Year of Tiger Woods may be rocky

By Min Lee

BEIJING, Feb. 10 -- It's the Year of the Tiger, but Chinese fortune tellers believe it will be a rough patch for the world's most famous one, golfer Tiger Woods.

U.S. team member Tiger Woods watches play as he stands on the sixth hole  during his foursome match at the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Harding Park golf course in San Francisco, California, in this October 8, 2009 file photo.(Xinhua/Reuters File Photo)

Other predictions: Trying times for United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, financial-market turmoil, spikes in fire-related natural disasters and a crucial period for United States President Barack Obama.

Under the school of feng shui - the traditional practice of predicting fortunes through dates and classical Chinese texts - the new lunar year starting on Sunday is associated with the natural elements of metal, wood, thunder and fire.

Metal is a symbol of righteous action - like waging war. Thunder and fire symbolize volatility, while wood feeds the fire.

It's a recipe for geopolitical tension and drastic market movements, according to feng shui experts.

"People will try to take on the strong and help the weak," Hong Kong feng shui adviser Raymond Lo said, noting that the previous Year of the Tiger associated with metal was 1950 - the year the Korean War broke out.

"They will try to help their fellow brothers. They will help friends who are being bullied. This year will be more violent."

Fellow Hong Kong soothsayer Chow Hon-ming expects more terrorist attacks.

Fires and explosions were more likely in the coming year, Lo said.

Kuala Lumpur-based Yap Boh Chu said beware of earthquakes, volcano eruptions and "metal-related accidents" like car crashes, armed robberies and industrial incidents.

Markets would be topsy-turvy as the world recovered from the US financial crisis, but on balance would post decent results, they said.

"When markets rise, they will rise fiercely and when they drop, they will drop dramatically," Chow said.

Yap said investors would be jittery throughout the year.

"You're always in firefighting mode. You're always reacting," Yap said. "It's like a tiger stalking you. You always have to be aware of it."

The Chinese zodiac operates on a rotation of 12 signs, or animals. People entering a year whose sign is the same as their birth year's are considered "in clash" and may have bad luck, according to feng shui.

While Chinese fortune tellers give tigers a conservative outlook this year, the zodiac sign that causes the most serious conflict is the monkey.

The most notable monkey in world politics is Ban. The South Korean "will face a lot of trouble this year," according to Lo.

Other famous monkeys include Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Shanghai's NBA star Yao Ming, singers Diana Ross, Celine Dion and actors Elizabeth Taylor, Tom Hanks, Michael Douglas, Owen Wilson and Daniel Craig.

American Tiger Woods isn't a tiger nor a monkey, according to the lunar calendar. Born on December 30, 1975, the 14-time major winner is a rabbit.

But Woods' birth date is associated with metal, which clashes with the presence of metal.

So after admitting to cheating on his wife and taking an indefinite leave from golf in December, he can expect more personal trouble this year, predictions say. "His long-term fortune is on the decline," Lo said.

As for Obama, there are differing interpretations. His birthday is August 4, 1961, making him an ox.

According to Lo, the tiger is a lucky "nobleman" for people born in years ending in the digit "1" and Obama's birth date is associated with the natural element of earth, which is complementary with metal because minerals come from the earth.

"He will shine with flying colors," Lo said, adding that the American leader would become more aggressive in pushing his agenda."

Yap disagreed, saying that the presence of thunder and fire traditionally represented the "arrival of the king" - a metaphor for a fierce battle for leadership.

Yap called the Year of the Tiger a turning point for Obama, saying "he will have a bloody hard time this year. If he survives this year, the rest of his term will be no problem."