Twenty-two years after he won his first green jacket, and eleven years after he won his last major, Tiger Woods triumphantly returned to the winner’s circle at the 2019 Masters. His fifteenth major in all. He had played his way back into form over the last year, so this win didn’t come as a complete surprise. Woods won the 2018 Tour Championship just seven months ago. He had competed to the end in the last two majors – The Open and the PGA Championship.
But could he win another major? Would he?
On this Sunday at Augusta National the question was answered emphatically. Yes!
Woods’ play was not always spectacular. It was a plodding, deliberate, veteran trip around the course that this 5-time champion knows so well. He kept himself in contention, waiting to pounce when opportunity presented itself.
Many experts claimed that today’s stars wouldn’t succumb to the pressure of this modern-day Tiger Woods. His presence just didn’t carry the same mystique that it once did. The intimidation factor was gone.
Those experts were wrong.
The back nine at any major championship is tough mental sledding for most players. It’s made even tougher when a legendary champion is in the hunt.
Tiger Woods won the 2019 Masters with his excellent play, but he also won it with his mystique. The best of the best know their place and so do the challengers.
Just a few years ago Tiger Woods was a broken man. He was broken physically and perhaps even more important he was broken mentally – at least on the golf course.
Even when he could overcome the pain enough to swing a golf club he couldn’t execute a simple chip shot. By his own admission he was done.
But he wasn’t.
Somewhere near rock bottom he found the one thing that had always been lacking in Tiger 1.0. Humility.
He began to put things in perspective. Perhaps it was forced upon him.
Either way, the outcome was the same. He changed.
The desire was still there. The competitive spirit was still there. The will to win was still there.
Sprinkled in with that, though, was a more human side. A smile. Some introspection. The occasional self-deprecating remark.
Tiger Woods has had legions of fans from the start. They’ve been there from well before he ever played his first professional event. Many of them stuck with him through it all.
There are others who never particularly liked that Tiger, though. Never pulled for him. I’ll put myself in that group. To root for Tiger would have been akin to cheering when Darth Vader cut off Luke Skywalker’s hand.
Before he died, though, Darth Vader took off his mask. For a moment he was a man again.
Over the last year, we’ve seen Tiger Woods remove his mask. We’ve seen not just the superior golf exploits, but the man behind the shots. There are lots of reasons to pull for this Tiger.
The Tiger Woods of 2019 couldn’t beat the Tiger Woods of 2000. No way, no how.
And yet he still is on top of the golf world. Great competitors find a way.
Beaten. Broken. Down. Out. Done. Champion!
