It wasn’t very long ago that golf had a hero. In fact, he was more than a hero, he was a gladiator, a beast-slayer, a knight in shining armor. He was Tiger. For 10 years, this man dismantled golf courses around the world in record breaking fashion. He won one out of ever four starts that he made. He made charges from the back of the pack late on Saturday’s and held on to almost every lead he had on Sunday afternoon. He didn’t lose. Then, on a fateful day November 2009, golf’s hero fell. Though the man returned for some good seasons, however brief they were, the hero was not there, not any more. People weren’t afraid of t his new Tiger, not like they were of the old one, but all of that is about to change. Almost 10 years removed from his prime, and 4 back surgeries, plus a few knee procedures, Tiger produced a year full of “what if’s” and “could have been’s.” He was a bubble qualifier for the FedEx Cup Playoffs, but sometimes a hero only comes out when the challenge is at its greatest. At East Lake, this weekend, the challenge was there, and the hero did more than appear.
To show the true dominance of Tiger, one only has to look at the official PGA Tour money list from 1997 to 2009. He never finished outside the top 5 earners on tour. In fact, during his full seasons on tour, he only finished outside the top 10 three times when starting more than 10 tournaments. He compiled 79 wins, 14 of which were majors. Golf flourished under his destruction of courses. Brands were built around his drives and swagger. He was golf. He was a hero. After two full years off from golf and 5 years removed from his last victory, Tiger had is opportunities this season, but couldn’t close like Tiger used to. He flittered away shots on courses that he didn’t need to and he just didn’t have the attack that he did even 5 years ago. Again, sometimes that challenge is what is needed to bring out the best in the best, and that was this weekend.
After barely scraping in to the Tour Championship, Tiger Woods did not have a great start to his week at East Lake Golf Club. He started off with a bogey 5 on the first hole, and proceeded to carry that 1 over score to the 5th. After a birdie on five, he never saw a plus in front of his score again for the rest of the tournament. A bird on the par 5 sixth took him to one under and he followed that with birdies on 12 and 14. He continued to grind away at the course, in a vintage style – fairways and greens – until the par 5, eighteenth, where he broke out the eagle dance. He finished the day at 5 under par. He continued building momentum on Friday with an even front side and a 2 under back side, and that was even with a double bogey 6 on sixteen. Seven under after two days had him right in the thick of things before the weekend began, and then, Tiger roared.
Woods virtually destroyed the front nine at East Lake on Saturday. He recorded 6 birdies in his first 7 holes before finally surrendering a shot on the ninth. His 5 under par front side had the 29 best golfers on tour looking back over their shoulders. He played the back side at even par, putting him in the final group on Sunday with Rory McIlroy. It was a match the world couldn’t wait to see play out, but in the end, it was a one man show. Watching the first drive of the day, everyone knew that something was different about this Tiger than what we’ve seen in the recent past. He was hitting the ball solid and finding fairways. He played exactly how he needed to on the front side – fairways and greens – and didn’t have a single slip until the tenth. Even then, by the point he had shown that he wasn’t in complete control of the course, just about every opponent that he faced had fallen away. As the holes ticked by, even with 2 straight bogeys – though 15 could have been far worse! – it was Tiger’s tournament to do with as he pleased. As he hit is approach to the eighteenth green, it wasn’t the dramatic pin shot that we all hoped for, but a green side bunker. From there, he didn’t make the 15 foot putt, but he did make a par.
It was a stunning moment. It was almost a “Tiger-esque” win. The score didn’t reflect it quite as much as it should have, but for the thousands that watched it happen live and the millions more that saw that moment on TV or online, it really solidified that Mr. Woods, now just a handful of years away from Champions Tour eligibility, is ready to dismantle the golf universe once again. No one can put a price on what Woods brings to the game, but for starters, courses around the world were packed on Sunday, no just with golfers, but also with people flooding their restaurants and bars to watch golf. The driving ranges were all a bit busier and getting a walk on time at the local course was a bit tougher than usual on Sunday morning. Even the local golf shops got involved in Tiger-madness with Nike Polo sales and TaylorMade M3 deals. It’s all part of the Tiger Woods Effect. Hopefully, this is the start to greater things, maybe even a few more majors to put him that much closer to Jack’s record. Remember though, in an industry that is losing courses to housing developments and manufacturers that ruled 20 years ago going bankrupt, this game needs a hero, and it just so happens that this hero knows how to win and make it look easy doing so.
Welcome back Mr. Woods.
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