The lead paragraph in the USA Today story Monday afternoon read, "The Greenbrier Classic just became the fifth major."
The newspaper was kidding about that, of course, but that’s what adding the biggest name in the history of golf can do for your event.
Greenbrier owner Jim Justice made the announcement Monday that Tiger Woods will play in this year’s Greenbrier Classic July 2-8 at the famed resort. "We were persistent," said Justice about the long-standing efforts to land Tiger.
That’s likely an understatement from Justice, an imposing figure whose obdurate nature tends to alter events to his will. Jim Justice usually gets his way.
Last year, in only its second season, the Greenbrier Classic received the PGA TOUR’s Best in Class award. The tournament has one attraction for the golfers that no other event has–the historic and indulgent resort.
And now the tournament has Tiger.
So what that Tiger Woods is only the No. 7 ranked player in the world? So what that his FedExCup rank is a marginal 15th? Who cares that Woods has exactly one tour win so far this season and only two top ten finishes?
He’s Tiger Woods, the player who redefined the game from 1996 through 2008, winning 14 majors, second most to Jack Nicklaus who has 18, and he’s won 72 PGA events, behind only Sam Snead and Nicklaus.
Of course, what Woods has been known for more over the last three years has been his sordid personal life. The carefully crafted image of the gifted athlete wasn’t just cracked; it was shattered so completely that it can never be fully restored.
But even if some have turned on Woods because of his personal foibles and his aloofness, he remains THE attraction for golf.
Sports reporters always give Tiger’s score, even when he’s not at the top of the leader board. Tiger in the hunt on Sunday means a surge in TV viewers. He continues to attract the largest galleries.
At last year’s Greenbrier Classic, the biggest draw was Phil Mickelson. The 40-time PGA TOUR winner brought his family to the resort, where they took in the amenities, including a whitewater rafting trip.
No doubt they had a great time, but Mickelson missed the cut, a major disappointment for fans who looked forward to seeing one of the world’s best golfers play on Saturday and Sunday.
Mickelson will be back this year, and now add Tiger to the mix and you have the potential for significant drama unfolding on the Old White course on Sunday afternoon.
That, however, is up to the golfers. As for Justice and tournament director Tim McNeely, they’ve done their job by building on what was already a grand event that puts our state in a positive light.