Golf Talk

A couple of weeks ago, Rory Sabbatini ran his mouth off talking about how Tiger was more beatable than ever and that he was going to win three major championships this year. While Rory’s play has been rather impressive of late, it hardly justifies the cocky image he is trying to portray.

With that, we ask the question, does Sabbatini’s brash talk hurt or benefit the sport in general? On the one hand, Rory has brought much discussion and spotlight to a sport that isn’t often on the front page of sports coverage. But on the other hand, does his unecessary blabber actually add any value to the sport?

While Rory’s actual comments themselves leave something to be desired, the war of words has generated more publicity that I feel can only benefit the game. We see this kind of trash talking all the time in football, basketball and baseball. Isn’t that what makes those sports so great? The rivalries that develop between opponents who not only want to win but brag about it make us want to watch and listen.

Golf elitists would argue that trash talking has no place in the game. That pure golf enthusiasts are above all the baudy talk. That respect and humility are at the core of what makes the game so great. That real rivalries like that between Nicklaus and Palmer are what the game is really about, not some nonsense comments by some hack.

But lets be real here. Golf like every other professional sport is basically just a form of entertainment. And Rory is just that, he’s entertaining. He will probably not win three majors and lose to Tiger ten out of ten times, but his outward self-serving cockiness is what makes people get out of their seat and say “You Suck” or “Tiger owns you, B**”. And that’s good for the game, that’s what makes people want to talk about golf.

As for my self-interest, he gives us in the sports commentary business something to write about, fodder for use. I think Rory made a fool of himself for what he said because he can’t back it up, but I won’t denounce him for it. I’m out…

Rory Sabbatini, Tiger Woods