All of the "attention being paid" to Tiger Woods is
"going to cost" other PGA Tour players "millions in
endorsement money as sponsors see that their logos aren't
getting as much TV time," according to Rick Westhead of
BLOOMBERG NEWS. Pros Inc. agent Vinny Giles: "Other players
are going to get less and less off-tour income, it's that
simple. It's not going to get any better." Gaylord Sports
agent David Yates said that the "hardest hit by sponsors
will be mainstays" on the Tour who "don't break into the
top-10 player rankings." Golfer Kenny Perry, who is the
Tour's 15th ranked player, said, "Companies want the hot
player, and that's Tiger Woods, and they want TV exposure.
Tiger's getting all the ink right now." Additionally, some
companies said that "they'd like to see a little less" of
Woods. McIlhenny's Tabasco spokesperson Cecil Hymel, whose
company sponsors six pro golfers: "TV exposure is how we
drive the sale of shirts that our golfers wear so obviously
we want our players on TV." But some players say that Woods
"will have to continue his recent dominance ... for other
golfers to feel the pinch." Lee Janzen: "He would have to
continue to win majors by 10 to 12 strokes three times a
year for the next five years for it to be a factor. The
good outweighs the bad with Tiger. We have more TV hours
than before and he certainly doesn't play in every
tournament" (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 8/16).
TIGER ON TAPE: USA TODAY's Rudy Martzke writes that TNT
has "devised a format" for tomorrow's first-round broadcast
of the first round of the PGA Championship "to avoid the
criticism" The Golf Channel received last week for
"replacing live coverage with a lengthy replay" of Woods'
morning round. TNT will "splice in taped packages" of
Woods' morning round throughout the afternoon telecast.
Turner Senior VP Greg Hughes: "Our job is to document what's
live, but since there's more interest in Tiger, ... we'll
show more of his round than normal" (USA TODAY, 8/16).
Hughes noted since Woods tees off in the net's "window" for
the second round, TNT "won't have to" provide taped footage
of him Friday (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 8/16).
TIGER NOTES: In Seattle, Angelo Bruscas writes that
Woods is "about to pay off for Nike Golf like Michael Jordan
did," as the company is "starting to gain credibility in a
golf market that it didn't really grasp in the early years
of Woods' endorsement deal." Nike Golf Marketing Dir Mike
Kelly, noting Woods' switch from a Titleist to a Nike ball
earlier this year: "All of a sudden, gloves are selling
better and bookings are up so-many fold. Apparel is doing
better and accounts are opening like crazy. ... We have gone
from being in the sewer, so to speak, a couple of years ago,
to one of the hottest brands, with momentum" (SEATTLE POST-
INTELLIGENCER, 8/16)....In Chicago, Jay Mariotti writes
Woods' "inner sanctum" is "part of a public-relations
strategy, authored by Woods, that is creepy in its
suppression. ... It is a cocoon with a padlocked door. It's
a shame because with a little loosening of the dictatorship,
Woods could have his privacy and popularity, too. The less
accessible he appears to the public, the more people will
view him as a distant icon" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 8/16).
