Sports Radio Interviews

Johnny Miller Has Some Advice for Tiger Woods

Since November, Tiger Woods’ image has taken a drastic hit. It started when he crashed his SUV into a fire hydrant. Unfortunately for Tiger, that was only the beginning. Since that time he has lost sponsors, he has had a number of women (close to 20) claim to have sexual relationships with him, and he has gone to rehab for a sex addiction. It has been the biggest fall from the top that any athlete has had and he has some work to do to try and repair his image. It will start tomorrow for Tiger.

For the first time since the end of November, Tiger Woods will appear in front of the camera and give a prepared statement. There will not be any questions that get answered by Tiger and it will probably be extremely brief, but Tiger is expected to offer an apology and also address what the future holds for him on the PGA Tour. This is just step one for Tiger in a lengthy process of making amends for his transgressions, but it’s an important step and one that he needs to take.

Johnny Miller joined ESPN 1000 in Chicago talk about how the PGA is faring without Tiger Woods, how he thinks Tiger will arrange his schedule, what advice he would give to him and what he expects to see from Tiger when he finally comes back. .

How is the PGA fairing without Tiger Woods?

“What’s interesting is just knowing or not knowing really puts a cloud over it. If he was playing in three weeks that would keep a little bit of a buzz going on. (Editor’s note: Johnny Miller’s phone drops out for a minute) Well I mean it’s struggling there is no doubt about that. The economy is tough, Tiger being gone it’s sort of a one, two punch. Phil’s not playing too red hot, Vijay is not doing much, Duval is coming on the scene which is a little bit interesting, and Els is not playing that great so really the big names, even Camilo Villegas and guys like that, they are just not doing much yet. There are a lot of new guys, guys like Dustin Johnson, who of course won the AT&T last week, are looking good, but I don’t think the average golf fan has quite embraced him yet so we need some of the top guns to play well and then we need Tiger to make an announcement that he will come back and play at the Bay Hill, Arnold Palmer’s Tournament or whatever. Play the players and of course play the Masters that would be really good, a shot in the arm for the tour.”

Do you think Tiger will arrange his schedule like the way you just suggested?

“I can’t imagine him not playing where he lives. He’s in Orlando and you can only twiddle your thumbs so long before you get itchy and for him not playing has got to be as bad almost as the situation he put himself in. It is sort of a double whammy for Tiger with all the problems he is having with his personal life and marriage and not being able to play and get into that part of his life which he is able to isolate himself and be so successful. It’s a tough time for Tiger, I think he has got to face the music eventually so he might as well tell the people ‘hey I’m working on my game right now I’m going to be at the Bay Hill Classic, I’ll play Doral, I’ll play the Masters, I’ll play the Players.’ It would be nice if he told the game of golf I am back and here is where I’m going to play and it’s going to be fun to at least anticipate how he will play after this long layoff.”

How would you advise Tiger to make his comeback as far as his first interview with Oprah or Diane Sawyer or someone like that?

“Well there are a couple different ways you could do it the national type of announcer like you’re talking about. Also he could do a nice long interview on NBC. He needs to say what needs to be said. I’m not trying to tell him what to do, but people will be watching every move he makes from now on. He is going to be under the microscope even more than he was before which he hated, he hated the microscope in the first place now it’s double the magnification. It’s going to be an interesting time for him. It’s going to be the toughest thing he had to go through. The marriage obviously is most important but it’s going to be tough even once he gets on the course but people will be pulling for him. They want him, they’re not bored but they want Tiger there.”

Would you embrace the chance to interview him knowing that you would have to ask the hard questions?

“Yeah you’re not going to ask every question that’s going to please everybody, but certain things need to be addressed and I think Tiger needs to answer them and not give a flippant remark or an I’m smarter than you remark which is sort of the way I felt sometimes with Tiger. He’s a smart guy. Other guys in the past have done the same things. Ben Hogan, who everybody idolizes, would just give you just a little piece of the porridge so to speak. He never gave you the whole thing, but Tiger, I think this time, needs to lay it out and say here’s my plan. I’ve got unbelievable discipline in the workout room, unbelievable discipline with golf and now I’m going to have to the same thing off the course and with my marriage and here is how I’m going to do it. I’m going to do it. That’s all there is to it, and people say well yeah he probably could.”

Tom Watson came out that Tiger needs to clean up his behavior on the course, would you agree with that?

“Well he tries so hard on every shot. That’s the most amazing thing about Tiger is he never gives up on a shot or round and he’s fiery. He grew up, his dad was a military guy a lot of swearing going on and Tiger has always sworn a lot and it’s just tough for him, at least most of the time he covers his mouth which he didn’t used to. I remember the 2000 U.S. Open, maybe the greatest golf performance in history on the 18th hole in the morning on Saturday he hooked it in the water and his five swear words were the grand slam of the five swear words, it was during children’s hour Saturday morning so it was like oh my goodness. I never let him get away with the swearing because I think that he can discipline himself there also but he just tries so hard he can’t quite stand it. I’ve heard that he talks that way around his wife and everybody else it’s just Tiger. His language is very military style.”

Will Tiger become distracted during an important moment on the course by what is happening around now?

“Well his dad used to train him by yelling in his back swing and throwing towels next to the ball and all that stuff that he used to do basically just isolate himself but this is going to be a new kind of distraction. You’re right he is the only guy in history that can be half way in downswing and if he hears something he doesn’t like or somebody clicks a camera he can stop the club so the guy has been programmed like a machine to handle distractions, but you’re right it’s a new kind of distraction and he is not going to be totally loved. Most people are going to be pulling for him probably 90 something out of a hundred but there are going to be a couple of people that are going to be calling him names. Instead of Tiger it’s going to be Cheetah Woods.”

Will Tiger be dominant immediately upon his return?

“You know that’s a really good question. Obviously I don’t have a crystal ball, but knowing Tiger he probably will be dominant right of out of the chute. He will not tee it up unless he knows he is putting well and he is kicking butt and he has so much talent this rest in some ways might be wonderful on a positive note losing all these endorsements and all of the endorsement days he has to give which I know he does not like doing. When you are making 120 or 140 million a year all the sudden now he doesn’t have those deals so basically he is like a twenty year old. He can go play golf. He doesn’t have any responsibilities as far as having to do commercials and photo shoots and all this stuff and that can be even be a lethal combination as far as a positive. He can just go back to golf and play golf. He doesn’t have to worry about hat side of Tiger Woods now.”

Listen to Johnny Miller on ESPN Radio Chicago with Waddle and Silvy  (1:30:30 into podcast)

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