You wouldn’t know it from the lack of media attention (rather ironic given the grotesque overplaying of many items that have surely been made up during this saga), but the announcement today that AT&T has dumped Tiger as an endorser is potentially by far the most significant news since the scandal broke over a month ago.

The reason that this development is so important is that the PGA tour announced that Tiger will NOT be the host of this year’s AT&T National on July 4th weekend.

This is shocking news because there are only two rational interpretations of this event. Either Tiger has no intention of returning to golf by July, or the PGA Tour has decided to strip Tiger of his title as a punishment of sorts.

Quite simply, no other scenario  makes sense. If he were to come back before July there is no chance he would agree to play in a tournament that would so publicly humiliate him and yet he couldn’t blow off the tournament that still benefits his foundation. Since it would seem suicidal for the PGA Tour to piss Tiger off with this type of action against his will, the most likely explanation is that Tiger has made it known that he will not be playing golf in July, which, in itself, should be MAJOR news.

It should also be noted that if he already knows that he will not be playing in July, then it seems to me that it quite possible that he will not play at all in 2010.

Regardless, it is hard to imagine how the AT&T National remains “Tiger’s Tournament” in the long run after this kind of slight, especially when the home course (Congressional Country Club) had very l;ittel interest in hosting it even before the Tiger scandal broke.

This development is is extremely significant and marks the first essentially permenant stain on Tiger’s long term legacy and viability.

Happy New Year.