Even Tiger Woods Needs Help Sometimes

P.O Box 1540, Albany Western Australia 6331
Phone/Fax: (08) 98 418 418
E-mail: abl-alb@omninet.net.au

Even Tiger Woods Needs Help Sometimes
There is no doubt, that Tiger Woods is a global phenomenon. In fact, many countries of the world that have traditionally paid little attention to golf are interested now-due in no small part to the personal magnetism of today’s undisputed superstar of golf. On the weekend of May 20, 2001, Tiger Woods passed up a PGA Tour even in Texas to play in Germany’s top event, the Deutsche Bank-SAP Open. He didn’t really need to win. For that matter, he didn’t even need to do anything more than treat the weekend as vacation golf. He was paid $2 million U.S. dollars by the tour organizers just to be there. And the pot for winning was “only” $397,000.00. So why stretch himself, right? Friends, Tiger doesn’t approach his sport that way. For the second time in three years, he won the tournament. And the way he won turned the European tournament into the premier golf event that day. In fact, he made up most of a ten-stroke deficit on Saturday and pulled away to a four-stroke victory on Sunday. The highlight of the final round was his 170-metre eagle on the 13th hole. Spectators went wild! So who “helped” Tiger Woods on that auspicious day? According to a story from USA Today, he played Sunday’s final round with a borrowed driver. He had broken then shaft on his the night before. And, after a frantic-but-unsuccessful search to find a replacement club, he asked fellow-golfer Adam Scott if he could borrow Scott’s spare driver. It is similar to Wood’s own, and Adam Scott-(who just happens to be a rising Australian golfer)-had used a set of irons given to him by Tiger Woods in winning his first European Tour back in January 2001. So we could say that one of our own relatively obscure Aussie’s contributed to a dazzling victory by the sports best player. Friends, everyone needs a little help at some point in life. A student needs a tutor with her calculus, philosophy, or statistics class. A new employee needs a mentor to teach him the ropes. Someone new to management gets overwhelmed and needs someone to restore their confidence. Resolving a misunderstanding with an old friend, surviving a crisis in your marriage, dealing with a confused and angry child - everybody - eventually comes up against something that requires a helping hand. But I’ve sometimes been too proud to ask. What about you? The way I see it, there’s nothing shameful about asking for assistance. Even Tiger Woods had to get help one day. So why should you and I be so reluctant to seek help - with a golf game, a problem at work, some personal issue, or our spiritual lives? The disgrace is not in needing help, but in refusing either to ask or to give it. I look forward to sharing more thoughts with you next week. However, if I can be of help to any of you in your personal spiritual journey, or if you would like someone to share a problem with, please contact me. I'm always pleased to hear from readers of my column. Email me or write to me at P.O Box 1540, Albany W.A 6331. Telephone / Fax (08) 98 418 418

There is no doubt, that Tiger Woods is a global phenomenon. In fact, many countries of the world that have traditionally paid little attention to golf are interested now-due in no small part to the personal magnetism of today’s undisputed superstar of golf.

On the weekend of May 20, 2001, Tiger Woods passed up a PGA Tour even in Texas to play in Germany’s top event, the Deutsche Bank-SAP Open. He didn’t really need to win. For that matter, he didn’t even need to do anything more than treat the weekend as vacation golf. He was paid $2 million U.S. dollars by the tour organizers just to be there. And the pot for winning was “only” $397,000.00. So why stretch himself, right?

Friends, Tiger doesn’t approach his sport that way. For the second time in three years, he won the tournament. And the way he won turned the European tournament into the premier golf event that day. In fact, he made up most of a ten-stroke deficit on Saturday and pulled away to a four-stroke victory on Sunday. The highlight of the final round was his 170-metre eagle on the 13th hole. Spectators went wild!

So who “helped” Tiger Woods on that auspicious day? According to a story from USA Today, he played Sunday’s final round with a borrowed driver. He had broken then shaft on his the night before. And, after a frantic-but-unsuccessful search to find a replacement club, he asked fellow-golfer Adam Scott if he could borrow Scott’s spare driver. It is similar to Wood’s own, and Adam Scott-(who just happens to be a rising Australian golfer)-had used a set of irons given to him by Tiger Woods in winning his first European Tour back in January 2001. So we could say that one of our own relatively obscure Aussie’s contributed to a dazzling victory by the sports best player.

Friends, everyone needs a little help at some point in life. A student needs a tutor with her calculus, philosophy, or statistics class. A new employee needs a mentor to teach him the ropes. Someone new to management gets overwhelmed and needs someone to restore their confidence. Resolving a misunderstanding with an old friend, surviving a crisis in your marriage, dealing with a confused and angry child - everybody - eventually comes up against something that requires a helping hand. But I’ve sometimes been too proud to ask. What about you?

The way I see it, there’s nothing shameful about asking for assistance. Even Tiger Woods had to get help one day. So why should you and I be so reluctant to seek help - with a golf game, a problem at work, some personal issue, or our spiritual lives?

The disgrace is not in needing help, but in refusing either to ask or to give it. I look forward to sharing more thoughts with you next week. However, if I can be of help to any of you in your personal spiritual journey, or if you would like someone to share a problem with, please contact me. I'm always pleased to hear from readers of my column.

Email me
or write to me at
P.O Box 1540,
Albany W.A 6331.

Telephone / Fax (08) 98 418 418