As you approach Sun City, the venue of last weekend’s Nedbank Golf Challenge, there is a massive Sun International billboard with a seductive-looking Charlize Theron purring “Easy Tiger”.
Now this is an obvious reference to Tiger Woods’s prowess on the golf course and not to that of his latter-day status as an insatiable Lothario. My cousin and I packed up laughing as our car weaved into the glamorous Sun City complex.
We had been discussing the Tiger Woods sex scandal ad nauseum since we left Johannesburg. Since his spectacular fall from grace has dominated headlines I was certain that it would be the major topic of discussion among the well-heeled who make the annual trek to the North West resort for what is South Africa’s richest golf tournament.
Now the place to be at the tournament is without a doubt the Nedbank marquee where you schmooze and mingle with the who’s who of South African society. The true diehards will walk the course and follow the players. But the spectators who are there to people watch simply while away the day in the comfort of the air-conditioned marquee, debate some of the most pertinent and scintillating issues, which a journalist friend of mine described as such: Khanyi Mbau vs Kelly Khumalo, Joost and Amor, the World Cup, the national democratic revolution, the significance of Copenhagen and, of course, the downfall of Tiger Woods.
It seemed at first that people were reluctant to express their views on the Tiger topic while we were on the hallowed greens, no matter how much I tried to bait them into it. It seemed to be sacrilegious to speak about the disgraceful behaviour of the man who for years has been revered for his legendary skill on the golf course and is considered its reigning king.
It was only once people retired to the relaxed atmosphere of their hotel poolsides, bars and restaurants that it became safe to raise the subject, with tongues loosened by a day of quaffing down complimentary drinks.
The big question seems to be this: if squeaky clean Tiger was doing it, how many other married men must be philandering? Some men were outraged and shell-shocked at this suggestion, arguing that they can’t all be judged by the indiscretions or weakness of one man, while others took umbrage not to Tiger’s infidelity per se but rather to the fact that he was foolish enough to get caught.
There was no such mercy from the women. I overheard the wife of a prominent banker say that if it were true that Tiger’s wife, Elin, had whacked him with a golf club after finding out about his numerous indiscretions, she was disappointed by Elin’s aim: she should, suggested the banker’s wife, have gone straight for the offending body part. Ouch.
We debated whether Elin should forgive him and do the “I’ll stand by my man” bit, which has been practised by many prominent and long-suffering wives. I argued that given Tiger’s numerous liaisons — at last count the size of a soccer team — and the fact that he is reported to have told his mistresses that he was unhappy in his marriage and that the marriage itself may have been a publicity stunt, there was no point in keeping up the charade. Elin should take the money and run. I was shot down for this view by some who said, that because she was an au pair before she married Tiger, she should forgive him, stay put and enjoy the billion-dollar lifestyle.
For many black people, though, there doesn’t seem to be much sympathy for Tiger Woods. This centres on his persistent refusal to identify himself as black (he says he is “Cablinasian” — caucasian, black, Indian and Asian). Black people across the globe would’ve wanted to take pride in his extraordinary achievements, as they have with Barack Obama, but he has robbed us of that and, as a result, now that he finds himself in this mess, he is on his own. Someone even suggested that Tiger’s downfall was brought about by his refusal to claim his black ancestory and that he was now facing the wrath of his ancestors. To appease them, it was suggested, he should slaughter a beast to ask for forgiveness. I wondered how that might go down with his neighbours in Florida.