TULSA, Okla. -- Professional golf has long had its share of one-man, multimillion-dollar conglomerates, going back to Arnold Palmer in the 1960s. And the PGA Tour has had its megastars nicknamed after ferocious animals -- The Bear and The Shark most prominent among them.
But in Tiger Woods, golf has found something new.
A player to change its lily-white image.
A player to bring the game to the masses.
A player who suddenly has transcended the sport.
With two victories in his first seven tournaments as a pro, Woods is merely adding to a still hard-to-believe legend that began at age 4, when he was beating 10-year-olds in tournaments while growing up in Cypress, Calif.
"What he's doing now is just the fruits of all those years of hard work," said his coach, Butch Harmon.
His performance has immediately justified the unprecedented endorsement deals Woods, 20, signed when he announced his intention to turn pro. They came within days after Woods won his third straight U.S. Amateur and are worth an estimated $60 million, more than half of which came from Nike.
And it has thrust Woods into a role that he appears alternately comfortable in and suffocated by: a savior for a tour that, with few exceptions, seems to be in desperate need of a personality transplant as well as a role model for young black athletes who'll never dunk like Michael Jordan or run like Michael Johnson.
"I think it's great if it brings in more people to the golf course," Woods said earlier this week at Southern Hills Country Club, where he began competing yesterday in the $3 million Tour Championship.
"It boosts golf. It's a lot like what Arnold did in his day. I thought if I kept progressing in golf and came on the tour, I thought I could help bring more minorities into the game. I thought that would be my biggest impact.
"It has been and will continue to be. But also the impact on the kids, that's something I love to do. I love doing clinics. I love helping them out. I think that's the biggest impact I've made so far. I'm telling you, just look at my galleries and you'll see the difference."
Tom Strong, executive director of the Greater Milwaukee Open, saw that difference the week Woods turned pro. The crowds weren't noticeably larger than the ones John Daly attracted when he played there for the first time last year, but they were considerably more diverse in age and color.
"What I saw were a lot more families, a lot more juniors and a lot more minorities," said Strong. "It's a great shot in the arm. If you look at our high school sports programs, more and more are dropping golf. His being out there will encourage other kids, especially inner-city kids, to play."
That is what the Rev. F. Leon Birch is hoping for. Birch, the pastor at the Progressive Baptist Church of Tulsa, left a state convention some 200 miles away at 12: 30 a.m. yesterday so he could be among the huge gallery to watch Woods tee off. To Birch, it was worth losing a few hours' sleep.
"This has been a door that culturally and economically was closed for us in the past," said Birch. "His age and youth, his tremendous integrity and charisma will have a dramatic impact. He'll hopefully turn our gang-bangers to look to the links instead of the streets, to the clubhouses instead of the crackhouses."
But dangers lurk for Woods and the young players trying to emulate him.
For Woods, it comes from becoming the most visible client for Cleveland-based International Management Group and the player most responsible for getting Nike's golf division off the ground. Hughes Norton, who represents Woods for IMG, has been accused of burning out a few of his high-priced clients, most recently Greg Norman and Nick Price.
"There's always a danger of being overexposed," said Bob Williams, president of Burns Sports Celebrity, a Chicago company that matches athletes with the products they endorse. "Michael Jordan has continued to walk that line, but with Michael, this all took place gradually. Tiger has just exploded onto the scene faster than any other athlete I've ever seen.
"He's quickly approaching a [Ken] Griffey and Shaq [O'Neal]," added Williams. "If there's anyone who can rival Michael -- and I don't think there is -- it's Tiger. But I think he can be a strong No. 2."
Tim Sanders is concerned about inner-city youths trying to emulate Woods, just as they tried to be like Jordan. As the head pro at Forest Park for the past 19 years, Sanders is one of two black pros at the five courses run by the Baltimore Municipal Golf Corporation.
"It's going to have a tremendous impact because of the financial backing he's got," said Sanders, who runs a junior program for some 100 minority golfers each summer. "But they're going to see it as a way out, just like kids who play basketball see what Michael Jordan's done as a way out. I don't think the impact would be as great if the financial backing wasn't there."
