Brandel Chamblee: I went too far with Woods claims

BRANDEL Chamblee, the Golf Channel analyst, has admitted he went too far by insinuating that Tiger Woods had cheated.

Brandel Chamblee has admitted he went 'too far' in insinuating Tiger Woods had cheated. Picture: AP

Chamblee issued an apology last week to the world No 1 for using a cheating analogy in a column on Woods for Golf.com.

Now he has made a special appearance on the Golf Channel to discuss his claim that Woods “was a little cavalier with the rules”.

It followed the 14-times major winner receiving penalties for illegal drops at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship and the Masters this year.

He was also penalised two shots for moving his ball in one of the FedEx Cup Play-Off events while a drop he took in the Players Championship attracted scrutiny, too.

“In offering my assessment of Tiger’s year and specifically looking at the incidents in Abu Dhabi, Augusta, Ponte Vedra and Chicago, I said Tiger Woods was cavalier about the rules,” Chamblee said. “I should have stopped right there.

“In comparing those incidents to my cheating episode in the fourth grade, I went too far. Cheating involves intent.

“Now, I know what my intent was on that fourth-grade math test. But there’s no way that I could know with 100 per cent certainty what Tiger’s intent was in any of those situations. That was my mistake.”

Chamblee denied he had a vendetta against Woods, who appeared to want the Golf Channel to take action against the analyst when he gave his reaction to the matter in China earlier this week.

“At times I can be a bit forceful with my opinions, and some would say too forceful too many times,” added Chamblee. “That was obviously the case in this instance - so much so that even my son chimed in on this issue.

“He said, ‘dad, if you’d been more diplomatic in what you wrote, perhaps people would be talking more about the issue than your assessment’. He’s a smart kid.

“It wasn’t until after he said that that I offered my apology on Twitter. Maybe I should have let my son read (the) column before I hit send on the email.”

In the interview, Chamblee revealed his association with Golf.com will be finishing at the end of this year