It took him all year, but he finally did it.
Tiger Woods once again got to raise his arms in victory on the final hole of a PGA Tournament after winning the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club by two shots over Billy Horschel.
His last win came in 2013 and the time between victories was filled with more twist and turns than a soap opera.
On the physical side of things, we of course are very aware of the back issues he battled through. Then we have the front-page scandal news which may or may not have led to a disintegration of his golf game.
It was the feeling of most of the golf experts, including the man in red and black himself, that he was done and would never win another major again, let alone a tournament. It was easy enough to doubt.
He proved them, and himself, wrong with the win at East Lake GC. Tiger played far better than any of the other 29 players in the field for three days and then played well enough on Sunday to keep the lead, sealing the deal.
His effort to come back from the troubles (many of them self-inflicted) was indeed something to admire and not many athletes can do what Tiger did to reach that point at East Lake. Determination, focus, dedication and an iron will. He has always had those traits which most certainly paved the way to victory.
He showed signs of life through the season, coming closer and closer to be the player who decimated fields in his prime, winning by outrageous scores.
Woods most certainly deserves the kudos thrown his way from all corners, doubters included. What he has done this year is quite impressive and will be recorded as such.
Tiger supporters have every right to feel their guy is back and will contend in the four majors in 2019. It’s hard to dismiss him given the way he played over the last several weeks of the season.
The golf media did go a bit overboard in trying to summarize what Woods has done this year and you can’t fault Tiger for that. He is who he is, but some journalists need to reel in the superlatives used to describe his comeback.
Mark Rolfing, NBC analyst, called it the greatest sports comeback ever. It’s a bold statement but one would argue Ben Hogan tops that list with his return from a head-on crash with a bus to win the U.S Open 11 months later. You could argue Mario Lemieux and his return from back surgery and a battle with cancer to dominate the sport once again was darn good. Niki Lauda crashes a Formula One car, suffers severe burns and inhales toxic gas, damaging lungs and blood. He returned to race six weeks later and then did post a victory as well.
I am not disparaging Tiger’s win as it was a great story and will continue to be as he moves forward but perspective is required.
I won’t get into the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) moniker which people seem to drop freely but never define. It’s a generational debate which should be reserved for water-cooler talk and at the bar. There is no doubt he is one of the best to ever play the game.
Tiger Woods is good for the game of golf, specifically on the PGA Tour as he brings more people to events he tees it up at. The jury is still out however as to his impact on growing the game at the mere mortal level.
If he continues along this path, he will be a good bet to catch Sam Snead for most wins and he still has an outside chance at overtaking Jack Nicklaus for most major wins.
In the meantime, if you are a golf fan, admire the skill Tiger possesses and if you are a Tiger supporter, bask in the warmth of his victory. He earned it. No doubt.
