Tiger Woods: Back to Even Par

(Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Times)

He might not have had the social impact that Muhammad Ali had and he might not have had the cultural impact that Michael Jordan had, but there is no denying the impact Tiger Woods had on the game of golf and the world of sports. Perhaps only a few athletes before him have had the impact on sports like Woods. When he burst onto the scene in 1997 winning his first of fifteen Majors and first of five Green Jackets, it’s hard to fathom what the next 22 years would be like.

But here we are.

He was 21 when he won the Masters by 12 strokes. (No that isn’t a typo, he really won the Masters at 21 by 12 strokes.) That would be like the number one pick in the NBA Draft leading his team to an NBA title while also winning league MVP and scoring title as a Rookie. That was just the beginning though for Woods. From that first swing at Augusta National to his U.S. Open victory in 2008 no athlete was more dominant than Woods and no athlete had the impact on sports while being so quiet on and off the field of play.

Until he hit the back nine.

It’s not cliché for me to say Tiger Woods is the reason why I wanted to play golf. I would be willing to bet most people reading this who do play golf would say the same thing. Let’s be honest, golf was a sport filled with predominantly older white people. Tiger changed that. Golf was popular before Woods teed it up for the first time, but not for the younger crowd. He made it cool. He made it fun. He created the modern day golfer with that first swing.

He brought flare. He brought in a younger crowd because he was one of them. He brought a swagger that was dripping with red Nike polo’s and black pants. He brought a certain cockiness to the sport that it had NEVER seen, and quite frankly, it didn’t really want. His fist pumps were loud. His club twirls were flamboyant. You knew where he was on the course and his opponents knew it too. He had an aura about him that seemed to diminish their skills before they even reached the first tee box and THAT Tiger Woods is why golf is where it’s at today.

It’s not a stretch to say that if Woods was an average golfer with only 4-5 Majors the sport wouldn’t be close to what it is right now. Actually, that’s probably a fact. Television ratings, merchandise sales, popularity, etc. have risen over the last 20 years because of one man. The style in which the game is played is because of one man. The look of the golfers today is because of that man.

People seem to struggle when it comes to athletes who do wrong. They struggle because they can’t separate the person from the athlete, and when that athlete does something they don’t agree with, they dismiss them. Even when they fall from grace, pay their dues, and make their comeback, it’s not enough. What the regular folk seems to forget is that athletes are human too and are allowed to make mistakes. Crazy concept, right? What Tiger did was shocking and shameful, but does that mean we are not allowed to still root for the golfer? Some people would say yes. When things started to fall apart for Woods in 2009 (off the course) the sport wasn’t put on hold but in some ways it felt like it was. New faces emerged such as Dustin Johnson, Rory McElroy, Rickie Fowler, Jordan Speith who all tried to carry the load while the former world’s number 1 was going through his struggles. It was something new for the sport and many wondered who would be the guy, mainly because no one was really close to taking that title from him.

Fast forward to April 11^th through the 14^th, and the 2019 Masters. Woods was a 14/1 favorite to win the Green Jacket and complete his comeback. The field at The Masters, per the usual, was stacked. Only two players however had odds greater than Woods; Rory Mcllroy (8/1) and Dustin Johnson (13/1). Tiger didn’t lead wire-to-wire like he has in other Major victories but his name was always at the top. He was paired with Francisco Moinari and Tony Finau who both had a good first three rounds heading into Sunday. With the weather that was approaching August, not scheduled until mid afternoon, the PGA decided to push the tee times back to early in the morning. Some started on #1 and some started on #10 at 7:30 a.m. The group at the top which featured Woods was scheduled to go off at 9:20 a.m. Golf fans were ready for this day where Tiger was at the top heading into Sunday, especially at Augusta.

Heading into the 18^th and final hole Woods held a two shot lead so there was room for a single mistake and would still walk away with his 5^th Green Jacket. Once Tiger took the lead on the 15^th hole you could feel that this was finally the moment. It was a moment that sports fans had been waiting for. It had been since 2008 when Tiger won his last Major and while he had won some events since then, it wasn’t the same. Tiger needed a Major victory in a major way.

Tiger walked onto the green at the 18^th hole with millions of people watching both at Augusta and on TV. He had a par putt go just past the hole and had about four feet for a bogey and in that moment where he brought the putter back and struck the ball, knowing it would go in, the fans surrounding the green collectively took a deep breath trying to build up and let out the loudest roar a Tiger Woods made putt has ever produced.

The ball didn’t even hit the lip of the cup and those watching exploded with a feeling of satisfaction and joy they hadn’t felt in over 10 years.

It was a feeling that golf fans and sports fans alike had been waiting for and to finally have that feeling and for it to come at the hallowed grounds of Augusta National made it that much better.

Tiger’s return to glory took a while but the it was worth it and the build up was like something you’ve never seen in sports. It wasn’t graceful as he had other off the course issues come to light which set him back but he never really faded into the darkness. His return and victory at The Masters last month was something the sports world needed, it was closure that yes, Tiger Woods is still one of the best.

Is this the last Major he’ll ever win? That remains to be seen. If it is however, what a way to close the book on Majors.