Waiting for Goydos, er, Godot, no, Tiger

Waiting for Godot, the 20th-century existential masterpiece by Samuel Beckett, spends several hours during the play examining two characters who essentially end up doing nothing and appear to have no meaning. (See final episode of Seinfeld for the modern-day version of WFG.) . The main characters,Vladimir and Estragon,  spend the better part of two days onstage (and apparently a great deal of time outside the parameters of the play) waiting for a person, Godot,  that is expected any minute now, but never comes.  The playwright, Samuel Beckett, was tight-lipped as to the meaning of the play, leaving critics, academics and  theatergoers to draw their own widely-varied conclusions.  The play itself might be summed up in the first line of the play, which is repeated throughout, “Nothing to be done.”

 

The Golf World is a Lonely Place Without Tiger

Speaking of nothing to be done, after announcing that he was returning to the PGA Tour after a 14-month hiatus, Woods dramatically renounced his commitment to play in the Safeway Open in Napa, California three days before the event was to start several weeks ago.  Woods also announced his  withdrawal from the Turkish Airlines Open to be played November 3-6, 2016.

“After a lot of soul searching and honest reflection, I know that I am not yet ready to play on the PGA Tour or compete in Turkey,” Woods wrote on his web site. “My health is good, and I feel strong, but my game is vulnerable and not where it needs to be.”

In Tiger’s absence , Brendan Steele took home the Safeway Open’s $1,080,000 first place prize.

Now the golf world waits with bated breath to see if Tiger will honor his commitment to play in the  Hero World Challenge to be played in the Bahamas December 1-4, 2016.  This tournament benefits the Tiger Woods Foundation so there is every incentive for Tiger to participate.  If his game is still ”vulnerable”, then like Estragon and Vladomir, the golf world, assured that Woods will  arrive soon, will wait, bickering, contemplating self-destruction, but, knowing we will be saved when he arrives, we do not move.

Carly Simon foretold our existential dilemma many years ago.  Or just wrote a ketchup commercial.  In any event, for Tiger, these may be the good old days.

Carly Waits, Also

ANTICIPATION

Written by Carly E. Simon

Copyright © Universal Music Publishing Group,

BMG Rights Management US, LLC

We can never know about the rounds to come
But we think about Tiger anyway, PGA
And you wonder if you’re game is really with it now
Or if you’re chasin' after some fat pipe dream

Anticipation, anticipation
Is makin' you late
Is keepin' us waitin'

And I tell you how easy it feels to root for you
And how right the Hero Challenge could be
But I, I rehearsed those lines just late last night
When I was thinkin' about how right Augusta might be

Anticipation, anticipation
Is makin' you late
Is keepin' us waitin'

Game vulnerable,  you might not win another
I'm no prophet and I don't know swing coach’s ways
But I'll try and hazard a guess  right now
You’ll stay on fourteen 'cause these are the good old days

And stay right there 'cause these are the good old days
(These are the good old days)
(These are the good old days)
(These are the good old days)
(These are.....the good old days)

And stay on fourteen  'cause these are the good old days
(These are the good old days)
(These are the good old days)
(These are the good old days)
(These are.....the good old days)

AMDG

Copyright R.E. Kelly 2012-2017