a club from his bag. That didn’t stop a series of jabs between the pair, which led to Garcia saying Woods wasn’t popular on the PGA Tour.
Garcia, speaking at Wentworth later in the year, said, “He called me a whiner. That’s probably right. It’s also probably the first thing he’s told you guys that’s true in 15 years. I know what he is like. You guys are finding out… he is not the most popular guy on tour”.
Woods went on to win the 2013 Players, which couldn’t have helped Garcia’s mood.
Later, speaking on a Question of Sport quiz show, Garcia further ripped into Woods. He said, “He doesn’t make a difference to my life, and I know I don’t make a difference to his life. This is not just one thing. This has been going on for a long time.
“The problem is I’m one of the guys that has to say something. A lot of people think about it but don’t want to say anything. He can and will beat me a lot of times but he is not going to step on me. I’m not afraid of him.”
Woods was known for playing mind games with his opponents, but the event that sparked this feud wasn’t an example of that. But it wasn’t the first time that the spotlight focused on Woods affected one of his competitors.
PGA Tour players admitted Tiger Woods’ attention was difficult to ignore
The surge of fan support and media attention that followed Woods around was a distraction for other players. Woods’ spotlight was often too bright for his Ryder Cup partners, and players he was grouped with during competitions.
Geoff Ogilvy weighed in on the effect Woods’ presence could have on competitors when he was set to make his highly anticipated return to the sport in 2010.
He said, “That first week he comes back, it’s going to be a circus. It will be hard if you have to play with him that week, for sure.”
McIlroy, speaking in 2018, said that the attention must be tiring for Woods himself. The Northern Irishman explained why he thought Woods gave up two shots a tournament to the field because of the fans.
He said, “I swear, playing in front of all that, he gives up half a shot a day on the field. It’s two shots a tournament he has to give to the field because of all that goes on around (him).
“So whether that calms down the more he plays and it doesn’t become such a novelty that he’s back out playing again because it’s – it’s tiring. I need a couple Advil just to – I’ve got a headache after all that.
“Whoever’s teeing off at 8:30 in the morning doesn’t get that and can just go about his business and just do his thing. That’s tough. He has to deal with that every single time he goes out to play.”
Not everyone is built for the spotlight, and it’s a testament to Woods’ greatness that he was able to harness it over the course of his career.
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