Woods is still no pin-up like Messi or the mighty man from Munster

THERE’S a saying in sport that goes along the lines “show me a good loser and I’ll show you a loser”. This was the type of comment fans of Tiger Woods made in his defence last Sunday evening after he completed his fourth place finish in the US Masters at Augusta.

Woods was lined up for a TV interview as Phil Mickleson strode down the 18th fairway towards the completion of his winning round, bringing him his third “green jacket”. The attitude Woods displayed during the interview confirmed that this Tiger will not change his stripes, no matter how much “therapy” he has been receiving at expensive clinics with the supposed aim of modifying or controlling his personality.

Woods did not get an easy interview, as would have been the way previously before controversy about issues that should have remained private became public.

Confronted with this, Woods was ungraciousness personified, surly and almost snarling. He made no mention of the winner or any of the others who had beaten him into fourth place (which was actually a notable achievement given his lack of match practice). It was all “me, me, me”, how disappointed he was not to win and how he would now take another break from the game.

It was another telling example of his narcissism. He may not have been asked any questions about his rivals, but it was revealing that he did not think of mentioning or congratulating them.

If Woods had undergone an epiphany, as he had implied during his recent staged and contrived press conference to apologise for his philandering, and his subsequent pre-Masters press appearances, and indeed in that cynical Nike advertisement that uses the voice of his late father Earl, then he might have been better behaved during that final interview. Instead, the newly-acquired mask of humility and contriteness slipped and again we saw all the things about Woods, as a sportsman, that are so dislikeable.

He has long been considered boorish on the golf course, but accommodations were made for his bad behaviour — loud cursing and swearing, throwing of clubs when a shot disappointed him — because of his perceived box office appeal as a winner. His dominance was the only relevant facet of his behaviour as some people saw it, especially TV executives and sponsors. Closer TV coverage last weekend vividly displayed his volatility as he struggled to cope with his lack of match practice and often swung the club wildly and reacted accordingly.

He was also somewhat nicer to the crowd — merely by acknowledging it — who in turn generously applauded him, even though his recent absence had nothing to do with injury such as when he required major surgery on his knee more than a year ago. His on-course behaviour is not a particularly big deal to many, even if objectionable and best ignored, but it is enough to make you wonder why so many firms want to be associated with this kind of winner.

You don’t have to be a jerk to be a winner, as Phil Mickleson and Padraig Harrington and countless other golfers have proven in recent years. You can be gracious in defeat, even if disappointed, and you can learn from it the better to appreciate a win.

Many people will hope Lee Westwood, second in the Masters, will eventually win a major title because of the maturity and generosity with which he reacted to being beaten by Mickleson, despite his great disappointment.

Woods and Mickleson have never really gotten on, but then Woods seems to have had little time for many of his rivals. Mickleson may have won just a fraction of Woods’s 14 majors, but he threatens his younger opponent’s hold on the position as the most popular and respected player in golf.

The fact that his wife is battling against a serious bout of cancer — and that she was at the 18th to join in the celebrations — may not have impressed Tiger too much either given that it was bound to provide an unfavourable contrast to his own marital situation

But Tiger is not averse to trotting out his family when it suits his corporate requirements. Hence the resurrection in the Nike advert of his dead daddy. This may have been apt. His father bears a lot of responsibility for the packaging of his son’s image and for placing him in situations that did not allow him to develop as a person, the concentration being on the golf and associated commercial opportunities. In such circumstances it is not unreasonable to ask if this ruined him as he grew up, robbing him of the opportunity to mature as a person while simultaneously establishing himself as the finest golfer of his generation.

I missed much of last Saturday’s golf because of competing sporting attractions: the Munster Heineken Cup rugby match earlier in the day and the Spanish league soccer clash when Barcelona won at Real Madrid. In that soccer match two of that game’s greatest individual talents came face to face. I imagine that most of those who love soccer will have been thrilled to see Lionel Messi and Barcelona comfortably overcome Real Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese forward undoubtedly is exciting to watch with the ball at his feet or as he rises to head a crossed ball, but much of the rest of the time he is deeply irritating to observe. He pouts, he sulks, he gives out to his team-mates when things don’t go right: he smiles occasionally but only when he is the centre of attention. His behaviour when Manchester United won a penalty shoot-out against Chelsea in 2008 was awful: he seemed more concerned that he had missed his own effort than the fact that his team had won. He was similarly self-obsessed when United lost to Barcelona last year. When asked last year if he was the best player in the world, he replied that he was and the second and third best too.

IT may have been a joke — although that is doubtful — but many objective observers believe he might have a struggle on his hands to convince people that he is the second best player these days (Xavi of Barcelona and Spain is a midfielder, but he is awesome to watch as he dictates games with his passing skill).

But the best, undoubtedly, is the Argentine Messi who has scored 40 goals so far this season and created many more. Better still he plays with a smile on his face, with a bounce in his step, remembering that this is a game. It may be easier for him in that he is scoring regularly and is part of a team full of excellent players, but he looks to win and attack and brings joy to those who watch him.

Who saw the TV pictures of how Paul O’Connell celebrated when Munster scored the final try that clinched victory against Northampton last weekend? He was like a schoolboy as he leapt about in delight, lifting backroom man Brian Murphy into the air in delight. Of course he is going to benefit from the achievement of his team-mates because he should be fit to play in the semi-final, but the absence of any jealously because he wasn’t out on the pitch was a mark of him as a man. O’Connell has faced many disappointments in his career but from it has learnt values. Tiger Woods, by contrast, even faced with a life-changing event, does not seem to have learnt or changed at all.

The Last Word with Matt Cooper is broadcast on 100-102 Today FM, Monday to Friday, 4.30pm to 7pm.