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Victoria should be applauded for luring Tiger Woods to the Australian Masters, according to golf star Stuart Appleby.
Appleby said securing Woods’ attendance was a major coup for the state-backed Masters, which had beaten a host of foreign tournaments clamouring for his presence.
And he said his $3 million price tag would be effortlessly repaid through extra economic activity generated by Woods’ appearance.
“It will be great for the game and bring out a lot of people who haven’t seen him before – in person, not on a video game,” Appleby said.
“There’s a lot of people hurting in Australia, and they might look negatively that one guy is paid $3 million just to turn up.
“The common man won’t understand the business model because the government is paying for it.
“They might not see the money he brings in.”
But he predicted huge galleries for Woods at Kingston Heath.
“He not been down here since the (1998) Presidents Cup,” Appleby said.
“He’s been to Asia multiple times. He’s been to Europe multiple times. I think it’s good that he’s bringing his game to Australia.”
Appleby, a close friend of Woods, said the World No.1 was coming to Melbourne because he wanted to, not because of any appearance fee.
Appleby said late last year during the launch of the 2009 Masters at Kingston Heath that the hardest thing facing tournaments was getting Woods to say `yes.’.
“There’s a whole bunch of people fighting for his time. There would be dozens of places he’d be saying ‘no’ to,” Appleby said.
“It won’t be that we’re not potentially offering him enough, it’s just that he goes ‘I’m busy'”.
He said if Woods had decided not to play in Melbourne the reason would not be money, “it’s just he’d rather do something else.”
Woods appearance at the Masters from November 12-15 – along with Victoria’s World No.4 Geoff Ogilvy – undermines the prestige of the Australian Open which will be staged at the New South Wales Golf Club from December 3-6.
However Open organisers Golf Australia deny Woods’ decision to play only in Melbourne, would detract from the prestige of the Open or drain precious sponsorship from the national championship.
GA chief executive Stephen Pitt said Woods had “come under consideration” for this year’s Australian Open but he was not annoyed the Masters had scored golf’s biggest single coup.
“Our primary focus really is as the governing body of golf and to make golf stronger,” Pitt said.
“We do view the Australian Open as a strategy to help do that and I guess we’re very secure in how we see the Australian Open – it’s prestige and the importance in which it’s held.
“From Golf Australia’s point of view we’re excited that he’ll be coming to Australia. We think it will increase the awareness and profile of golf.
“Certainly it’s tough economic times but I think the Australian Open as a property remains as strong as it ever has been.”
Woods played in the Australian Masters at Huntingdale in 1997, finishing in joint fifth place and in the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne the following year.
He made his debut in Australia in the 1996 Australian Open, where he tied for fifth behind Greg Norman.