Limbaugh blames Woods woes on media

US radio personality insists Tiger’s troubles are not all of his own making

Media managed?: Tiger Woods’ woes are a by-product of his media image, says Rush Limbaugh

Rush Limbaugh, a prominent US political commentator, has defended Tiger Woods in the wake of the former world No.1’s poor performance in the Masters, insisting that his troubles have much to do with how he has been portrayed in the media.

Woods went into the opening major of the season heavily fancied to win the tournament for a fifth time, after ending a 30-month winless drought on the PGA Tour on his previous outing at the Arnold Palmer Bay Hill Invitational.

However, he could do no better than finish tied for 40th – his worst finish at Augusta National as a professional – after a performance marred by poor shot-making and frequent fits of pique.

In the aftermath of the tournament, former Ryder Cup captain Paul Azinger called Woods out on his petulance, labeling him an ’embarrassment to the game’. However, Limbaugh believes that Tiger’s troubles are not entirely of his own making.

The outspoken broadcaster – host of the highest-rated talk radio show in the US and a keen golfer – said: “The aspect of the media making Tiger was in the fabrication of an image of Mr. Perfect. Mr. Perfect Husband, Mr. Perfect Father, Mr. Perfect Workout Guy, Mr. Perfect Man, Mr. Perfect Golfer, Mr. Perfect Corporate Spokesman, Mr. Perfect Everything.

“Tiger was one of these guys that every man wanted to be like and every woman wanted to be with. But none of it was real, as we have learned. None of it was real.

“He wasn’t the best father. He wasn’t the best husband. He was the best golfer for a while, but it was all a manufactured image. This is the danger of these kind of things.”

Limbaugh added that now Woods “knows wherever he goes that everybody knows this” and that this has become a “mental thing” for him.

He added: “It’s going to take some time for him to overcome that. The cure for Tiger would be to become entirely absent of any self-awareness. If he was totally able to not think about himself, then he’d be able to overcome it. But, sure, I think the ability is still in there.”

DO YOU AGREE WITH LIMBAUGH? ARE TIGER’S PROBLEMS REALLY THE RESULT OF THE MEDIA’S PORTRAYAL OF HIM? LEAVE YOUR THOUGHTS IN THE COMMENTS SECTION BELOW…

Bryce Ritchie is the Editor of bunkered and, in addition to leading on content and strategy, oversees all aspects of the brand. The first full-time journalist employed by bunkered, he joined the company in 2001 and has been editor since 2009. A member of Balfron Golfing Society, he currently plays off nine and once got a lesson from Justin Thomas’ dad.

Editor of bunkered