TOUCHDWON-TIGER'S PRE-EMPTIVE STRIKE

You can quibble with the messaging in Tiger Woods’ recent media blitz, which involved an op-ed in Newsweek, a new Twitter presence and some select appearances on radio shows (no TV yet, however). Granted, some of it is the stuff of self-help TV, as the National Post’s Scott Stinson points out: “I still have the same drive to get better… That’s an each-and-every-day process,” Woods said on radio. And yes, we’ve heard some of this before – like the mea culpa in the Newsweek piece about how “even beyond accepting the consequences and responsibility, there is the ongoing struggle to learn from my failings.” Now, of course, here at TD+F we wish anyone well on his or her earnestly expressed path to recovery. But more than that, we think Tiger’s timing is spot-on, from a strategic point of view. As the anniversary of Tiger’s fatal (from a reputation perspective) encounter with a fire hydrant, a three-iron and the ensuing laundry list of licentious encounters draws near, it makes sense for Tiger to try to stake a position out in the inevitable retellings of the story, if only to ensure that his side of the story remains part of the dialogue. At the very least, by getting out in front of the one-year-on onslaught, he’s providing new fodder for the scribes to quote. Smart play. Good course management.