The Return of Tiger Woods
“Nobody is Immune to the Trials and Tribulations of Life.” That’s a quote I choose to live by because it’s the truth, no matter who you are. Ups and downs will occur throughout everyone’s life, but it’s how you handle your situation that makes you the person that you’ve become today.
On November 27th, when the news of Tiger Woods’ car accident broke out, I thought the worse. I can remember being on the driving range when I received a text from a couple of friends saying he was in ‘serious condition’ after a late night car accident. From that point on I couldn’t really concentrate on striking the ball correctly, but I just kept going through the motions as if I was in a dream.
A couple hours later, CNN reported that he was treated and released. All was fine right? Well unfortunately for Tiger, his family, fans, and the game of golf, everything was far from fine. Reports from tabloid media started circulating about Woods and infidelity. The car accident started to make more sense. Fellow tour player and former friend Jesper Parnevik lashed out at Woods saying that he wished he never introduced him to Elin Nordegren (Woods’ wife). The inevitability occurred when Woods, on December 11th 2009, announced he was taking an indefinite break from golf. All of this mess concluded an odd 2009 for Tiger.
Prior to 2009, two things you could count on 100% of the time from Tiger year in and year out are the fact that he’ll be in contention in major championships and that he can be a role model for anyone and everyone. During the Masters, Tiger was never really in contention although he finished in a tie for 6th thanks to a final round duel between him and Phil Mickelson. At the U.S. Open, (the next major) Tiger was never really in contention despite another T6 finish.
The Open Championship at Turnberry is when I really noticed something strange. He missed the cut which was an oddity of itself, but it’s the way Tiger missed the cut that left people scratching their heads. All parts of his game looked to be wayward during his two rounds at Turnberry. Everyone figured that winning in his previous tournament before the Open could only benefit him (the same happened with the Masters and the U.S. Open), but that wasn’t the case.
Once again, Tiger wins in not only one, but two straight tournaments before the final major championship, the PGA. This time he has the 36-hole lead heading into Sunday. Tiger never lost a major championship when holding the lead after three rounds. Well, he’s now 14/15 in that category as Y.E. Yang stole the spotlight. Call it what you want, but for Tiger to win seven times worldwide and have five of those wins come in his last tournament(s) before each major championship, and NOT have him take home at least one major in a season is odd for anyone, especially Tiger.
Woods has always been one to curse and slam his clubs on the course. Some may argue that it’s stupidity on his part, but others may argue he’s earned the right and that’s what makes him so great. Whatever the case is, it’s become the norm for Tiger. What hasn’t become the norm for Tiger, or anyone for that matter, is having your club end up in the gallery after and errant tee shot. During the 2009 Australian Masters this very same thing happened with Tiger’s club. He didn’t literally throw the club into the gallery, but it bounced off the ground and the flex of the club flung it into the crowd. Thankfully no one was hurt. Surprisingly, the gallery started laughing, but the look of embarrassment on Tiger’s face said it all. He was beyond a role model (up for debate now) and he knew that.
The reason I'm bringing these instances up is because Tiger did not appear to be in control of 2009. We all know he’s a control freak and he’s damn good at it. The death of his father may have a lot to do with his actions. Woods’ father was the one to always keep him in line. Tiger was never really in contention in a major championship missing the cut in one and losing after having the infamous 36-hole lead in another. His club ended up three rows deep in a gallery after a bad tee shot and to top it all off, it seems as though he’s messed up his marriage and his family.
Some believe that this will make him stronger than ever. However, it’s going to be hard as hell for Tiger to be the dominate golfer and charismatic figure fans grew to love. He will not continue winning at an alarming rate, nor will he be a fearless person, at least not right away. I REALLY hope I’m wrong because nobody likes seeing Tiger fist pump after clutch putts to win tournaments more than I do.
Expect a change in his fan base and his respect. An Australian Newspaper yesterday reported that he’ll be back in two weeks in time for the WGC-Accenture Match Play Tournament. Whether that’s a legitimate statement or not remains to be seen, but when Tiger does come back expect something different. It used to be Tiger fans vs. Phil fans, but now it’s going to be Tiger fans vs. anyone he’s playing and their fans. We’re going to see a change in crowd reactions when his playing partner makes key putts. We’re going to hear a few, “you suck Tiger” shouts from the gallery and maybe a knucklehead or two will yell or make noise in his backswing.
For the upcoming year, I’d be surprised to see any reaction from Tiger after making any key putt to win anything. Winning cures everything and in time people will forgive and forget as long as he continues to win. However, in 2010, whenever Woods comes back he’s going to be a quiet Tiger and quite honestly that’s the smart way to react. For this moment though, Tiger could live by the quote I choose to live by… “Nobody is Immune to the Trials and Tribulations of Life.”
- Julian Thompson - RotoKingdom Staff Writer
Julian Thompson, aka Shadowboy0387, is a former collegiate baseball player and golfer out of Adrian College in Michigan. He loves his Atlanta Falcons, Braves, Detroit Tigers and Pistons. He's also been growing fond of the Washington Redskins over the past 3-4 years. While studying journalism for two years, he was also a sports writer for the Daily Telegram in Adrian, MI as well as his school paper. He's extremely knowledgeable and passionate about sports in general, but zones in on the ins and outs of golf on the PGA and European Tour. He'll personalize the sport of golf for you by giving you his stories, opinions, and insights on golfers and tournaments. A current member on the AGA Tour in Atlanta, Shadow is a 6 handicap and plays out of Berkeley Hills Country Club where Stewart Cink, the current Open Champion, plays frequently. Shadow has been with RotoKingdom since the start and has always brought great insight in different sections, but what he'll be known for is the foundation of the new golf section. One can only assume that his passion for golf will draw in more interest from around the RK community.