Fri Oct 01 01:25pm EDT
For complete Ryder Cup coverage, follow Yahoo! Sports' Devil Ball Golf on Twitter at @jaybusbee.
It wouldn't be right in 2010 if we didn't have Tiger Woods off-course drama coinciding with a significant golf tournament. And right on cue, as the Ryder Cup tees off in Wales, Tiger Woods' older half-brother Earl has gone on the record criticizing Woods for his extramarital behavior.
Earl Woods Jr., along with his brother Kevin and sister Royce, are the children of the late Earl Woods Sr. and Earl's first wife, Barbara. Tiger Woods is the only child of Earl Woods and his second wife Tida.
Although they have not been in frequent contact, Earl Woods Jr. (pictured with Earl Sr. in the photo at right) spoke critically of Woods to FOX's Phoenix affiliate on Thursday, saying Woods' actions were "stupid" and that Earl Sr. would have been "disappointed" in Woods' behavior. No word on why Earl Woods Jr. was airing his thoughts now, more than 10 months after that fateful Escalade wreck, but he couldn't have been more clear in his words:
"My dad would be very disappointed in [Tiger]," Woods Jr. said, "and he would probably want to know how he will fix it. You know, 'You're old enough to get into this mess. How are you going to repair that?'" The full video is below:
More follows.
This isn't the first time that we've seen a "what would your father think?" tinge to a criticism of Woods. Recall the Nike commercial from April, when Earl Woods' voice was used to imply both criticism and encouragement of Tiger:
Most observers have credited Earl Woods' early coaching with instilling in Tiger a desire to win no matter what the distractions. But as for how Tiger became the complete player he is, Earl Woods Jr. gave some of the credit -- or blame -- to Tiger's mother (and Earl's stepmother) Tida. "[Tiger] has a very strong drive to punish," Earl Woods Jr. said. "Tida, my stepmother, has a very strong, you know, 'embarrass them, humiliate them, drag them through the mud [approach to life].'"
[Photos: Tiger Woods, on and off the green]
Earl Woods Jr. already has more than a passing familiarity with the pressures of big-time golf. His daughter Cheyenne Woods is one of the most acclaimed amateur golfers in the country, and she's drawn frequent comparisons to her world-famous uncle.
[Related: Team USA's Ryder Cup wardrobe malfuction]
Earl Woods Jr. has said he hopes that Tiger will "reach out" to him and the rest of the extended Woods family, though this is a curious way of inviting him back into the fold. Still, if Woods does decide to spend this Thanksgiving with his siblings, it couldn't possibly be as bad as last year's was.
In other Tiger Woods news, Annika Sorenstam recently sat down with Yahoo! Sports' Graham Bensinger and discussed many topics, including her respect for Tiger, and the times she beat him on the course:
More of Sorenstam's interview with Bensinger is available right here.
For complete Ryder Cup coverage, follow Yahoo! Sports' Devil Ball Golf on Twitter at @jaybusbee.
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Posted Jun 26 2012
Woods press conference before AT&T National
Posted Jun 26 2012
Hossler news conference before AT&T National
Posted Jun 26 2012
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