SOME GOLFERS COMPLAIN THERE ARE TOO MANY ... : EYES ON THE TIGER

We hold this truth to be self-evident: There are two kinds of golf tournaments this year, the ones that have Tiger Woods playing and the ones that don’t.

This thing isn’t near over. We can only imagine what’s coming next:

Furry little Tiger club head covers on hood ornaments. Stripes on eggs. A talk show--”Rosie” . . . “Oprah” . . . “Tiger?”

This week, the Tiger Woods bandwagon pulls into Riviera Country Club for the Nissan Open, accompanied by the usual fanfare. That would be media representatives who stick to him like static cling and as many fans as leaves on those eucalyptus trees out there.

The media, which should know better, doesn’t seem to. Here is an actual line of questioning Woods was asked to follow Tuesday:

“What do you do?

“Do you have a girlfriend?

“Do you go to the movies?

“What is your favorite food?

“Who are you as a person? We know you as a phenomenon.”

Unfortunately, time ran out before he was asked what kind of tree he would be.

It’s probably Woods’ own fault that he is the subject of such scrutiny. If, when you’re 21, you sign endorsement deals for $43 million as soon as you turn pro, then win three of your first nine tournaments and place in the top five in seven of your first 11 events as Woods did, it tends to attract attention.

Meanwhile, the galleries get no smaller and the bandwagon rolls on, picking up speed, heading for, well, where?

There are some signs that it’s getting a little out of control.

When Woods played in Australia two weeks ago, some players complained about the bandwagon. Brett Ogle got angry at fans who kept moving while he was swinging just so they could get in better position to watch Woods. And Robert Allenby wasn’t happy being asked about Woods.

Said Allenby, “Everything’s Tiger, Tiger, Tiger. There are other players in the field.”

Some of those players find it a distraction when they are in their backswing and have cameras clicking or people talking or moving around like somebody just stepped on their toes with spikes.

Jim Furyk has seen it. Even worse, he has heard it.

“It’s like a herd,” he said. “You can hear their feet on the ground.”

Woods said there’s not a lot he can do. He has the same problems his playing partners do.

“When I putt out, as soon as I do, the people start to move,” he said.

Whether it’s the media crush or the galleries moving, Woods said he has learned to accept what happens.

“That’s all part of the game,” he said. “I’m not going to sit here and lie to you. It’s difficult.”

It’s not difficult to figure out what the crowds mean from a financial standpoint.

Nissan Open tournament director Tom Polchinski said he expects about a 25% increase in attendance this year. The large corporate hospitality tents at Riviera are sold out and the Junior Chamber of Commerce predicts as much as a 30% increase in revenue from hospitality.

The tournament will show more than a $100,000 increase in total revenue this year, according to Polchinski, who said this is probably the minimum any tournament with Woods can expect.

If so, and if Woods plays in 25 PGA Tour events, tournaments will make $2.5 million more this year, his mere presence being the largest single factor for the increase.

Barry Palm, executive director of the Professional Golf Tournaments Assn., said tournament directors are sharing information on how to deal with the crowds Woods draws.

More roped player walkways from greens to tees is one solution and so are increased security, more marshals and better awareness that with the Woods influence there’s a new kind of fan out there on the course.

“You probably wouldn’t classify them as avid golf fans,” Palm said.

There are more of them and they tend to move at the wrong time. Furyk said the players have noticed.

“Hey, it’s nothing against the fans, because they’re great for golf,” he said. “It’s not the marshals’ fault. They’re all volunteers. I think the tour has a little bit of a tough task on their hands.”

Furyk played in a group with Woods in the fourth round at Las Vegas last year and often putted out instead of marking his ball to avoid being affected by mass migration of fans heading for the next tee.

“It’s just difficult to play,” he said. “It’s upsetting and distracting. I think the whole situation caught everyone off guard. He rose to stardom so quickly, it was sort of a surprise.”

Furyk welcomes the addition of more marshals, ropes and security guards, but said the players in the group with Woods need help too.

“What guys are upset about is that they don’t have it,” he said. “They’re left to fend for themselves.”

As for fending, Woods is doing that quite well. He said he doesn’t like the media “butting in” on his private time, but he is having fun, although the crowds do get to him a little.

He said its the caddies’ jobs to ask the fans to stop moving.

“They have to tell these people to stop,” he said. “Unfortunately, we have to say it a lot. It gets a little tough at times.”

Maybe the bandwagon needs a tuneup.

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Nissan Open Facts

* WHERE: Riviera Country Club, 1250 Capri Drive, Pacific Palisades.

* WHEN: Through Sunday.

* SCHEDULE: Today, Chairman’s pro-am; Thursday-Sunday, tournament play.

* PRIZE MONEY: $1.4 million, $252,000 to winner.

* TV: USA Network: Thursday-Friday, 4-6 p.m. (delayed); Channel 2: Saturday, 12-3 p.m., Sunday, 1-3 p.m.

INSIDE

* RANDY HARVEY

Our man takes a dim view of exclusive viewing areas at Riviera this week. C2

* TEE TIMES, C6