"Not everything had been revealed. So I'm not sure how he could come out before there was full resolution to everything."

As Thanksgiving arrives, Doug Ferguson files a comprehensive recap of the events that followed Tiger's November 27th car accident and includes fresh comments from Team Tiger.

There was one interesting quote from agent Mark Steinberg, defending the PR debacle in the accident's aftermath.

Every expert in public relations and crisis management had a field day, blasting his management team for keeping him in hiding as rumors and innuendo filled the void. A year later, Steinberg isn't convinced it was mishandled.

"First of all, I don't think anyone has ever experienced this. There certainly was not a road map how to deal with this," he said. "We consulted with some people who deal with crisis management, and that was the consensus we got."

But there was more in play. What began with one mistress, maybe two, soon turned into many more. How many? Who knows? Even if some of the alleged mistresses were making it up, it's not as though the Woods' camp was in any position to deny it.

"You still had some of it true, some of it not true," Steinberg said. "Not everything had been revealed. So I'm not sure how he could come out before there was full resolution to everything. That's really the main reason."

How did Steinberg know then that "not everything" had been revealed when he supposedly knew nothing?

Steve Elling best sums up why the last week's PR campaign fell flat.

Woods' uncharacteristic appearance on the Internet, in national magazines and on cable TV chat shows last week brought his troubles bubbling back to the surface, and opinions raged as ever before. His mood on the ESPN show was variously described as subdued or humbled to completely insincere. In other words, the fan base remains acutely divided, and he just drop-kicked the hornet's nest again.

It was all pointless. Like his 6-under run over the closing six holes at the Aussie Masters earlier this month, it was too little, too late. In fact, if his scandal aftermath hadn't been absolutely butchered by his management at IMG, the media barrage of last week is a path Woods should have taken 10 or 11 months ago. Where was all this humility in January when the damage needed to be controlled and contrition offered?

And if you are looking for a giggle, Jay Busbee digs up his original post on last year's National Enquirer story that started the long, national golfing nightmare. The comments are great fun.

"Within time I am confident there will be a global brand that will be using his name and likeness."

Darren Rovell talks to agent Mark Steinberg about the big, bad media, global brands and other Tiger-related stuff. And we find out that it was not the anniversary prompting the new image campaign and pursuit of endorsements.

The thing was, I wasn't just going to pick a date and decide that that would be the date that we'd engage in the marketplace and seek new sponsors. It had to really be the right time and four weeks ago, we knew it was the right time. That's when we started talking business again.

Darren: How did you know it was the right time?

Steinberg: We commissioned a study that involved polling of a certain target demographic.

Darren: So it was, in a way, scientific, not necessarily about the year anniversary of the events.

Steinberg: Right.

Iconic Trophies Highlight Golfing Year And George O'Grady's Love Of Posing

I'm not sure what's more giggle-worthy, the European Tour Commissioner's pose or the garrish Dubai World Championship loot Lee Westwood's posing with. What's that in Westwood's right hand, a gold-plated mace? Is he going to be leading a high-end marching band?

New Jumeirah Landscaping Beginning To Take Hold

I believe those are native plants sprouting around the unfinished homes that cameras will work hard to not show us at Jumeirah Estates during this week's Dubai event. Lawrence Donegan Tweets:

"He picks his clubs up for one month and gets to the final stage."

Great story by Doug Ferguson on Brett Waldman, luggage looper for Camilo Villegas and Q-school finalist after picking up his clubs a month ago for the pre-qualifier.

Waldman shot a 68 in the final round at the TPC Craig Ranch outside Dallas last week and made it through yet another stage of PGA Tour qualifying. He is one of only nine players still alive after starting this improbable journey by having to go through pre-qualifying. Now he's in next week's final stage at Orange County National in Orlando, where the top 25 earn their tour cards.

"Some of these guys who do it for a living, they play and practice all year through," said Lance Bennett, the caddie for Matt Kuchar who was on the bag for Waldman the last two stages. "He picks his clubs up for one month and gets to the final stage."

Pelz: "The USGA has taken away 50 percent of the spin from the amateurs."

Brian Wacker files a Q&A with Dave Pelz and the short game guru isn't too happy with the groove rule change. While I appreciate his sentiment about doing something other than the ball, I'm sensing this is a bit of an overstatement.

And my pet peeve is the USGA changed the grooves rule this year and said it wouldn't affect the amateurs because they don't hit many greens in regulation. Well it turns out after watching the pros [this year] that it hardly affected the pros at all because they're good enough to play around it. The USGA took good data and misinterpreted that data. The amateurs are the ones who hit greens with wedges; they don't hit greens with 4-irons. The first question I always get asked at clinics is how can I get more spin on my wedges? Mine don't stop like pros do. The USGA has taken away 50 percent of the spin from the amateurs. It was a terrible decision, the worst decision the USGA has ever made. Change the ball or change the driver. Don't change the wedges for amateurs.

Anything For The Fifth Of Four: Rory And Lee Get An Extra Tournament To Ensure They Make It To The Players**

Lawrence Donegan reports on a new policy board-approved clause that lets some elite non-member international players to get in one more PGA Tour appearance than originally thought.

"I spoke to them last week and I can play three world golf championships [in the US], four majors, the Players Championship and three invites," Westwood said.

