Scenes From a Tiger-less Wednesday

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- It was an odd Wednesday morning here in the lush, immaculately manicured and very man-made environs of Sherwood Country Club, as golf fans, toddlers, and tabloid reporters mingled together during the Pro-Am round of the Chevron World Challenge. While a plane holding a banner for an L.A. strip club circled overhead, PGA Tour standouts such as Steve Stricker, Stewart Cink and Anthony Kim played in casual foursomes with well-heeled amateurs like Frank Quattrone, the scandal-crossed investment banker, and Irish tycoon J.P. McManus, one of the world's leading racehorse owners and a close friend of Tiger Woods. (Tiger's 2004 wedding was held at McManus' hotel in Barbados.)

The obvious conversation topic in the stands, by the tees and at the concession stands was Tiger and his alleged extra-marital affairs. His absence is particularly noteworthy here because the Chevron Challenge is actually Tiger's tournament -- proceeds from the event go to his charitable foundation and he's been its official host for the past decade. Woods has won his tournament on four occasions and each time donated the winner's check -- which this year is $1.35 million -- to his foundation.

Of course, Tiger won't be winning, or even attending, this week's event. And for the most part, the folks attending Wednesday's round -- ranging from local bartenders to Hollywood stars to a 40-year-old general foreman -- were fairly blasé about the media frenzy surrounding Woods' indiscretions. Few expected Woods to suffer any serious consequences or lose any of his marketing cache because of the scandal, which reached fever pitch this morning after US Magazine published a cover story detailing an alleged affair between Woods and Jamiee Grubbs, an L.A. waitress and reality TV actress. The magazine's website also posted a recording of a recent message that Woods allegedly left on Grubbs's phone.

Jon Feinberg, who was a top amateur golfer in the early '70s and now coaches players in San Diego, says Woods is just the latest in a long line of pro golfers to have an extra-marital affair, and is simply too valuable to be punished by the PGA or his sponsors. "What's Nike going to do, drop him?" asks Feinberg, whose business-card job title is 'The Mastermind of Putting.' "If there was something criminal, that would be one thing," he says. "But Tiger's not the first guy to fool around."

At the eighth hole green, in the shadow of the mansion formerly owned by NHL legend Wayne Gretzky and Lenny Dykstra, the bankrupt ex-baseball star-turned-finance guru, a trio of fans were joking that Woods would make a surprise appearance at the tournament. "He'll be wearing a helmet to protect against flying golf clubs," quipped Ron Lilley, who owns a high-end audio-video installation company in nearby Woodland Hills.


Still, some fans did seem genuinely saddened by the media frenzy and the impact it could have on Woods' wife and their two small children. "I don't think he should cheat on his wife, but I also think we should focus on his golf game," says Mary Balt, a 23-year-old bartender in Thousand Oaks. "The only reason I know about athletes is because of all the gossip shows and sites, and I don't think that's the way it should be." Her manager, Joe Rivas, said his fiancée didn't want to rush to judgment about Woods' reported infidelity. "She was saying 'I hope it's not true because then I won't be able to like him,'" he said.

Several of those in attendance today, including veteran actor Craig T. Nelson, said Woods' wife Elin will play a large role in determining how the saga plays out going forward. "How she handles this is how we're going to perceive it," says Nelson, who's starred in TV series such as "Coach" and "The District." Woods "got caught so he's got to be forthcoming," says Nelson. "It's sad."

Tony Vega wasn't nearly as bothered by the reports. In fact, the 63-year-old says the allegations just show that Tiger has an active libido and isn't as squeaky-clean as his public image. "When my wife gives me a look for staring at a good-looking blonde at a bar, I can now say 'Tiger does it too!'" says Vega, an industrial-safety specialist from Lake Arrowhead, Calif. "I thought [Tiger] was kind of a wimp before this, and as bad as it sounds, I kind of enjoy him getting caught."