He Said/She Said: Would you want to be Tiger?

• By Bailey Mosier , Golf Guy
• Jul 18, 2012 7:30 PM ET

During his news conference on Wednesday, former champion David Duval was asked a question about his current relationship with Tiger Woods. Amongst other things, Duval had this to say, "We were decent friends 10 years ago, 12 years ago. We talked a fair amount. Now, are we friends? I guess so. We don’t talk.

“I wouldn’t hesitate to have a beer with him, but it would probably have to be hidden in some house somewhere. It’s not like he can go to the public and do it.”

Duval then went on to add that he would not like having the scrutiny Tiger endures every day of his life. So the Golf Guy and Birdie Bailey asked each other the question: Would you like to be Tiger Woods?

By BIRDIE BAILEY

I think there are two ways to answer this question. The first, in its most literal sense: Would I like to switch lives with Tiger Woods today? The answer to that is not a shot in H-E-double hockey sticks. He is one of the most scrutinized, criticized and over-analyzed athletes of all time and is under constant media and fan surveillance. Everyone in the world – be it in a public forum or in circles of friends – have taken their shots at Tiger Woods. No way, no how would I want to be under a microscope every second of every day of my life. Whew. That exhausts me just thinking about it.

Now, to look at that question from a second angle: Would I like to possess Tiger Woods' ability to succeed? To that question, I would say yes. I wouldn't necessarily prefer to possess god-like talent in golf, but whatever my passion, I could only be so lucky to have Tiger's talent, drive, work ethic or success rate. There's no denying Tiger is a superb athlete with tremendous success. If a little bit of that could somehow rub off on me, I'd willingly accept.

By GOLF GUY

Absolutely not. Despite the fame and fortune, the insane gifts he was blessed with and results he has earned on the golf course, I could not handle/want the burning eye of that red-hot spotlight. Not sure exactly when a superstar athlete/movie star's private life overtook the actual work they do, but when it did, it became – for the most part – a living nightmare. The media, Internet, TMZ, and yes, even He Said/She Said all chime in with thoughts. Can you imagine going through life knowing everyone is staring at you when you're in public? Scandal or not, Tiger has and will always be dissected more than any human should be. Not making any excuses for him ... just saying.

Then again, I would LOVE to have that mansion in Jupiter, that mind-boggling yacht named 'Privacy,' close to a billion dollars in the bank, my own PGA Tour event, 14 major championships and a private G-5 airplane.

So thanks, but no thanks. I'll stick with being the poor, anonymous Golf Guy.