Tiger Is Back
In what is possibly the greatest comeback story of sport’s history, Tiger Woods solidified his position as one of the greatest golfers in history with his Masters win on Sunday. Even before Tiger’s triumphs at this years Masters he was a world class golfer holding many world records and 15 major tournament wins, but this year’s win is his first major win in 11 years and his first masters victory in 14 years.
Tiger Woods started his golfing career at the age of 3 when he made his first TV appearance on the MIke Douglas show where he golfed with Bob Hope. At the age of nine, Tiger won his first of many Optimist International Junior World Golf Championships. As he continued to win titles into his adulthood, Tiger began to position himself with Golf legends such as Jack Nicklaus and Bobby Jones.
Disaster struck in 2009 when speculations that Tiger had been unfaithful to his wife came out in the National Enquirer. Soon after, Tiger was involved in an accident where he crashed his Cadillac Escalade into a fire hydrant, a tree, and several bushes while leaving his mansion in Jupiter Island, Florida. It is now a widely accepted theory that when the incident occured, Tiger was fleeing from his wife who is believed to have become violent after she learned about the affair. In the wake of the scandal, Tiger lost millions in sponsorships, and shareholders in his company were estimated to have lost upwards of 5 billion.
After some mediocre golf seasons, Tiger suffered another shock to his career in 2014 when he suffered a back injury playing in the Honda Classic. Through the 2015-2016 season, Tiger suffered even more back injuries and underwent multiple surgeries. In 2017, Tiger hit his lowest point when he was arrested for sleeping in his car in the middle of traffic with a running engine. He was charged with a DUI when he revealed he had taken prescription pain medicine and alcohol.
By the time 2018 rolled around, Tiger had gone through a long rehab period and was ready to hit the links again. Tiger slowly regained momentum after winning his first event in 5 years at the tour championship. The stage was set for an epic comeback at the 2018 Masters, but Tiger didn’t even break the top twenty on the leaderboard.
Come April 11th 2019 and the world was ready yet again to see Tiger tee off in Augusta. Tiger demonstrated throughout the weekend that he was a very legitimate competitor, and steadily rose through the leaderboard. As Tiger came out in his signature red shirt on Sunday, he seemed poised to finally make his comeback. By the early afternoon, Tiger finished the tournament with a winning score of -13, only 5 points short of the masters record he previously set.
Few moments as monumental as this come about in sports. Tiger’s Masters comeback ranks up there with Muhammed Ali’s “rumble in the jungle,” the 1980 “miracle on ice.” Whether or not Tiger continues to win doesn't matter, he has already solidified his position as a sports legend.
By Jake Bogartz