There's still time for Tiger
OPINION - For so long Woods has exemplified focus, determination and intimidation. Never before had we seen an athlete maintain such an impossibly high standard, for such a long period of time...
Arthur Ashe described his life as “a succession of fortunate circumstances.” I think the same can be said for Tiger Woods. After all, he grew up right before our very eyes and became everything his father Earl predicted he would be and more.
So to see his life in peril is not only troubling, but sad. And while there are many who think he has gotten everything he deserves, I have to wonder; did he?
It has always been my feeling that Tiger was an accident waiting to happen. Here was this black man dominating a white sport, chasing Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 major championships.
Call me a cynic, but Tiger didn’t have much room for error. And when he married his beautiful wife from Sweden, he really boxed himself in.
Let me clarify something here before the hate mail pours in: I don’t care who you date. But here was Tiger, with a white wife, chasing the “Holy Grail” of records in a predominantly white sport. It’s obvious that he learned the lesson that we have to be twice as good to be considered just as good. But somewhere, someone forgot to tell him that he was not only a black man in American society, but most importantly – he was different.
I have never seen a superstar in sports or entertainment fall so far, so fast. We all know the story by now, how a self-inflicted sex scandal that erupted at Thanksgiving in 2009 cost him his marriage, his reputation, his sponsors and apparently his golf game. And regardless of Tiger’s greatness, skill, talent and confidence, he’s still human. Anyone faced with his obstacles, regardless of his riches, is going to be affected.
Tiger’s level of dominance was historic. He made shots no other golfer even dreamed of. Sunday after Sunday, we watched him reduce the rest of the field to mere mortals as he put on a display many of us viewed as super human. Yet today we watch a man struggling to find himself again.
Needless to say, Woods went into exile. I would have too. Shame is an emotion that is extremely hard to shake, especially when your life plays out in front of the world.
My great-grandfather used to say: “the only thing you have in this world is your name.” And while I don’t know Tiger at all, I do know people who have had to repair their name and reinvent themselves.
It’s not easy, but it’s doable. Ask Michael Vick, or Kobe Bryant.
So I’m not surprised that Tiger has steadily lost ground in the golf rankings, which has left many saying he will never be great again. But others, including a few who know Woods quit well, have said not to bet against him.
“He was the most mentally and emotionally tough athlete of all time, so here’s the question I’m interested in,” sports psychologist Gregg Steinberg, who was a swing instructor earlier in his career, told the Associated Press. “Why did Tiger play last week if any or all of those problems were bothering him, or if — as the results suggest — he knew he wasn’t ready?”
“Maybe he thought he could catch lightning in a bottle. That’s one guess. The other would be he wanted to measure himself. … The secret to being great is self-awareness and so whether that was his intention or not,” Steinberg added, “he definitely knows now that he needs a good butt-kicking.”
Last week marked only the third time Woods missed the cut in a major as a professional. It happened at the 2006 U.S. Open — shortly after the death of his father — and the British Open two years ago.
In July ‘07, Tiger tore his ACL. That began a long string of continued problems with his knee, his Achilles’ and his neck. He has had reconstructive surgery since then, but the body can only take so much.
For those who believe Tiger’s best days are behind him, you may well be right. But his story is not over. He will win a major again. He will break Nicklaus’ record. What people have forgotten is that his legacy is set. I suspect that all Tiger is playing for now… is the record. Most of golf’s greatest champions collected their majors over 8-10 years and plateaued by their mid to late 30s. Bobby Jones retired at 28. Tom Watson and Byron Nelson never won another after 33, Arnold Palmer, 34, and Walter Hagen, 36. Gary Player won only one of his nine after 38 and Nick Faldo his last at 39. Ben Hogan was a complete freak of nature, finding his “secret” after a car crash nearly killed him and winning into his early 40s.
And Nicklaus, whose 18 career majors is the benchmark by which Woods set himself against as a youngster, won all but one of his over an 18-year span; and that last one, the 1986 Masters at age 46, many considered a complete anomaly.
Woods turned 35 last December and collected his 14 majors between the 1997 Masters and 2008 U.S. Open, where he won, effectively playing on a broken left leg. He’s now had four surgeries on that leg and arrived at the PGA Championship after a two-month layoff to rehab the bad wheel — and a year into his latest swing overhaul with Sean Foley, the third coach he hired since turning pro.
Hank Haney, who was Woods second pro coach, told the Associated Press this week he thinks Woods still has it.
“If he works at it, he’ll get his game back. He’ll either figure out how to put it together or go in a different direction…Criticizing the method any of us used, frankly, is irrelevant. This guy has so much talent; he can learn to make almost any swing work. And if it doesn’t work, well, that’s just temporary. Like I said, he’s not afraid to go in a different direction. …”
For so long Woods has exemplified focus, determination and intimidation. Never before had we seen an athlete maintain such an impossibly high standard, for such a long period of time. Not Ali, not Jordan, not Ruth, not anyone. But right now, Tiger is proof that no one gets through life unscathed. Life at some point is going to knock you down. But it’s how we respond to our failures that builds character.
I’m sure, until now, adversity was not a part of Tiger’s vocabulary. So when life became harried, how could he have conceivably known what to do? Until Woods goes off the grid for good, I’m betting on a comeback.
Zack Burgess is a freelance writer and editor. He writes about sports, culture and politics. He can be contacted at zackburgess.com.
