Branding Tiger a cheat was nothing but a cheap shot

American TV commentator Brandel Chamblee has damaged himself and the good name of golf with his disparaging remarks about Tiger Woods.

When Chamblee talked about Woods being ‘cavalier in his attitude to the rules’, he was calling the World No 1’s integrity into question. In my mind, Tiger Woods is absolutely and utterly not a cheat.

Who is Chamblee anyway? He was a journeyman pro on the PGA Tour, who won once in 18 years. Now he’s controversial and forthright on the Golf Channel, but he took that to a new level with these disparaging remarks about Tiger.

Chamblee has since apologised but the damage was already done.

The incidents this year involving Woods at The Masters, in Abu Dhabi and in Chicago have all been complex, with difficult rulings. On each occasion, it almost felt like trial by TV, exacerbated by the modern slow-motion cameras that can pick up the tiniest things that are beyond the naked eye.

Woods received a two-shot penalty in each of those events, which is sufficient punishment. Disqualification for signing for a wrong score would have been too severe.

If there was a question mark over Woods’ integrity, there is no way his peers would have voted him as their Player of the Year on the PGA Tour. Since he turned pro in 1996, Woods has faced more scrutiny than any other player in the sport’s history.

He always has the biggest galleries and is followed by hordes of photographers and TV cameras. With all that scrutiny, how could he knowingly cheat?

What Chamblee has also done is bring into question the integrity of Woods’ playing partners on the occasions he has been penalised. They’re marking Woods’ score and have to check he drops his ball correctly and obeys the rules.

I’ve been a pro since I was 18, and have never played with anyone who deliberately cheated. In fact, many times it was the opposite. Players came over to me to say they had done something wrong and to call a two-shot penalty on themselves.

However, I was on the Tournament Committee when instances of cheating were raised. On one occasion, a young player was guilty of moving the ball in the rough, and we dealt with him severely.

Golf prides itself on its integrity. We should be proud of how our game is self-policed and that needs to be upheld and we can do without cheap shots like this one from Chamblee.