Doubters won't worry Tiger

Woods remains sport's biggest box office draw

BBC golf correspondent Tony Adamson says those who criticise the form of world number one Tiger Woods are wide of the mark.

Call it envy, jealousy or a desire to make mischief, but Tiger Woods has not had an easy ride of it in recent weeks.

His disappointing display at the Match Play Championship in California - where he crashed out in the first round to 64th seed Peter O'Malley - came after a trying few weeks for golf's brightest star.

First, Woods found himself at the centre of a security scare when a letter containing cyanide was delivered to the US Embassy in New Zealand, where he was appearing in the New Zealand Open.

This rash of Tiger-tutting is, in my view, wildly hysterical nonsense

Tony Adamson

Then Woods and his management group, IMG, were taken to task for charging the event's organisers over $2m (£1.4m) for the privilege of his participation in the tournament.

This led to a host of detractors suggesting Woods no longer gives value for money.

The fee is Woods' standard price when competing outside America and Jack Nicklaus, for one, disapproves.

"I grew up on the belief that in tournament golf the money should be in the purse and not in the players' pockets," said the winner of 18 major championships.

Other critics have pointed to his most recent affliction, waywardness off the tee, and in particular a violent hook off the 13th at Pebble Beach during the AT&T National Pro-AM.

Woods charged $2m to appear in New Zealand

One week later Woods returned a second round 77, his highest score for three years, in the Buick International in San Diego which had him flirting with the cut and others talking of a slump.

This rash of Tiger-tutting is, in my view, wildly hysterical nonsense.

Tiger Woods remains the biggest box-office draw in sport and sponsors world-wide continue to dig deep in the coffers to accommodate the world's best player.

In May, he will be making his fourth successive appearance at the Deutsche Bank-SAP Open TPC of Europe in Germany.

As to his current form, it is worth remembering that, despite coming close to missing the cut in San Diego, Woods posted weekend scores of 69 and 66 to finish tied 5th.

That is not the sign of a man in the depths of despair with his golf game.

Woods keeps on winning despite the doubters

And Woods was far from being the only star name to falter at the Match Play Championship - only one of the top 10 seeds, David Toms, made the last eight, and he was duly dumped out by the relatively unheard of Kevin Sutherland.

Furthermore, 12 months ago, similar doubts were expressed about his form having gone five events without a win.

But that only served to inspire Woods to a run of three successsive wins, including the Masters, to add a fourth major championship trophy to his sideboard.

Winning four Majors in a row inevitably took its toll and Woods was never in contention in the three remaining Major championships of 2001.

He had simply run out of gas.

Nevertheless, his peers rightly voted him Player of the Year for a third successive time and, as a new season is launched, Woods' appetite for competition is as keen as ever.