Tiger who? Australians skip Woods for the tees

Nov 2, 2010, 1:23 GMT

Sydney - Golf fans this year are opting for a round themselves rather than giving up a morning to watch struggling US superstar Tiger Woods sharpen his game for next week's defence of his Australian Masters title in Melbourne.

Tickets to the Masters, which last year sold out six weeks in advance, are still available for the four-day event beginning November 11, organizers said Tuesday.

Thousands paid just to watch the 14-time major winner limber up in 2009, but in a week that is likely to see Woods end his 281-week run as world number 1, the practice rounds are no longer a spectacle.

'It was the first time he'd been here in 11 years, and, at that time, I guess there were people who thought he may not be here for another chance to see him,' event organizer David Rollo said of last year's amazing scenes. 'So, from that point of view, there was no question last year was a unique set of circumstances.'

The uniqueness this year will be Woods - if he fails at this week's HSBC Champions event in Shanghai - trying to hang onto his last remaining title and justify an appearance fee of around 3 million US dollars.

Also notable is that the 2009 Australian Masters was the prelude to a scandal over extramarital affairs. One of his alleged mistresses, Rachel Uchitel, was a guest at Melbourne's Crown Towers Hotel at the same time Woods stayed there during the tournament.

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