|
 Five years after driving into a fire hydrant in front of a
neighbor's house in Isleworth, an accident that set off sordid tales
of extramarital affairs and an exodus of sponsors, Woods returned to
the exclusive enclave with high hopes restored.
Feeling fit after a break from the PGA Tour to deal with back pain,
Woods, 38, swung freely at last week's Hero World Challenge but his
game was rusty.
Off the course he flexed his fiscal muscles by announcing a new
title sponsor for the tournament and a move of the event next year
to promote his partnership in a lavish Bahamas resort.
"The second billion will be there for him," former CBS Sports
president Neal Pilson, who now runs his own sports consulting firm,
told Reuters in a telephone interview.
In 2009, Woods became the first athlete to reach the $1 billion mark
in career earnings, according to a Forbes report issued two months
before his personal life unraveled.
 "That's long gone. That's over," Pilson said about issues that led
to a loss of endorsements. "His personality, his looks, his
contacts, his remaining skills and the emotional tie that people
still have to Tiger is eminently marketable."
Woods, whose pursuit of Jack Nicklaus's record 18 majors has stalled
since winning his 14th in 2008, unveiled his biggest endorsement
pact in five years, a four-year deal with India-based Hero MotoCorp
worth up to $8 million a year.
Then came word that the tournament benefiting his foundation would
relocate to Albany, a resort in the Bahamas he created with British
billionaire Joe Lewis, principle of the Tavistock Group.
"Tiger will continue to try to mount a (golf) comeback, but both age
and the deep competition will make it difficult for him to win,"
sports business author Andrew Zimbalist told Reuters.
"He obviously has settled down in his personal life and, part of
this, is planning for his future. Business pursuits and his
foundation will play a growing role."
Woods came to know Lewis, owner of Premier League club Tottenham
Hotspur, after moving in 1996 to Isleworth, developed by Tavistock.
The Albany luxury resort boasts a 71-slip yacht marina, a 20,000
square foot gym and a golf course designed by partner Ernie Els.
[to top of second column] |
"Amazing homes, marina, amazing golf course," Tavistock managing
partner Christopher Anand told Reuters sitting in the Isleworth
clubhouse. "Horses, tennis. A sportsman’s paradise, a business
person's paradise."
"It’s Joe and Tiger's tournament going to Joe and Tiger’s place," he
added about a merging of charitable events that benefit the
Tavistock foundation and Woods's.
Woods, Els and fellow golfers Adam Scott, Justin Rose, Ian Poulter,
Trevor Immelman and Tim Clark are among 20 athletes who call the
resort home.
Pilson said this could be just a start of business expansion by
Woods.
"If you look at Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Greg Norman, I think
they all make substantially more money today than they were making
playing golf," he said. "The business opportunities open to Tiger
would probably dwarf the other guys."
The natural competitiveness of a sportsman often translates to
business, added Pilson.
"We had a relationship with Jack Nicklaus at CBS," he said. "I found
his personality to be intense. Still friendly, casual, but I’m sure
his business personality reflects his golf personality.
"Frankly the ones that continue in business bring with them the
intensity and competitiveness that they exhibit in their sport."
(Reporting by Larry Fine in New York; Editing by Frank Pingue)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
