Except Tiger kept it alive, by dodging the police and not offering a simple explanation up front.

It’s tempting to say that lots of athletes have had their troubles played out in public, except this is so minor compared to most of them. There was probably nothing criminal in this, unless the cops decide to cite him for driving like a lunkhead, or for destroying city property. This isn’t an athlete whose pristine career has suddenly become tarnished by a major character flaw. This is a blip.

The problem is his reaction to it, and his failure to recognize how much worse he’s making it by not coming forward and addressing it immediately. He is a public figure. He has to understand that if his dog does his business in the neighbor’s yard, it’s a story. If he inadvertently drops a gum wrapper in the street, it’s a story.

It’s that whiff of corporate arrogance that is the issue, that willingness by Tiger to step back and let his machine crank out an insufficient and unsatisfactory explanation. It may work now — guys who scream “You da man!” with his every swing will forget about this in three months — but what about when something really significant happens?

Video   Woods slams rumors about crash Nov. 29: The golfer cancelled another meeting with troopers, but did comment about the crash on his Web site, calling the incident his fault, and labeling rumors as “unfounded.” NBC’s Mark Potter reports.

When celebrities attain a certain level, they believe that throwing money at a situation will make it disappear. They hire PR consultants who lead them down a path of statements and strategies that rarely are based in common sense, and almost never resonate with the general public. That is always what happens when the goal is manipulation rather than honesty.

He turns 34 next month. He has a lot of golf left. He has even more product pitching left. And chances are, he’ll have more incidents. I certainly hope he never does anything to jeopardize his health, his family and his career, because there are scant few role models on the sporting landscape. But another rough spot or two is inevitable.

He needs to step back from his demolition derby moment and study it, so that he will be sure to do better on the next test.

I have stood at a tee box a time or two, swung and missed. Now Tiger knows how I feel.

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