Aussie tourneys pass on Tiger's fee
Australia's top tournaments are facing a summer of golf without Tiger Woods, with no takers for his $2 million appearance fee.
Woods had a huge influence on Aussie galleries the past three years with visits Down Under, but any further pitches to the former world No.1 are on hold for now.
Former Victorian premier, John Brumby, said Woods' visit to the Masters in Melbourne in 2009, after not playing in Australia for more than a decade, generated $34 million in economic activity.
Woods rated Royal Melbourne one of the finest courses he has played and the quality of golf on the sandbelt courses always appeals to him, but he won't come for nothing.
Just what any gallery can now expect from Woods is unknown after the very public unraveling of his remodeled golf swing in the second round of the Masters Friday.
At the 15th, he cursed "God damn it" and took his right hand off the club as he skewed his approach into the gallery to the right.
His next flew into the bunker, but worse was to come on the par three 16th. He not only dropped his club in dismay at another poor tee shot and swing but kicked it in a show of temper.
"I think we can safely say Tiger has lost his game ... and his mind," three-time Masters champion Nick Faldo said on the CBS broadcast in the US.
On Saturday he shot an even-par 72 to be three-over for the tournament, 12 shots behind leader Peter Hanson of Sweden.