When news broke that Tiger Woods was involved in a single car accident in the early hours of February 23rd, many flashed back to that fateful night several years earlier. Images of smashed windshields, infidelity, and the ensuing media circus were the low hanging fruit du jour on various social media outlets and talking head shows.
But to instantly assume that something shady was afoot seems to be par for the course when it comes to how the masses treat those in the public eye these days. While most in the world of athletics flooded the internet with wishes of a speedy recovery and the obligatory “prayers up” tweets, others took the opportunity to dust off Elin Nordegren jokes or Rachel Uchitel zingers.
The strange part is, those same people who couldn’t type their 280 character punchlines fast enough, tend to be the same ones who rushed onto the 18th fairway at East Lake in 2018 to follow Tiger up to the green. Or the ones who were fist pumping right along with every putt El Tigre made at the 2019 Masters. They’re also the same folks who devoured HBO’s recent “Tiger” documentary in one sitting.
For whatever reason, people seem to view Tiger as two separate entities. There’s Tiger Woods, the force of nature golfer when he’s on the course. Then there’s Tiger Woods, the philandering skirt chaser when he doesn’t have a club in his hand. How we got ourselves to this dichotomy of reveling in Tiger’s professional success, while simultaneously delighting in his personal shortcomings is worth exploring.
It was somewhere around 2005 when Tiger won his 10th major championship on tour that people started to wonder aloud whether Jack Nicklaus’ mark of 18 career majors (once thought untouchable) was seriously in jeopardy. After turning pro in 1996, Tiger won the rookie of the year award and was unanimously dubbed as the next up and comer to vie for major titles. Little did anyone know, just how dominating the next decade of his professional career would be, and the indelible effects he would have on the game itself.
When he first turned pro, Tiger was viewed as a curiosity with a violent swing unseen before on tour, or at worst an excuse to root for some home grown American talent. It could be argued that when joined the PGA, golf was in the midst of an international swing with Greg Norman (AUS), Steve Elkington (AUS), Nick Price (ZIM), and Ernie Els (S. AFR) leading the tour in scoring average in 1995.
But by the time 2005 rolled around, many in the golf community had split into one of two distinct camps. You were either a die hard Tiger supporter, or you were actively rooting against him every time he addressed his ball. Those who fell into the latter camp were there for a myriad of reasons. Some would argue that he was so dominant that it was taking a lot of fun out of watching tournaments (at one point in his career Vegas was actively offering Tiger Woods or “The Field” prop bets, something that was unheard of at the time and may never be seen again in gambling circles). Others disliked him because their own favourite player could never seem to best him come Sunday (Sergio Garcia, and David Duval fans know this feeling all too well). And of course we can’t gloss over the fact that some didn’t like him simply because he was a Black man dominating a traditionally White sport. Whatever the rationale for disliking him, lines had been drawn in the sand, and you would be hard pressed to find anyone with a neutral opinion Eldrick Tont Woods.
Fast forward to November 27th 2009, at approximately 2:30am, the two distinct worlds of Tiger Woods the golfer and Tiger Woods the celebrity came crashing together in a very real way. The accident, fueled by a report two days earlier alleging Tiger’s infidelity shook not only the golf world, but the larger mainstream media world to its core. Over the next few weeks, it seemed a never ending list of alleged mistresses and one night stands came forward to further the narrative of Tiger Woods as a sexual deviant.
Woods’ supporters were shocked to learn about the alleged double life the star was living, while his detractors took the opportunity to hurl insults his way and justify their long held dislike of Tiger.
Let’s be honest here, Tiger was not the first, nor will he be the last athlete to be rocked by a cheating scandal. But it was the way in which the media spun the incident to paint the picture of Woods as a sex addict that kept pouring gasoline on the fire. In part because he was embarrassed, in part to seek genuine help, Tiger stepped away from the game following his run in with the fire hydrant near his Florida estate.
Following his time away from the game, Tiger eventually made his way back to the PGA but was never quite the same player mentally as he was before. Prior to the incident, Tiger struck fear into his competitors when he showed up to the course in his Sunday red. However this “post incident” Tiger seemed a shell of his former self, uncharacteristically missing cuts, having tantrums on the course after a poor shot, and finishing outside of contention more often than not.
Compounding the mental errors, his body also began to break down after years of putting a violent amount of torque into his swing. In 2010 he had back/neck issues, in 2011 he suffered an Achilles and MCL injury, injuries which would also affect him in 2012 as well. 2013 & ‘14 saw him drop to his knees following a shot several times, resulting in him having back surgery to attempt to correct the nerve issue. Several other back issues over the coming months ultimately lead to him having spinal fusion surgery in 2017, and the list goes on.
During this time, new golfers emerged to fill the void left by the Tour’s once dominating figurehead. Players like Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy and others began a “new era” of the PGA. Yet for all his dominance on the course, it was perhaps Tiger’s effect on the game itself that was more profound than any shot he made during his career.
In 1995, the year before Tiger turned pro, Greg Norman was the season’s money leader with $1.6M in winnings. In 2009 Tiger Woods was the PGA tour money leader with over $10M in purses on the year. He also spun out a successful video game franchise, brought global apparel giant Nike into the sport, and generated billions of dollars worth of endorsements for the PGA over the course of his years on tour.
So when the most popular golfer on the planet suddenly seemed almost human, the sport took a hit. You can easily find reports online that break down the “Tiger Effect” on golf, and how it affected not only the other players, but also viewership and sponsor levels just by Tiger’s presence. It got to a point where the casual golf fan all but stopped watching events when Woods was no longer in contention.
Even those in the anti-Tiger camp began to notice the void left by his presence. With no one to actively root against, and many of their favourite players having ridden off into the sunset, the sport was in a weird spot. Dare I say, they even missed Tiger?
Which is why Tiger’s improbable comeback at the 2019 Masters was such a feel good story. Here was the once unbeatable athlete, who suddenly was a shell of his former self, back on top of the golfing world. Even the most ardent of Tiger haters had to feel a faint twinge in their heart seeing him putt out on 18 that day.
In a cruel twist of fate however, we now find ourselves back to a familiar scene. Reports of a car crash in the early hours of the day involving Tiger Woods, and this time, major reconstructive surgery required to save not only the appendage, but apparently his life as well. The LA County Sheriff’s office has already released a report saying that Tiger was “not drunk” and that it was “purely an accident” which is encouraging, and will keep those that delight in the misfortune of others at bay a little bit longer.
Yet for all the questions surrounding the incident, the one we shouldn’t be asking ourselves is “when will he play again?”. Tiger Woods has been many things over the years, but at the end of the day the most important one is that he’s a father. If he had perished this past Tuesday morning it would have been a huge loss for the sport of golf, that much is true. But in the grand scheme of things, the more important fact is that Charlie and Sam still have a father at the end of the day.
And that’s where we come back to the opposing views people seem to have of Tiger. Many seem insistent on separating Tiger the Golfer from Tiger the Person. You can’t have it both ways. The two are inextricably linked together. So while it may pain you to think that Tiger may never come back from this latest injury, and the sport will be deprived of watching Tiger hunt down Jack’s record 18 major titles, just be happy that we won’t be adding another name to the long list of athletes that have passed away over the course of the last two years.
Tiger Woods may be the most dominant golfer the sport has ever seen. But he’s also a father, brother, son, and friend. Let’s try not to forget that when you’re turning on the TV next time.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @dynessports