Absence of Woods will be sorely felt

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The absence of Tiger Woods for the rest of the 2008 season will be a little like trying to stage the fairytale ball without Cinderella, or the Oscars without the prized statuettes.

In many ways, Tiger Woods is golf and he has almost single-handedly ushered in an era of multi-million dollar endorsements and lucrative appearance money since turning professional in 1996.

His Afro-American-Asian background has spread the sport to an audience far beyond its traditional image of male, white and middle-class and he has become the world's best known and most marketable athlete.

Imagine boxing having to cope with the absence of heavyweight champion Muhammed Ali while in his prime, or professional basketball being deprived of Michael Jordan in his pomp?

This is the task facing tournament organizers and sponsors over the next six months and beyond, following Woods's announcement on Wednesday that he will miss the rest of the year to have reconstructive surgery on his left knee.

Next month's British Open, where Woods is a three-times champion, will proceed at Royal Birkdale without him, as will the August 7-10 PGA Championship where he has triumphed on four occasions.

The game's leading player will also be absent from the September 19-21 Ryder Cup in Louisville, Kentucky where the U.S. will be bidding to end a run of three successive defeats by Europe.

Above all, though, the fans will miss Woods for the rest of the year and this will be translated into plunging television ratings at golf tournaments where he normally plays.

GOLFING THEATRE

His uncanny ability to produce moments of magic almost on demand when they matter most, followed by his trademark fist pump, provides golfing theatre beyond the reach of his rivals.

Compatriot Kenny Perry, a 10-times PGA Tour winner who played with Woods on the U.S. Ryder Cup team in 2004, accepts that Woods's absence will be sorely felt.

"It's going to be tough for the sponsors and the Tour," Perry told reporters on Wednesday while preparing for this week's Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut.

"Tiger is our tour and when you lose your star player, it definitely hurts. There's no question about it."

"It's going to be funny playing the majors now and the world events, where he's won so many times, and not seeing him around. The Tour will definitely come down a notch a little. It won't have near the excitement that it normally has."

Ever since he appeared on television's Mike Douglas Show at the age of two displaying his raw putting skills alongside Bob Hope, Woods has been expected to produce the remarkable.

Thirty years down the line, not much has changed. The world number one, and arguably the best of all time, continues to produce the remarkable with astonishing frequency.

Last week's U.S. Open at Torrey Pines on the longest course to stage a major, where Woods remarkably defied jabbing knee pain throughout the tournament to win his 14th major title at the 91st hole, was a case in point.

ELECTRIFIED GALLERIES

Despite not being at his best and struggling to overcome his physical challenge, he electrified the huge galleries with his stunning shot-making and sheer obstinacy.

In the second round, he covered the back nine in just five-under 30 after making three 20-footers and a curving 15-footer for birdie in the first five holes.

The next day, Woods produced a brilliant birdie-eagle finish to grab a one-stroke lead going into the final round.

At the 573-yard closing hole, he launched a five wood 227 yards to the green before rolling in a 40-foot eagle putt to spark deafening roars from the watching galleries.

In Sunday's final round, Woods again struggled with his game and trailed fellow American Rocco Mediate by a shot coming down the last.

As if on cue, Woods rolled in a 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th green, his ball curling in from the right edge, to force an 18-hole playoff with Mediate. Again, the crowd raised the decibel level to fever pitch.

Most of the fist pump moments at last week's U.S. Open were triggered by Woods and fans will simply have to look elsewhere for their golfing fix over the coming months.

(Editing by Justin Palmer)