It is certain to be the most discussed and analyzed marriage in golf history.
The news that Tiger Woods is engaged to Swedish girlfriend Elin Nordegren has the golf world buzzing, and not about appropriate shower gifts. Never mind that many pro golfers go to the altar every year and live to talk about it–at least most do. Heck, Arnold Palmer, a widower, just announced he is getting married again.
As always, Woods is different. For the world’s No. 1 player, considerably more is on the line than whether he can keep his Saturday tee time. Woods now has an added dimension in his bid to become the best player ever.
Simply put: Does taking on a bride equate to more birdies or bogeys? Here’s a sampling of the debate.
Nicklaus’ viewpoint
During the 2003 Masters, the reigning greatest player ever, Jack Nicklaus, talked about how his records could have been greater if he had been like Woods and focused only on his game.
Instead, Nicklaus got married when he was 20 and had three children by the time he reached Woods’ age, 27.
“Do I think I could have been a better player if I had pushed everything else aside and focused on it? Yeah, I probably could have been,” Nicklaus said. “But do I think I would have missed something in life? Probably so. I’m far more happy with my five kids and 16 grandkids than worrying about a golf tournament.
“[Golf] wasn’t the only thing in my life. And I don’t think it will be the only thing in Tiger’s life either.”
Nicklaus’ inference is that the responsibilities of having a wife and presumably a family can throw a player off his swing plane. But that’s only Nicklaus’ viewpoint. Experts agree there’s no definite answer.
Priorities
Nicklaus is right about the time factor. Deborah Graham, a golf psychologist based in San Antonio, says when a player gets married, he often starts to channel his energy into making the relationship work. That involves a time commitment. In some cases, it comes at the expense of working on the course.
“Knowing Tiger, it isn’t as likely to happen to him as it does to other players, but it could,” Graham said. “Tiger always has seemed to be balanced. When he’s practicing, he’s practicing, and when he’s off, he’s off. But he needs to find a way to fit this relationship into it.”
Michael Aisenberg, a golf psychologist in Skokie, noted Woods’ schedule already is packed, given his large commitments to sponsors.
“This is one more ball he has to juggle, and he’s already juggling quite a few,” Aisenberg said.
The fire
Graham and her company, Golfpsych, have done research on how players react after getting married. She has discovered that in many cases, the player loses a bit of his competitive edge.
Graham says players have a tendency to become more “tender-minded.” That’s another way of saying they aren’t as tough.
“Their sensitivity increases,” Graham said. “It makes it more difficult for them to accept bad shots. They tend to get more tender-minded instead of tough-minded.”
And all this time you married people thought your problems stemmed from a poor shoulder turn.
Troubles in a relationship also can affect a player. Fred Couples went through a well-publicized divorce, and marital problems became tabloid fodder in England for Nick Faldo and Colin Montgomerie. And marriage hasn’t been a windfall for John Daly, who wrote a song titled “All My Exes Wear Rolexes.”
But there’s the other side too. Aisenberg believes a successful marriage can help lift Woods to new levels.
“What is helpful emotionally off the course could be helpful to him on the course,” Aisenberg said. “If he’s happy, he’s relaxing. It’s a soothing experience. He could win twice as many tournaments.”
The unknown
Nobody knows for sure how Woods will react to marriage because nobody outside his inner circle truly knows Woods. He guards his privacy fiercely, and despite the media crunch, he has been incredibly successful doing so. CBS golf commentator David Feherty says Woods lives the life of “Batman.”
“He lives in a cave, only coming out to play,” Feherty said. “You never see him in the tabloids. You never see a picture of him with his shirt off. We don’t know anything about him. For all we know, he could be a short, fat, bald white guy.”
As for possible distractions, Feherty isn’t buying it.
“[Nordegren] is so striking, she’s going to be a distraction to the other people,” Feherty said. “But Tiger’s used to it.”
Woods’ viewpoint
Woods’ first comments on his upcoming marriage probably will come next week during his tournament, Target World Challenge, in California. However, he did talk about the subject earlier this year. Perhaps looking ahead, he discussed how marriage could affect a player’s game.
“Some guys get married, they start families, and that becomes the most important thing in their life for a little bit,” Woods said. “Then they get back to golf and refocus again. For those guys, it ebbs and flows. But I’ve stayed dedicated to the game. I know things change in everyone’s life, and I’m sure there’ll be changes in mine too. Injuries, other things come along . . . But that’s also where the mental toughness comes in, if you’re going to keep it.”
Nobody is tougher than Woods, but he has had nothing to prepare him for his next challenge.
