Throughout the average lifespan, a sports fan will be blessed with a handful of athletes across multiple sports who are capable of mind-blowing feats of athleticism. Every weekend, sports fans tune into whatever is on TV to see some spectacular touchdown catch, an out-of-this-world crossover or a home run that looks like it could have made it to the moon. Now, within that same lifespan, we also see one or two athletes who change the game as we know it and leave memories imprinted in our minds that we can tell our kids about one day — people like Michael Jordan, Pete Rose, Peyton Manning and, yes, Tiger Woods. We are able to enjoy the highlights of their careers but must also suffer through the bad times. The last couple of years, things just aren’t the same and we hope we can maybe see a glimpse of the legends we fell in love with on TV. All sports have their legends but even legends can fall.
Tiger Woods changed the game of golf in multiple ways. In 1996, when Woods won his first event as a pro at the age of 20, golf was predominantly a white man’s game. The professional level from top to bottom was filled with white men dominating the game, but here came a rising star of color who would take the world by storm. It only took one more year for Woods to win his first major event, and it was the big one, the Masters. The Masters is held at the prestigious Augusta National, a course with a somewhat dark racial history. The course did not allow African-American members until 1990. Not even seven years, 21-year-old Woods won there on the biggest stage possible.
Between 1997 and 2008, Woods went on to win 14 majors, at least one in all four of them completing the career grand slam, which sets him at second behind Jack Nicklaus. He has also racked 79 official PGA tour wins, which puts him second all-time on that list, too. In his career, he has also racked up an unprecedented $109 million in earnings. If the man was hungry, that’s 109 million McChicken sandwiches for all the McDonald's fans.
When Woods finally retires, I do not believe he should be best known for his wins or his earnings, no. He should be remembered for what he brought to the game of golf. Golf is not supposed to be an exciting sport, but when Woods is on the tee box, another level of energy is reached that no one could ever match. When he was going into a Sunday final and the world saw Sunday Woods, a man dressed in a red top with black pants, you best believe every other golfer was scared. This video of Woods' 10 best moments truly shows how energetic and amazing he was as a golfer.
All good things, however, must come to an end. Even the greats have their fallen days. In 2009, Woods was caught in a cheating scandal that lost him his throne and began his downfall from the game. A man so well-known for his mental game in the world of golf had lost it all. He was no longer clutch anymore and couldn’t finish the big moments that he'd grown famous for doing so well. Since 2008, Woods has not won a major event and truly has never been the same. The most wins he’s had since 2009 is six, and four years, he ended with no wins at all. The past year alone has been the worst playing year of his career, missing cut after cut and putting in bogey after bogey. Once a man everyone marveled at when he swung his club, he has become a below-average pro with fans hoping with every swing that maybe we’ll see the immortal Tiger Woods we once knew.
Woods may not be the same anymore, and honestly, it may be time for him to retire. When every single swing is causing you pain and the simplest of shots becomes difficult, your days could be over. Whether it was the mental damage caused by the scandal or if he lost his love for the game, no one knows, but Woods, outside of his faults, must be thanked. When he was in his prime, he made golf popular for the country and the world. He made a community, once told they couldn’t play golf, believe that they could become superstars like Woods. He made children all around the world believe in a superhero-like athlete. From the mild to the hardcore fans of golf, we thank you, Tiger Woods. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
