ST. ANDREWS, Scotland -- I got an interesting window into how the world feels about Tiger Woods after his scandal.

This has been the question; golf folks insist people still like him, because the crowds at the tournaments cheer like they always have. So, last night, my friend Joe and I sipped pints in a Market Street bar. The place was packed, people crowded around, spilling onto the sidewalk. The Open was on all the televisions. On the screen, Tiger missed a short putt.

The place exploded. A roaring cheer. It was loud, like a Boston bar might react to Derek Jeter striking out and then falling down. There was fury in it. In the home of golf, where the best and smartest fans are said to live, they were cheering a missed putt like a World Cup crowd.

I'm not sure what, if anything, that means. But I know that Arnold Palmer never had a mistake cheered by a St. Andrews pub. Jack Nicklaus, either.