I
f you have anything more than a
passing interest in golf on social
media, you will know that Tiger
Woods is back. Not back as in back, but
back as in hitting golf balls again. When
the former World No.1 was recently given
the all-clear by his surgeon to step-up his
rehab without any restrictions, he almost
immediately started posting videos on
Instagram of himself hitting balls. Week
by week we’ve seen him progress from
hitting soft chips and pitches to making
full-length iron swings to launching
drivers decked out in his traditional
Sunday red polo shirt.
As is nearly always the case, though,
the invitation into Woods’ private world
has been short and sweet, with the level
of access granted minimal and largely
inconclusive. “Making progress” – the
comment that accompanied the nine-
second clip of him hitting a driver – was
as deep as the level of insight into the
current state of his game got.
Before we get carried away and start
interpreting the videos as a sign of
Woods’ imminent return to the Tour, a
quick reality check. Less than a month
ago, Woods admitted during a press
conference at the Presidents Cup that
there was a ‘very real’ possibility he
might never play competitive golf again.
Over the years, the inconsistency and
ambiguity in Woods’ public statements
concerning his injuries and recoveries
have made it next to impossible to know
what to believe. Do the videos show
that the 14-time major winner has really
experienced an incredible improvement
in his physicality in the space of a few
weeks, or is it another stage-managed
ploy by Woods to keep us speculating?
Despite the fact that we still have
no conclusive understanding of the
timetable of Woods’ return to the
game, that a series of status updates
on his recovery from his fourth bout of
back surgery is such headline news
tells us two things. First, it shows how
desperately we want to see him play
again. There’s no doubt that Woods’
extended leave of absence from the
PGA Tour has left a deep void
in the game that, despite the
best efforts of the likes of Jordan
Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Dustin
Johnson and Jason Day, hasn’t
come anywhere close to being
filled. Yes, the PGA Tour is a
more harmonious place without
Tiger around and, yes, the more
collegiate-style atmosphere has
enabled many younger players
to come out of their shells and
flourish, but all sports need a
dominant figure, a charismatic
icon or a great rivalry to sustain
interest. At this moment, golf has
none of these. Some point to
the plethora of one-time majorand 2009, the third act that has played
out since, while no doubt eventful, has
been unsatisfactory.
Even before he turned professional,
Woods made no secret of the fact that
his driving sense of purpose in life was to
overhaul Jack Nicklaus’ record of
18 major championships. And as he
embarked on that personal journey
towards greatness, we hitched a ride.
Twelve years into his career and with
14 majors to his name, it seemed all but
inevitable that the third and final act of
the trilogy would see the American pick
off Nicklaus’ total with ease and cement
himself in the history books as the best
golfer of all time.
Unfortunately, a series of injuries and
scandals have combined to rob us not
only of seeing that epic tale unfold but
of being able to watch Woods walk
away from golf on his own terms. For
more than a decade, we witnessed a
career that accelerated at breakneck
Formula One pace, only to see it stall and
kangaroo towards the finish line like a
clapped out Ford Fiesta.THE BEGINNING OF THE END
The spluttering conclusion to Woods’
career can be traced all the way back to
a balmy November evening in southern
Florida in 2009. After taking six months
off to have knee surgery in the wake of
his 2008 US Open victory at Torrey Pines,
Woods returned to the PGA Tour at the
beginning of the following season to
claim six titles and produce a scintillating
performance in the Presidents Cup.
Partnering Steve Stricker, Woods won
all four of his fourball and foursomes
matches before defeating Korea’s YE
Yang 6&5 in the final day singles.
Not done with inflicting damage on
the internationals, Woods ventured
‘down under’ a couple of weeks later
to compete in and win the Australian
Masters. With seven international wins
under his belt in his comeback season,
the fact that Woods failed to win a major
for the first time since 2004 largely flew
under the radar. The world’s richest and‘Without Tiger,
golf lacks a focal
point. It lacks
excitement and it
lacks edge’
winners as evidence of strength
in depth in the modern game,
but in reality it’s a symptom of
its blandness. Without Tiger,
golf lacks a focal point, it lacks
excitement and it lacks edge. It’s
all just a little too ‘nice’.
Second, it shows how
much we all crave a definitive
conclusion to what promised,
for so many years, to be one of
the all-time stellar sports careers.
We’re often told that great stories
play out in three acts. While we
were treated to a sensational part
one and part two between 199750 GOLF ASIA
GOLFING
PROFILE