When hospital officials asked supporters which golfer they would like to see as the featured guest, the answer invariably was “Tiger Woods.” Be careful
what you wish for. It might not have been worth all the trouble. Woods appeared Monday at Turning Stone, participating in a benefit for Native American youth that was set up by his friend and former Stanford teammate, Notah Begay. “I don’t do too many of them,” Woods said, and now we can see why. Despite a format that enables players to pick up once a hole is tied, the foursome of Woods, Begay, Camilio Villegas and Mike Weir — admittedly not the Road Runners, or Dalys, of the PGA Tour — took five hours to play. Their level of concentration rivaled that of what you might see in a major. Each player wore a wireless microphone, as was the practice for the Ellis Hospital event, but none was turned on. Not that it mattered. There seemed to be little banter or jocularity among the players. In my dealings with him at various majors, Woods has shown a warm personality, a feature confirmed by his friends. One physical trait you notice immediately with Woods, beyond his physical strength, is the smile. It can light up a room or a golf course– but spectators rarely saw it Monday. So what if the gallery didn’t get to share any laughs I can give you 330 of them. That was the minimum cost, in dollars, of one ticket to the event. Other packages, which included a round of golf, a night in the resort hotel and a goodie bag, ran more than $600 per person.
Would the people of this area pony up such money Perhaps, since many from the Capital Region were seen at the Atunyote Golf Club.