Before the momentum shifted, a friend sent me these words:
“Amen Corner probably decides this”.
Leading by 2 strokes, Francesco Molanari, cool and confident all day, hit his ball into the water at
the 12th tee; a shot that wasn’t even close to seeing dry land.
Tiger (in 2nd place) was next and crushed his attempt to the middle part of green.
Not surprisingly, Tony Finau followed Molanari’s lead
and took a bath in Rae’s Creek as well.
I said to myself "It's over".
I said to myself "It's over".
Before the Tiger threesome arrived on hole 12, rivals Brooks Koepka and Ian Poulter had both dropped off the leader board after drowning
their balls in that same water – which Tiger was aware of. 1st,
3rd, 4th and 5th place had melted in their
moment of truth. From his two decades of Masters experience, Woods knew he had
to play it safe.
To be fair, it was far from an ideal atmosphere
for the leaders on Sunday, as the crowd was clearly on Tiger’s side,
where the deafening cheers could be heard a hole away.
The treacherous holes of Amen Corner
(11-13) have been the downfall of many capable men, but one would have thought Molanari wouldn’t have been rattled so
easily, considering how well he had played (1 bogey through 3 rounds)
before Sunday’s start. He was one of the hottest golfers in the past year,
winning the 2018 ‘Open Championship’ and the Arnold Palmer
Invitational last month.
The pressure of Amen corner, along
with knowing Tiger was lurking only 2 shots behind, may have been too grand of a stage for Molanari. 2 bogeys and 2 double
bogeys speak volumes about his day. Amongst the leaders, Tiger’s
playing partners (Molanari and Finau) were the only ones not to shoot below par. Coincidence or the effect of playing alongside Tiger?
The final holes (13 -18) gave
us flashes of the old Tiger, methodic, steely, patient, confident and full of
solid to perfect shots, including the beautiful one on the 16th (Par 3)
hole, where his tee shot was close enough for an easy tap in birdie. It was his
Masters to lose at that point and he calmly closed the deal.
Tiger was back, back again.
After watching what I consider to be
the greatest comeback story in the history of American sports, I know why I
doubted Tiger, but surely won’t make that mistake again.
I never thought Tiger would win
another Major, unlike several friends who had the utmost faith in him. My certainty was due primarily to his injury history below, most
notably those 3 back surgeries, along with the ‘fear factor’ that seemed to be
missing.
Tiger’s Injury History:
2008 – Torn ACL
2010 – Neck Injury
2011 – Sprained MCL, Achilles
2012 – Achilles Injury
2014 – Back Surgery
2015 – Back Surgery
2017 – Spinal Fusion (Back Surgery) Anterior
Lumbar Interbody Fusion
With the old Tiger (1996 -2009), he would
show up on Sunday with the familiar red NIKE shirt and golfers would often wilt or play
a game they weren’t familiar with. It
happened time and time again and the fear was glaring. They
knew if Tiger was in the lead on Sunday, they had little to no chance to
win. In Majors, he is 14-0 when having at
least a share of the lead.
In addition, the young golfers today
are much better, stronger and less fearful compared to his competition from his dominant 13
year run with 14 Majors. To give you an idea of how incredible Woods was back then,
the top players (Mickelson, Els and Singh) during that time had 9 Majors combined.
They only have 11 Majors now.
I don’t know of any professional golfer who has played with a fused back. The fact that Tiger was competitive in two
Majors last year (and won the Tour Championship) with that back, blew my mind,
considering by his own admission that he wasn't able to play with his kids two
short years ago.
I attributed his strong showing in the
Majors last season (2018) more to his vast experience, supreme talent and
knowing how to win. I didn’t think his back would hold up and never
thought he wouldn’t have at least a few back issues. I expected 2
or 3 strong rounds in a Major, although couldn't imagine that he could string
together 4 of them.
He must have had superb doctors
and/or surgeons or maybe it’s just that golf is a sport where one’s mind can
overcome the constraints of the body. I
also should have remembered that Tom Watson almost won the 2009 Open
Championship at age 59!
