As I write this, Tiger Woods is playing the first round of the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina. The current headlines on ESPN.com, CBS.com and SI.com are all devoted to him and his first round coverage. Why?
Why are we all still so infatuated with Tiger Woods? He hasn’t won a tournament since 2013. His last major tournament win was seven years ago and this year he has played in 10 events and only made the cut in five of them. So I ask again, why is he dominating headlines and capturing our attention?
Simple answer? Because he is Tiger Woods. He is without a doubt the best golfer of my generation and arguably the best golfer ever to play the game. Current standing aside, what he was able to accomplish over the course of his career is mind-blowing. Since he went pro in 1996, Tiger has won 79 PGA Tour events (2nd most All Time), 40 European Tour events (3rd most All Time) and 14 Majors, second only to Jack Nicklaus’ 18 Major wins. To summarize, he is (was) as good as golf gets.
Sports fans have a very short term memory. What have you done for me lately is a coming thought in the sports world and amongst its fans. Since he hasn’t won anything in such a long time, there are some that want to write him off. The rest of us are still holding on to the hope that maybe, just maybe, this tournament will be the one where he turns it all around. True lovers of the game enjoyed watching him win all those events because he did it in ways that had never been done. He hit shots that had never been hit. He did the impossible when he was in his prime and we all desire to see the impossible made possible.
For me, I think he is great for the game as a whole. Say what you want about his personal struggles off the course, that’s not of importance to me when speaking about the game. Personally, I love being at my course when Tiger is in a tournament. I love standing in the pro shop and hearing our guests and members come in to ask “What’s Tiger doing?”
Love him or hate him, he is a worldwide phenomenon and someone that elevated the game of golf to where it is today. Much like Nicklaus did in his youth, Tiger as grown the game in leaps and bounds. Pre-Tiger, golf tournament purses were half what they are today. Sponsorships, endorsements and ratings are grew significantly as Tiger’s career rose to the top.
My only question is, at what point do we all stop believing? When do we lose the hope? How many more tournaments will he miss the cut in before I stop, along with everyone else, following him so closely? When will the media stop devoting all their attention to him?
He was so good that I don’t think they ever will. That is my definition of a legend.
