It's become a well-worn cliche that when someone is fired from a job but no one wants to say so, the reason given is that they want to spend more time with their families.

It's less common to hear that someone chooses not to take a job – or to take part in a gold tournament – that that's the reason given. But that's what Tiger Woods effectively did on Wednesday when he opted out of the PGA Grand Slam scheduled for next month at the Mid Ocean Club.

Woods, the best, and best known, golfer in the world, would have been a tremendous boon to the tournament as it debuted here.

And given that the other three qualifiers are not exactly household names, his participation was key to giving Bermuda the kind of exposure that was hoped for.

Clearly, that was part of the reason that Premier Dr. Ewart Brown followed Woods from one grand slam event to the next.

Now he will be replaced by Jim Furyk, who is a highly respected pro and Grand Slam winner in his own right, but would not pretend to have the fame of Tiger, one of those few people like Michael (Jordan), Oprah (Winfrey) or Hillary (Clinton) are instantly recognisable by their first names alone.

Still, the fact remains that the Grand Slam boasts a high quality field and will still give the Island great exposure.

It's up to Bermuda to ensure that the golfers, the visitors who are coming to the Island for the event and the many people (although it would wrong to suggest that it will be in the millions) who watch the event on TV will be impressed with the Island and will want to either come back or visit.

It should also be recognised that if Bermuda puts on a good show this year, that Tiger, assuming he qualifies, will come next year when his baby daughter is a year older.

And in sports, every new season springs with eternal hopes. The hope here is that Tiger wins at least one Grand Slam next year, but that players like his great rival Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els and, say Vijay Singh or Sergio Garcia will be in the tournament too.

That would really give Bermudians something to watch, although one wonders how the short-by-world-standards Mid Ocean Club course would stand up to that kind of assault.

The other point that must be made is that you have to give credit to Tiger the father for putting his family first and meaning it.

There are not a lot of people who would turn their backs on the chance to win $600,000 to give time to their families, and while Tiger can certainly afford it, there's a good lesson for everyone who spends too much time at the office, out with their friends or plain neglecting their spouses and children.

Family should come first, and while Bermuda's feelings may be hurt, it's worth remembering that there's a little baby girl who will be getting to know her famous father a little better.