Transistions Tournament sponsor hits out at

timing of Tiger Woods TV interviews

FROM THE DAILY TELEGRAPH WEBSITE
By MARK REASON
A leading golf sponsor has criticised the timing of Sunday night’s TV interviews with Tiger Woods, both of which went out just as Jim Furyk was close to clinching his first official victory on the US PGA Tour for three years.
David Cole, the managing director of Transitions, said: “We are a little bit disappointed that they chose to air that story at the conclusion of a very exciting tournament. We invest a lot of money in the Transitions Championship as a title sponsor.”
Woods can plead that he is not responsible for when these two interviews were aired, but Tiger has enough control over his image to have insisted they were put out on the day after the tournament. Tiger news has now disrupted three tournaments in five weeks and has done nothing to get rid of the “selfish” tag attached to him by Ernie Els.
Furyk, who has replaced Ian Poulter as the world number six following his victory, said: “I can live with it and I’m fine with it. Some day it’s all going to go away, and I’ll be fine with that, as well.”
Whether Furyk’s sponsors will be so happy is another matter.
Ari Fleischer, the former White House aide brought in to improve Tiger’s image, has stepped down saying he was becoming too big a part of the story.
Caddie Steve Williams, who one leading golfer had backed to lose his job, said at the weekend: “I told Tiger I’d be there (at Augusta).”