Sponsors Forced To Adjust Efforts During Tiger's Absence

Gatorade Will Look To Other Brand Endorsers For Support During Woods' Layoff

HOST WITH THE MOST? Woods will not play in next month's PGA Tour AT&T National, for which he is the host, but Tournament Dir Greg McLaughlin said that Woods "still may come to the event and participate in some off-the-course events if he is physically able." McLaughlin said of Woods' absence, "It's really too early to tell the full impact. ... We have a tremendous amount of advance sales and people are still buying tickets" (WASHINGTON POST, 6/20). McLaughlin added, "We've got really a nice field and I think they're going to come out and support the event like they supported it in years past" ("Washington Post Live," CSN, 6/19). But N.Y. Daily News reporter Ohm Youngmisuk said, "I’m sure there are thousands and thousands of people (in DC) that are disappointed now and are not going to go because Tiger is not going to be there” (“The Wheelhouse,” SNY, 6/19). McLaughlin is the also the Tournament Dir of Woods' Chevron World Challenge event, and he said of Woods' role in the December tournament, "It's so far away, it wouldn't be right to speculate what he's going to be able to do. I don't know what his rehabilitation routine might be." Meanwhile, Votaw said that he is "realistic about the impact of Woods' being away, not only for how it affects the FedEx Cup but also the PGA Tour events Woods misses the rest of the year." Votaw: "There's no question it's a negative, you can't sugarcoat that, and there will be some negative fallout. ... What you hope is that other players are going to get a bigger share of the TV audience, the media's interest and the fans' imagination" (L.A. TIMES, 6/20).

CBS' "Evening News" On Wednesday Leads Off With Woods' Season-Ending Knee Surgery

LATE NIGHT LAUGHS: NBC's Jay Leno said, "Mathematicians at Stanford University have calculated the smallest number known to man. It's the Nielsen ratings golf would get without Tiger Woods. … Tiger Woods announced he's taking the rest of the year off because of his knee. Here's my question, how does a golfer take time off? I mean, most guys' idea of taking time off is what? Playing golf. And what does Tiger do, get a regular job selling insurance?" ("The Tonight Show," NBC, 6/19).

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