Economic woes hit Thai 'Tiger Fever'

Economic woes hit Thai 'Tiger Fever'

By Robert Horn

PHUKET, Thailand (AP): Thailand still loves Tiger Woods. But
"Tiger Fever" has cooled along with the Southeast Asian country's
economy.

When Woods made his professional Thai debut last year to
destroy the field in the Asian Honda Classic, Thailand treated
him as a hero returning home. The American golfer's mother,
Kultida, is a native of Thailand.

A TV crew rushed aboard Tiger's arriving plane at Bangkok's
airport to film him live unbuckling his seat belt. He was
showered with flowers wherever he went, the prime minister gave
him a medal, and a campaign was launched to make him an honorary
Thai citizen until legal problems arose.

What a difference a year makes.

Back then, Thailand was still considered an Asian miracle
economy. Now, the country is one of the worst-hit in Asia's
financial collapse. The government has changed and the national
mood is no longer one of celebration.

"The fad has gone," said Kavi Chongkittavorn, executive editor
of The Nation newspaper, which has relegated Tiger from the front
page to the sports page. "Like many other fads, it cannot stay on
forever."

Just two dozen spectators trailed the charismatic American
golfer as he played Wednesday's pro-am in preparation for the US$
1.3 million Johnnie Walker Classic, the first tournament on the
far-flung 1998 European tour.

Larger crowds are expected during the tournament, but they are
unlikely to rival the 4,000 Tiger stalkers who packed the
galleries daily last February at a course near Bangkok.

Somchai Sahachiroongruang, a deputy government spokesman,
believes Tiger Fever is a victim of the recession: "Golf is a
sport and also a business. There may be fewer sponsors this
year."

Woods, noting the quieter reception, agreed: "It's a big part
of it."

Woods also attributed the more relaxed reception to the
tournament's location, the resort island of Phuket, 690
kilometers southwest of the capital, Bangkok, home to most of the
country's golf fans and media.

"Last year was in Bangkok, and the Thai media is pretty
large," Woods said. "Plus, last year it was a big deal because it
was my first time coming to Thailand as a professional."

Slumping exports and a financial and currency crisis sent
Thailand's economic fortunes into the rough in mid-1997,
requiring a $17.2 billion bailout led by the International
Monetary Fund.

Thailand's troubles triggered a regional economic downturn and
the country is not out of the woods yet.

Last year, Tiger's coming was heavily promoted and nationalism
was fanned by the notion that a person with Thai origins could
reach such heights, said Kiatchai Pongpanich, editor and
publisher of the Khao Sod newspaper.

"Today, he is still good but the situation is different,"
Kiatichai said. "I mean, it doesn't matter who is coming, people
here are not going to care. They have other problems on their
mind."

The government has no plans this year to honor the world's
top-ranked golfer, Somchai said.

Woods doesn't seem to care. He said that playing in Phuket was
"paradise" and sentimentally special because he was invited there
as an amateur in 1994 to play in the Johnnie Walker Classic.

It was the first time Woods made the cut on the pro tour. He
finished tied for 34th.

He'll probably fare better this year but faces a tough field
in Ernie Els, the South Africa winner of the 1997 U.S. Open, plus
Ian Woosnam of Wales, Jose Maria Olazabal of Spain, and England's
Ryder Cup sensation, Lee Westwood.