The Return of Tiger Woods (Hopefully)

(I apologize for the delayed timing of the post, I realize this took place a week ago... finals have been keeping me quite busy...)

With Tiger Woods' win at the Chevron World Challenge, Golf should rejoice. For the first time in over two years the king of the golf world found himself on the top of a leader board after 72 holes. I, for one, believe this could be a the turnaround point for a career that seemed to be hopelessly drifting towards the abyss. What I saw last Sunday was the Tiger of old, the champion that we all grew to know and love, and it was simply incredible to witness.

It has been hard to watch Tiger for the past two years. Tiger has always been a personal hero of mine. As a bi-racial kid growing up in a society where not many of us exist, it was inspiring to see Tiger (of Black and Asian descent) to rise to the pinnacle of the sports world, and it was equally as devastating watching him plummet to the bottom the last couple of years amidst his infidelity scandal, injuries, and the firing of his legendary caddie, Stevie Williams. Tiger lost his swagger. Tiger no longer struck fear in the hearts of opponents, and young guns like Rory McIlroy had challenged him and had prevailed. Tiger Woods on Sunday, with the lead in hand, was the most dominant force I have ever witnessed in sports. But all of that had evaporated the last couple of years. Tiger never looked as if he was actually enjoying the game anymore. Every round seemed like a hopeless struggle for him, and his game never seemed to improve. While Tiger had had his struggles and slumps in years past, they paled in comparison to his most recent troubles. After two full winless seasons, even I, a lifelong Tiger Woods fan and supporter, began to doubt whether or not the old Tiger Woods would once again grace the world's golf courses.

But something changed last weekend. Tiger looked different. He made shots when he had to, and never seemed to lose his focus in crunch time. Vintage Tiger Woods finally made the appearance I had been waiting for for two years on the final two holes of the tournament. Tiger went back-to-back birdie on the 17th and 18th to beat Zach Johnson by a single stroke. But it wasn't just the fact that tiger won the tournament, it was the way he won it. When Tiger was standing over his putt on the 18th green, about a 7 or 8-footer, I thought to myself: if Tiger is really back, he will sink this putt. Old Tiger could make this putt in his sleep. And just like that, he did. He made it look easy. And his fist-pump was back and better than ever.

Many will detract from this victory, and understandably so. The Chevron World Challenge isn't the Masters or the US Open. Tiger beat a field of only 18 players. But to me, none of that matters. Tiger's biggest enemy is himself, not the rest of the field, and that has been the case for most of his career. Tiger has had to battle personal demons the last two years to get back to the top of a leaderboard--which leaderboard that is doesn't really matter. While it would be smart to temper my hopes for the future, it's hard to do so. I want to see this man on top of the world again. I want to see Tiger Woods the champion, not Tiger Woods the wash-up. Tiger is turning 36 this month, and while that means he isn't exactly a spring chicken, he still has plenty of time to get back on the chase towards Jack Nicklaus' 18 majors. I want to see him get closer to Jack's mark, and I think Golf does too. While many will think it's now a long-shot for Tiger to break the record, I wouldn't count him out--he is too great of a competitor to let this one go.

Even if things don't work out for Tiger in the long-run, I hope people appreciate how great it has been to witness this man play this game. Tiger Woods changed the game, and he changed the greater sports universe. I doubt any athlete will ever dominate a sport the way Tiger once dominated golf, and we should all be grateful that we were around to witness his achievements. Yes, he certainly had his share of bumps along the way, and no, Tiger is not a perfect human being (obviously), but we shouldn't allow that to alter our opinion of him as a golfer. I believe Tiger is a good person with good intentions who is desperately seeking his life-long goal of being the best to ever play--and he has forever changed a sport in the process. If you'd ask me, I'd say he has already achieved that title of 'best ever'....but maybe I am just a hopeless fanatic.

Hopefully the future bodes well for Tiger Woods; I suppose we will find out for sure this coming Spring at Augusta if the comeback is official. I can't wait.

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