The Englishman's problem was that in addition to the 10 most obvious events he also wanted to play in the St Jude Classic in Memphis, a tournament he won last year. "That adds up to 11. I would then have to pick between the Players and Memphis, and I don't think anyone would have wanted that, not the PGA tour or the sponsors."

The concession to Westwood, who snubbed the PGA Tour in fairly forthright terms, lends weight to the belief that the tectonic plates of global golf are shifting to the disadvantage of an organisation which has long been the richest and most powerful entity in the sport.

Doug Ferguson explains how was less about the strength of the tour and more about The Players.

Players who resign their membership or fail to play the minimum 15 events face a five-year period of playing only 10 Tour events. Westwood gave up his U.S. membership in 2008 when he played only 10 times, while McIlroy decided this year to resign his membership.

Westwood prefers to play the Honda Classic (situated between two World Golf Championships), the Houston Open (the week before the Masters), and the St. Jude Classic, where he is the defending champion. Throw in The Players Championship, which has the deepest field and offers the highest purse in golf, and he would have to decide.

Update on Wednesday, November 24, 2010 at 08:25 AM by Geoff

**So much for Rory coming to Ponte Vedra. From Paul Mahoney on Twitter:

Johnny: "Sometimes I wonder how the world would be if there were a million Johnny Millers."

There are many great anecdotes and observations in Jaime Diaz's Golf Digest profile of Johnny Miller, but naturally I'm drawn to the stuff about his passion for picking up highway litter and a third person reference.

Miller also conveys inner strength. His resolve in his beliefs is what has given his 41-year marriage to Linda such stability, his devotion to his Mormon faith (fostered by his late mother, Ida) such depth, and perhaps subliminally, his commentary such authority. As much talking as he does, Miller definitely walks the walk. He is known to stop on highways near his homes in Pebble Beach, Utah and Napa to fill trash bags with litter. Over the years he has refurbished 15 ranches, taking them from disrepair to trophy properties.

"When I was a Boy Scout, I learned that lesson of leaving your campsite better than you found it," he says. "I try to equate that to life, and I wish more people did. Sometimes I wonder how the world would be if there were a million Johnny Millers. I guess some would disagree, but I think it would be a better place."

Why Couldn't Designated Tournaments Opt-Out?

I heard from another couple of tour insiders who insist that Tiger and Phil were NOT to blame for the demise of the designated tournament concept, but instead, it was a select few events fearful of the branding issues that came with such a designation.

And I have no doubt there are some tournaments out there incapable of getting over the ego blow and accepting a little help.

However, why couldn't the tour simply let a tournament decline the option?

Kaymer Passes On PGA Tour Membership, With A Twist

He is going to play a few more times in the U.S., so hardly the slap that it will may be portrayed as. Alistair Tait reports.

“It really doesn’t fit for me playing both tours next year,” Kaymer said on the eve of the Dubai World Championship. “So I will stick to the European Tour. I will play probably two or three more events in America but I will play in Europe.

“I consider the European Tour my home. That is where I feel comfortable. I think you play against the best players in the world, with the number one in the world, Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy, you have all of the great players here.”

All?

"It's time to accept that the sport is in a much better place than it was 10 years ago, but it's not the next great sport that's going to give the NFL, NBA or Major League Baseball a run for its money in terms of nationwide relevance."

That's Darren Rovell writing for CNBC about...NASCAR and its second straight year with a big ratings decline and the dreadful 10-race chase inspiring no one.

But it's worth reading because you can see so many parallels with professional golf, with a couple of major differences: its demographic isn't as wealthy and its tracks are not golf courses. So we've got that going for us.

They start with the economy, which is a valid excuse for the big attendance drops for NASCAR, which basically seek to host a huge crowd every Sunday in a different venue. But it doesn't hold water with TV. If people stay at home instead of go to the race, why aren't they tuning in?

Other excuses have included uniform starting times and races that are too long. Funny, the reason the organization changed start times is because different start times were hypothesized as one of the reasons for ratings declines. As for the length of races, I haven't seen much data that shows that people tune in for the final 20 laps or so to catch the end like that might late in the fourth quarter of an NBA game.

Then comes the rivalry argument or the lack of wins by important drivers. There just aren't many head to head battles people want to see, the reasoning goes. The truth is, the last great battle was Dale Earnhardt Sr. vs. Jeff Gordon and yet new fans came in droves in the five years after Dale Earnhardt died in 2001.

"Making the swing I want him to make isn't that difficult for him, it's just that there's always going to be traces of every shot he's ever hit."

Brian Wacker talks to Sean Foley about working with Tiger and it's refreshing on many levels, most noticeably in the honesty department. If only Tiger surrounded himself with more people like Foley...

Anyway, there only one trace of doublespeak and it's fun.

What's been the hardest thing Tiger's had to adjust to?

The pattern of movement is much different than what he's done. He's always moved off the ball, except in junior golf, and then his arms were always out in front of him rather than working in on the arc. But when you have residual motor patterns, they always come back in. Making the swing I want him to make isn't that difficult for him, it's just that there's always going to be traces of every shot he's ever hit.

Is that a nice way of saying even Tiger has swing thought demons like the rest of us?