Norman warns of too much 'Tiger talk'

[October 08, 2018]    The entire golf world has reveled in the surprising comeback of Tiger Woods. But Greg Norman warns golf fans against the dangers of going overboard with all-Tiger, all-the-time mania.

The retired 20-time PGA Tour champion Norman, while being interviewed on a Yahoo Finance podcast, complimented Woods' impressive return to form that culminated in him winning the Tour Championship last month. But Norman also sounded an alarm to the golf community to avoid an all-encompassing Tiger beat.

"I think he's done an excellent job of going from where he was over a year ago, saying, 'I may never play the game of golf again,' to where he is today," Norman said. "Massive leap, quite honestly, in 12 months. God bless him. He did everything right, stepped up to the plate and won. It's good for him, there's no question. It's good for the game of golf, no question.

"But I hope they [media and fans] don't put all their eggs in one basket again and be all Tiger and forget about all this other wonderful, fantastic talent even coming out of Korea and Japan and South Africa and Australia. There is an unbelievable amount of talent bubbling up around the world, and I'd hate to see them get lost again in that Tiger talk."

Woods has risen from No. 1,199 in the world rankings to begin 2018 to his current No. 13, thanks to a string of promising top-10 finishes that also helped the 14-time major champion become a captain's pick for the Ryder Cup.

Norman's cautious tone recalls other similar concerns about Woods receiving too much attention at the perceived expense of others, something the two-time major champ complained about in February when Norman said he was "disappointed" about the extra focus on Woods -- adding at the time that "golf doesn't need Tiger Woods."

Norman argued the heightened golf ratings since Woods' recent success has more to do with other players raising their games.

"TV ratings are up because of what Tiger Woods does to every other player," Norman told Yahoo's Midday Movers show. "It's not just about the one player, it's about all the supporting cast who are equal if not better than him. He's just pulling them along to make them more standout."

--Field Level Media

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