least superficially – a similar
level of excitement. His body
has suffered too, both from his
addiction to working-out in
gyms across the globe and his
obsessive swing-changing. No
other great golfer in the long
history of the game has ever
gone through more than one
major alteration in his full swing
technique – see Hogan and
Faldo again – and emerged
from the whole process better
than before.
In the end, his lifestyle was
simply unsustainable, even for
a narcissist on Woods’ scale.
No human, no matter how
gifted, could possibly cope with
all that he had going on.
Continuing to beat anyone and
everyone on the golf course.
Sleeping with multiple women
behind his wife’s back.Subjecting his clearly fragile
body to a daily fitness routine
reminiscent of an Olympic
athlete. Getting older. It was all
too much. And such a pity, one
that leaves us all to wonder just
what he might have achieved
with greater balance and
perspective in
his life.
Woods’ 14 Grand Slam
victories were achievedbetween the 1997 Masters and
the 2008 US Open, an 11-year
span that is above-average -
but well behind the 24 years
between Nicklaus’ first and last- when it comes to winning any
of the game’s premier events.
But second-best in the record
books, despite Tiger’s
protestations to the contrary,
was not quite what Earl had in
mind back in that garage.
A
s a white American- someone born and
raised in the South - few moments in a career
covering golf have stayed
with me like a vignette in the
immediate aftermath of Tiger
Woods’ victory at the 1997
Masters. On a Sunday afternoon
losing its light, the sport seemed
brighter as Woods walked from
the 18th green to Butler Cabin
at Augusta National. Among the
corridor of fans he went through
was Lee Elder, who in 1975 was
the first black golfer to compete
at Augusta National. I stood
nearby letting the scene sink in,
thinking this was much bigger
than what a phenomenally
talented young man had just
done over 72 holes of record-
breaking, jaw-dropping golf.
Of course, this perceived
gravitas did not only belong to
me as I wiped away a couple of
tears before interviewing Elder,
relieved that some of golf’s
weighty historical baggage had
at least been shifted around
with a milestone Masters
victory by a minority golfer.
That particular second Sunday
in April, many hoped – believed- that Tiger, the son of a Thai
mother and African American
father, was more than an
amazing golfer and, over time,
would alter the golf landscape
in ways that Harry Vardon,
‘Some wanted more from
Tiger, but he wanted to be a
golfer. His life wasn’t as neat
as his scorecards’
WHY TIGER’S LEGACY
REMAINS IN DOUBT
We were told Tiger’s multi-ethnicity would transform the social
fabric of golf. But 20 years on, we’re still waiting for change.Bill Fields
Woods’ victory in the
1997 Masters was
a pivotal moment
for golf.52 GOLF ASIA
GOLFING
PROFILE
GOLFING
PROFILE
52 GOLF ASIA