The world No 1 often stirs things up at the Royal and Ancient, says James Corrigan
If Tiger Woods is hoping to receive the Augusta treatment at St Andrews he will be sadly disappointed. While the Royal and Ancient this week warned persistent hecklers they face ejection from the Open, their chief executive declared the "Home of Golf" will not be turned into "a police state" just because of the world No 1's sensitivities.
"We are not in a police state and people can say what they like," said Peter Dawson. "But if they start putting players off we have to take steps. They will be asked to stop and if they don't stop then eventually they will be asked to leave. But everybody gets a chance at the Open of correcting their behaviour. They're not just thrown out straight away."
What Woods makes of this "second chance" policy will be intriguing. On the face of it, the R&A is giving licence to the "Tiger taunters"; particularly when the governing body's tolerant attitude is put alongside that of the green-jackets. Such are the controlled environs of the Masters that Dawson's "police state" analogy would seem apt.
Woods was flanked by security guards this month as he made his first competitive appearance in five months and such was the intense scrutiny of the Augusta galleries that one innocent woman was asked by a guard: "Ma'am, are you the stripper?" The guard then proceeded to pull out a colour photocopy containing pictures of Woods' alleged mistresses to check.
This heavy-handed approach, said Dawson, will not be in operation in July. "Once the situation is reviewed, I would doubt very much there would be mug shots in people's hands," he said. However, Dawson has some sympathy for his American counterparts. "The Masters had the problem of not knowing what to expect," he said. "If the Open Championship would have been Tiger's first event back, we'd be scratching our heads. We're very pleased not to be the guinea pigs."
Yet Woods - who has until the end of next month to submit his Open entry - could be forgiven for crossing the pond in trepidation. After all, he has already witnessed how unruly the St Andrews galleries can be in his presence. And he was an untainted icon back then.
When Woods won his first Claret Jug there in 2000, more than 230,000 spectators made it the most watched Open in history. Alas, there was also a record number of streakers - five. One, a housewife from nearby Kirkcaldy, danced around the flag on the final green on the Sunday just as Woods' ball hit the putting surface.
The mother of two had been apprehended by the time Woods had finished his victory walk up the fairway but by that time pandemonium had broken out. As fans surged forward to follow the champion in waiting, one steward was pictured throwing a fan into the burn.
But regardless of all this - and, indeed, of the possibility of a record attendance with all the interest caused by Woods playing at the Open's 150th anniversary - Dawson is confident there will not be a problem. He bases his optimism on the fact that by then Woods will have played at least five tournaments since his self-enforced exile. "But I could be wrong," he added.
Like the organisation he works for, Dawson is not in the habit of creeping up to the game's superstars and was prepared to talk of the fallout from the scandal. "It has had a negative effect on the game for a while now and I hope we can put it behind us," he said. "It's sad that he lost his way and he would be the first to admit that he had."
Woods' on-course behaviour has been criticised and Dawson noted that his club-throwing and cursing had "clearly deteriorated".
Woods' temper will come under renewed scrutiny in Charlotte, North Carolina, this week. The Quail Hollow Championship will be his second event, but his first in front of what could be described as "normal fans".
- Independent
