Dubai spitting case: US fans back Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods has received an immense support from his country fans while the European Tour became a target of backlash for penalising the veteran for spitting during the recently concluded Omega Dubai Desert Classic 2011.
The former world number one was penalised by the officials of the European Tour for spitting on the ground at the 12th green. They dubbed it ‘ugly’ and against the ethics of golf and fined him an undisclosed amount. It forced Woods to apologise
on a social networking website Twitter and he vowed not to repeat the behaviour.
However, on the other side of the Atlantic, the sentiment turned out to be different. The critics and fans backed Woods and thrashed the European Tour officials with emails regarding the wrong decision.
European Tour chief executive George O'Grady revealed the response received from the Americans in a press conference on Friday. He said, “We were inundated with emails and everyone from this part of the world has been supportive of our decision to fine him.
Not all have been supportive of our actions - in America they think we are making a storm in a teacup. It's a different culture.”
Grady explained the protocols of the sport and said that golf is a game which represented an educated class and hence it was considered rude to spit in public. Moreover, he emphasised the policies laid by the tour.
He said, “Spitting is also frowned upon in the Gulf States and we have always made a big song a nuance about how the European Tour adapts to the culture of the country it goes to. In China, for example, you have to learn a lot of their customs and the players
have to respect this.”
Despite having a great support from the fans, Woods has nothing to say regarding the incident after he apologised for his behaviour on the internet.
Woods is still coming back to his form after a disastrous year. He had a decent showing at the Dubai Desert Classic and is looking forward to playing at the Match Play Championships at the end of February 2011.
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