Did golf really go anywhere? Of course it didn't. However, because Woods is the star of the PGA Tour and the sport of golf, people say the sport suffered without him, television ratings did.

No sport relies on any one athlete like golf does on Woods. When Tom Brady went down for the New England Patriots in the first game of the NFL season, the league still had stars like Peyton Manning and Eli Manning to fall back on. If Kobe Bryant goes down with a season ending injury in the NBA they still have LeBron James or vice versa. If Alex Rodriguez goes down in baseball, and with his current hip situation it's a possibility, the MLB still has big names like Albert Pujols.

There is absolutely nobody as big in the sport of golf as Woods. However, Woods is not the game of golf. No one athlete is bigger than the sport. Although some athletes like Terrell Owens in the NFL seem to think otherwise. Woods is the star of golf, and there are no ifs, ands or buts about it; but the game of golf could and would survive without him.

People complain about the terrible play while he was out eight months with a knee injury. Personally, I think the golf that I saw while Woods was away was pretty good. Padraig Harrington stepped up big time and won the two major tournaments that Woods missed – the British Open and the PGA Championship. I've known for years that Harrington was one of the better golfers on the links and it's about time the average golf or sports fan realized the same thing.

There are those out there who will say that Harrington's major golf championships are discredited because he didn't have to beat Woods, but that statement is ludicrous, because Woods doesn't win every major tournament that he's in. Trevor Immelman's victory at the Masters Tournament last season doesn't mean any more than Harrington's just because Woods was in the field.

The 2008 Ryder Cup was one of the best that I've ever seen. The United States managed to defeat the Europeans without Woods. The U.S. team had lost the previous three Ryder Cups with Woods on their roster. It's no secret that Woods hasn't been a fan of the Ryder Cup in his career, so maybe the U.S. squad was actually better without him. Without Woods on the team, it gave sports fans the opportunity to watch the great breakout performances of new talents such as Anthony Kim, Boo Weekley and Hunter Mahan.

The problem with golf is that fans and media alike act as if there are no other golfers on the tour other than Woods. To them, he's the greatest thing since sliced bread. Personally, he's my favorite golfer, but I know he's not the only golfer out there. There were big names in the sport before Woods like Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. There will be big names on the tour after Woods has retired as well.

Woods isn't the only thing golf has to offer and it's about time people realize that there is a little more to this great game.