Celebs rally to support Tiger Woods after his first championship victory in 5 years
After five-year losing streak, Tiger Woods’ improbable 2018 comeback season ended with an emotional victory on Sunday at the Tour Championship.
After years of false starts, injury setbacks, near misses, and poor performances, Tiger Woods’ improbable 2018 comeback season ended with an emotional victory on Sunday at the Tour Championship at East Lake Country Club in Atlanta.
Woods finished two strokes ahead of fellow American Billy Horschel for his first tour victory since winning the 2013 Bridgestone Invitational. It is also the 80th tour victory – two short of Sam Sneed’s all-time record – in Tiger’s illustrious career which began in 1996.
“I can’t believe I pulled this off,” Woods said during the trophy presentation. “Just to be able to compete and play again this year, that’s a hell of a comeback.”
“The 80 mark is a big number,” he added. “It’s a pretty damned good feeling.”
Woods finished with an 11-under 269 and took home $1.62 million. The victory also came with a $3 million bonus for finishing second in the FedEx Cup.
The 42-year-old Woods had been largely out of golf since 2016 and had been hampered by injuries and swing issues since 2014. As recently as a year ago, Woods was recovering from his fourth back surgery in as many years.
Once the unquestioned No. 1 golfer in the world, Tiger entered the year ranked 656th in the world. After Sunday’s victory, he will likely be ranked 13th in the world after his seventh top-10 finish in 18 starts in 2018.
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Celebs Celebrating
Shortly after the win, congratulations poured in from around the world, including from Jack Nicklaus, who Woods is still chasing for the record for most major tournament victories.
I never dreamed @TigerWoods could come back and swing the way he has, after surgery. I think you could argue he’s swinging better than he has ever in his life. He has played fantastically!
— Jack Nicklaus (@jacknicklaus) September 23, 2018
Also in attendance was Big Boi from the legendary hip-hop group OutKast. During the tournament, he put out a series of tweets that culminated with him catching up with Tiger after the victory.
Congrats Tiger !!! @PGATOUR pic.twitter.com/4La3p1RJci
— Big Boi (@BigBoi) September 20, 2018
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Congratulations also flowed in from Miami Heat superstar Dwyane Wade, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and Pro Football Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith.
Woods also reflected on how much the world has changed since he won his first PGA Tour title in 1996, which came when the internet was still in its infancy.
“Well, when I came out here, there was no internet,” Woods said jokingly to ESPN.
He was overcome with emotion after the win, which included the gallery swarming the course as he finished the tournament. He was appreciative of all of the support he has received in comeback season.
“I appreciate it a little bit more than I did because I don’t take it for granted that I’m going to have another decade, two decades in my future of playing golf at this level,” Woods said. “It means a lot more to me now in that sense because I didn’t know if I’d ever be out here playing again, doing this again.”
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