While Tiger Woods is "taking a major break from the PGA
Tour" -- his next event will be the Byron Nelson Classic in
Dallas, May 8-14 -- he "likely will play in all four tour
events sponsored by Buick this year," according to Leonard
Shapiro of the WASHINGTON POST. But Woods' five-year
endorsement deal with Buick is an "arrangement some unhappy
tournament directors believe is nothing less than a
guaranteed appearance fee, which is not allowed on the
tour." One "disgruntled" tournament director said, "Hell
yes, he's being paid to play. The ads he does for [Buick]
are terrific, but it's all appearance money. The tour lets
him get away with it because he's Tiger Woods. They're not
going to rap his knuckles. But it does make it tough for
the rest of us. He only plays about 20 events -- the four
majors, four for Buick and he won eight times last year, so
he'll go back and defend there. That doesn't leave many
openings on his schedule" (WASHINGTON POST, 4/20).
CARRY A CAUSE? USA TODAY's Christine Brennan examines
Woods' refusal to speak out against the Confederate flag
flying over the SC Capitol, and she sarcastically writes
that Woods is "one of the great voices for equality in our
time." Brennan: "Given every opportunity to stand up for
millions of people who look like he does but will never have
the platform he has; given every chance to open his mouth
and perhaps change this ridiculous state policy with one
carefully chosen sentence ... Woods passed." Brennan:
"Obviously, he didn't want to get involved. If that's the
way Woods wants it, that's fine, except for this: Wasn't
that Tiger Woods I saw in that particularly strident Nike
commercial a few years ago, the one that specifically
stated, 'There are still courses in the U.S. I am not
allowed to play because of the color of my skin?' So why
make a statement like that then and not make one now? Let's
hope the answer isn't because one was an endorsement ... and
the other simply would have been an honorable, personal
stand. What a sad thing it would be if Woods is picking his
causes based on the bottom line" (USA TODAY, 4/20).
