Tiger braves threats, appears for NZ Open

Paraparauma:

Despite a threatening cyanide letter being posted to the US embassy in New Zealand this week world number one golfer Tiger Woods chose to travel for the New Zealand Open. The 2001 Masters champion is being paid a huge appearance fee to make his first trip to the country but the real motivation was of course his caddy. Tiger Woods' globe trotting act which has taken him to countries like Thailand and now New Zealand is always a red carpet occasion. This time though, it was really different - a traditional Maori welcome. Tiger's arrival was televised live and New Zealand police have been on high alert especially after a letter filled with cyanide was mailed to the US embassy threatening to disrupt his visit. But Woods was determined to make the trip which materialised because of a US$ 2 million appearance fee and of course because of his caddie Steve Williams who is a New Zealander. And many of the questions at the press conference focussed around Tiger's friendship with his caddie. A few of them went like this: Q: What kind of jokes do you tell - you have a few laughs along the way, don't you? Woods: The jokes that we say probably aren't rated PG 13. Q:What do you think about being applauded for your technique in raking out a bunker? Woods: That was pretty funny actually, I'm trying to save Stevie for the tournament, I don't want him to hurt his back. Q:Tiger, you're probably the most eligible bachelor in the world. What hope is there for a Kiwi girl? Woods: Wow, that is a great question, yes I am eligible. He's eligible and he's looking for his first win of the year but watching Tiger Woods comes at a price. Tickets for this week's New Zealand open cost US$ 200. They were just 20 dollars last year.