Golf Writers Association Boycotts Woods “Press Conference”

The Golf Writers Association of America—led by Detroit’s own Vartan Kupelian—will boycott the Woods media event on Friday. Woods’ handlers—who want to avoid anything going off-script—are restricting media attendance to just three pool reporters, and had offered the spots to members of the GWAA. Those pool reporters, however, would have been little more than hood ornaments on Tiger’s Buick, for no questions are to be permitted. It’s clear that Team Tiger only wants the reporters there to provide some sort of “legitimacy” to the event.

Following the boycott announcement, the three spots were given to reporters from the Associated Press, Reuters and Bloomberg. Shame on them for participating in a fraud. If questions aren’t permitted, there’s no sense in having a reporter at the event. They can just watch it on the Golf Channel.

Other reporters will be able to view the event in a room a mile away via television. They, too, might as well stay home and watch it on the Golf Channel.

This boycott just affirms my view that it’s a public relations disaster.