It is always a sad moment to watch an icon go down in his/her respective sport. Last year, all of golf fans cringed as they watched the downward spiral of Tiger Woods yet again. Plagued with another injury, the former World Number One was forced to take a leave of absence from the PGA Tour last year. Woods' last event was the 2015 Wyndham Championship where he finished T-10 but followed the tournament up with a press conference to announce his temporary absence until he is completely healthy. Tiger is still chasing both the record for all time major championship wins on tour as well as tour events leaving critics to wonder if the 535th ranked player in the world can once again make an impact on the game he had previously dominated. However April of this year, sources confirmed Woods' registration in the 2016 United States Open held at Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania. But what has happened to professional golf in Tiger's absence?
Professional golf has definitely evolved during Tiger's absence through the years, primarily in the competition. Names such as Rory Mcilroy, Jason Day, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, and Smylie Kaufman have turned the heads of golf fans everywhere with both spectacular performances on the course as well as entertaining personal lives off the course. Most recently the world was introduced to golfs four new superstars over social media during what most would consider the equivalent of a college spring break. These four stars who took social media by a storm are Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Smylie Kaufman, and Justin Thomas. All four of these players are very young in their careers and have demonstrated very promising performances on tour. While each of these young players hold professional victories on tour, only one of them hold a win in a major championship(Jordan Spieth) which still has some golf fans questioning if the game will ever see another dominant player like Tiger Woods. However, the atmosphere in which these young players brings to the game gives golf a more pleasurable look as to when it did when Tiger Woods dominated the sport.
In the era of Tiger Wood's dominance, golf maintained a very stern and professional atmosphere that would heighten at any tournament where Tiger was playing. This atmosphere is what many called the "Tiger effect." This effect gave televised golf some of its highest viewer ratings as well as tormenting other professionals mentality before their rounds. But since the emergence of golf's new superstars the "Tiger effect" has long since been absent from golf while still maintaining a highly popular and talented player field.
But can we expect the same Tiger Woods that the world saw dominate the sport before his collapse in 2015? I do not believe so. Tiger has failed to win a major championship since his 2008 U.S. Open win in a playoff and since failed to add another tally to his major championship list because of personal issues off the course, injuries, and an increase in the talent on the PGA Tour. Despite a hopeful and healthy Tiger Woods I firmly believe the Tiger Woods we wish to see again is only an idea of dominance that we may never see again.
