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Thai game Woods enters Johnnie Walker with one goal
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- Tiger Woods, shrugging off protests by Nike workers, wants nothing more this week than to win the Johnnie Walker Classic. The world's No. 1 golfer, who recently signed a $100 million endorsement deal with Nike Inc., tees off Thursday in the tournament, which he won two years ago. "The sole reason I go to a tournament is to play for a win," he said. "If you don't have that attitude, then there is no sense in going." Woods, whose mother is Thai, is a national hero in Thailand. He received an honorary doctorate in sports science from a local university on Tuesday. About two dozen people protested outside the hotel ballroom where the ceremony was held, demanding that Nike improve working conditions for its 70,000 workers in Thailand. The protesters urged Woods to speak on their behalf with Nike executives, pointing out that his one-day salary is as much as the daily wages of 14,000 Nike employees in Thailand. Nike, the Beaverton, Ore., company, pays factories in Thailand, Vietnam and other countries to produce its shoes and garments. Nike says its working conditions are among the best, and that its workers are generally satisfied with wages. Woods did not speak about the protest. He did talk about the "hysteria" surrounding him. "No one can ever prepare you for that," Woods said. "All you know as a kid is to hit a golf shot and try to win tournaments and beat your heroes. No one ever thinks about the other side of it." Woods' main rival in the 132-man field is expected to be Spain's Sergio Garcia. Woods' presence will raise every player's game, Garcia said. "He is playing at a great level and we have to try and keep up with him. We are all trying to improve, and thanks to him we are doing that," Garcia said.
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