C’MON MAN! Tiger Woods says he and Lindsey Vonn revealed their relationship to “limit … sleazy websites,” an ironic choice of words. (EPA)
ORLANDO — If you like rich irony served up on a silver platter for your dinner entrée, consider your appetite sated for a week after listening to Tiger Woods go all morality play on media interested in his relationship with star skier Lindsey Vonn during a pre-tournament interview yesterday at Bay Hill.
Woods called his and Vonn’s decision this week to come out publicly as a couple via Facebook and Twitter messages and pictures “very simple,’’ saying, “We’re happy with where we’re at, and we also wanted to limit the stalk-a-razzi and all those sleazy websites that are out there following us.’’
Woods, who famously cheated on his then-wife, Elin Nordegren, with some dozen known mistresses, calling out anyone as “sleazy’’ falls into the category of high comedy.
Woods calling anyone out for being amoral after disgracing himself and his family with his behavior was like a snap-hooked tee shot out of bounds.
Someone who was outed by a pancake-house waitress and a porn star (among many others) for having sex with them while he was married should not be delivering a dissertation on morals — however invasive he perceives the paparazzi to be.
When Woods said, “We basically devalued the first photos,’’ referring to the couple publishing their own pictures on Facebook to nullify anyone else getting and selling them first, he might as well have been doing a touchdown dance in celebration of screwing over the tabloids interested in cashing in.
While Woods did make a fair point about having “had situations where it’s been very dangerous for my kids and the extent [the paparazzi] will go to,’’ the high road down the middle of the fairway would have been a better route for him to travel in this case given his rash of embarrassing, highly-publicized misdeeds.
“Unfortunately, that’s just the way it is in our society right now, and we felt like it was the best thing to do,’’ Woods explained about him and Vonn going public. “I’m very happy about it.’’
Nothing short of his budding relationship with Vonn would make Woods happier than regaining the No. 1 ranking he once owned like it would be his forever.
If Woods wins this week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, which begins today, it would be his eighth career victory in the tournament and — most importantly — it would elevate him to No. 1 in the world over Rory McIlroy, who is not playing this week.
Woods, who has two wins this year (at Torrey Pines in February and Doral two weeks ago), was last No. 1 in the world on Oct. 31, 2010. He plummeted as low as No. 58 in November 2011.
Now, after his personal scandal, injuries and major swing changes, it’s all in front of him again.
“It’s been a long process,’’ Woods said. “To gradually work my way back, that’s something I’m proud of.’’
Asked if he believes he can become as good as he once was, Woods said, “I don’t want to become as good as I once was. I want to become better.’’
Woods would have shown himself as a much better person yesterday had he not gone all hypercritical on the press, arrogantly becoming the pot calling the kettle black.