From 1997 to 2008, Tiger Woods was on top of the world. After becoming the youngest golfer to win the Masters at age 21, Woods rocketed to superstardom. His meteoric rise was notable not only due of his young age, but also because of his melanin.
Before Woods took over the world of golf, black and minority golfers were not welcome at courses and country clubs around the nation. Some had strict policies against allowing black golfers to attain memberships, such as Shoal Creek Country Club in Birmingham. Other golf courses chose to finesse the laws against discrimination by making tournaments invitation-only, putting in strict dress codes to deter black golfers and making the price of entry so high that many minorities simply could not afford to golf.
However, Woods was so dominant in his early career that it created a surge of interest in golf. Racist rules were thrown out. Golf’s popularity surged. New courses popped up all around the country. People of all races proudly proclaimed, “I am Tiger Woods” (often just before teeing off into the actual woods). Tiger mania was in full effect.
After dominating for over a decade, Woods’ fell from grace just as quickly as he’d risen to become a household name. In November 2009, Woods crashed his SUV into a tree and a fire hydrant in Florida. His personal life unraveled in amidst allegations of affairs, drug and alcohol usage and seemingly weekly disheveled mugshots blasted across news channels and social media.
His wife left him. His body betrayed him. His skills disappeared. In a very short span, Woods went from the man everybody wanted to be to just another washed up athlete who couldn’t stay out of trouble.
After Woods fell from grace, so did the sport’s popularity. Many of the fair weather fairway fans changed the channel. Many of the new golf courses from the 90s boom struggled to attract visitors. The PGA tried to build marketing campaigns around new young and talented stars like Rory McIlroy and Sergio García and Jordan Speith. However, the buzz and popularity just wasn’t the same.
The game of golf fell into a disappointing routine. Woods would have surgery. He’d take time off to recover and train. There would be increased interest upon his return, but he would ultimately look like any ol’ average Joe on the course. Interest would wane. Another injury would occur. Repeat cycle.
Now, after another set of surgeries, Woods has made another comeback attempt. This time, however, it seems like the Woods of old is back.
In Woods’ past three tournaments since he returned in late January, he has finished in twelfth, tied for second and fifth. His impressive finishes have led to oddsmakers pegging woods as the favorite to win the Masters in April.
Making Woods the favorite isn’t just wishful thinking. Tournament by tournament, round by round, Woods’ game has seen remarkable improvement. Furthermore, in 18 professional appearances at Augusta National, Woods has four victories and another seven top-10 finishes.
“We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves. But you’re seeing improvement each week,” Woods’ caddie Joe LaCava told ESPN. “I know you hear that from him, too. But it just seems like he’s getting better and better with his swing and trusting it more, which I think is huge.”
The ratings for Woods’ comeback have also been huge. According to USA Today, Sunday’s final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational received a 136 percent ratings increase over last year’s tournament. The tournament also reported a 683 percent increase in streaming traffic on NBC and the Golf Channel. Woods’ second-place finish at the Valspar Championship helped NBC Sports achieve the highest rating of any non-major PGA event since 2015.
The Masters will be the true litmus test to let us know if Woods is back for real. The expectations were fairly low for Woods in the past five tournaments. Despite the ratings boom, many people were slow to get back on board the hype train too soon in fears of it stalling, crashing and burning like it had done many times before.
Woods’ only pressure has been to prove to himself that he still is Tiger Woods. Now that he’s put together several good performances, now the next generation will be gunning for the exiled king. The cameras will zoom in on every stroke and the peanut gallery will evaluate every swing.
“I want him 100 percent,” 11th ranked Jason Day told Golf.com. “I want to be the one to beat him.”
Such comments would have never happened in Woods’ prime. A prime Woods instilled the same fear and respect as a prime Michael Jordan or Mike Tyson. Woods didn’t even need to look at players to make them shiver in their shoes. He may have lost that aura of invincibility, but a win in Augusta, would help to cement his legacy.
A victory at one of the Majors will return Woods from a TMZ, tabloid celebrity back into one of the most feared and respected athletes in sports.
Instead of proving that he can play, Woods now has to prove that he can win. There’s no doubt that the man reportedly worth $750 million wants to prove that his swing is still cash.
Despite all the legal and personal drama that followed Woods over the past several years, I’ll be rooting for him to make a good showing at the Masters. After all, Spring is here. The cold weather will soon be replaced with warmth. I will inevitably make my way to a driving range or golf course to embarrass myself once again. When I do, yelling out, “I am Jordan Speith” just doesn’t have the same ring to it.
Let’s go Tiger!
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