I’ve followed and been a fan of
Tiger’s since his teenage days, where he won 3 consecutive U.S. Junior Amateur
titles – that event’s only three-time winner.
The 1997 Masters win at age 21 was as
thrilling as any event I witnessed on TV. To see him annihilate (by 12 strokes)
the older and more experienced competition was surreal.
At the 2000 PGA Championship, Tiger
had to make a difficult 10 foot putt on the last hole to force a playoff with Bob May. If he misses that shot, Bob May would have been a first
time winner. He nailed it of course and went on to defeat May in a 3 hole
playoff. It was Tiger’s fifth Major and gave us a glimpse of his toughness and steely nerves.
Another brilliant scene was during the 2000
RBC Canadian Open, where he hit an impossible 6 iron from the bunker (213 yards
over water) and landed it softly on the green. I don’t know if any professional
would even attempt that shot.
Beating Rocco
Mediate on an injured left knee at the 2008 US Open is another phenomenal memory. I was in a sports
restaurant at the time and the entire place was glued to the TV.
A few other notable points as it relates to Tiger:
A few other notable points as it relates to Tiger:
· Arnold Palmer is an icon and a big
reason why golf is so popular. He won 7 Majors to Tiger's 15. Think about that.
· Two of the best golfers of all time,
Gary Player and Ben Hogan each won 9 Majors.
· Tiger
has held the outright 54-hole lead 46 times in his PGA Tour career. He went on
to win 44 of them.
· He is the only golfer to win 4 consecutive
Majors - called the Tiger Slam.
His 14 Majors and vast regular PGA Tour victories were electrifying, including an era where Ernie Els finished 2nd to Tiger on 5 occasions - the most of any golfer. If not for Woods, Els may have 6 Majors instead of 4, as he was second in two of Tiger’s 14 Major victories.
For this 15th win at Augusta, it was the first time he has come from behind on Sunday to win a Major.
For this 15th win at Augusta, it was the first time he has come from behind on Sunday to win a Major.
When the 2009 sex scandal with his wife Elin
occurred, I’ll never forget the anger and jokes that were thrown Tiger’s
way, especially here in Sweden since his now ex-wife is a Swede. I heard several
say that they would boycott the products that Tiger endorsed.
Others found pleasure in his
demise, although I saw an equal amount of sadness. It didn’t help that the old
Tiger was never warm to the public or open to the media. His arrogance didn’t sit well with lots of folks, so it’s no
surprise that people piled on after his reputation took such a potent hit.
The fall from grace was profound for someone many thought had it all.
The fall from grace was profound for someone many thought had it all.
Not only did multiple sponsors drop Tiger (not NIKE), but much of the public was no longer in his corner. The
downfall was swift and he wouldn’t win another Major until this year – an 11
year gap.
The divorce, personal issues, injuries and worldwide attention on his scandal might have ruined the condition and
psyche of another, but not Tiger. In 2013, he was ‘Player of the Year’ and won
5 tournaments; history many forget when his golf years after the
scandal are mentioned.
I’m most impressed with the work ethic and ambition needed to climb back into competition.
It’s amazing how quickly Tiger was able to get his body and mind back in shape
to contend. We may revel in the glory now, but the grinding and work and
patience and pain it took to get to this Masters victory, may be the biggest lesson
from his 2019 Major championship.
Despite the plentiful doubts, Tiger
never gave up or stopped believing in himself, even when it seemed like it
would have been easy to do so. It's inspiring.
It was a thing of beauty to watch this spectacular finish. I was communicating
with friends in Europe and the States during the tournament. I’ve never used social media this extensively with such a variety of cultures during a live sports event.
Our problems were put to the side and
the often daily deluge of politics was nowhere to be found. It was just golf, The
Masters and Tiger. I warned my wife beforehand that I had to watch the final round and that was my sole afternoon and evening focus.
In 1997 (his first Masters win), he embraced his late dad Earl on the 18th hole. This time, it was his 10 year old son Charlie jumping in his arms.
The new Tiger is more open, humble and
warm according to several reports. To see the genuine emotion after this win
was refreshing as he was never one to wear his emotion on his sleeve. What a day and comeback story; the
likes of which we may never see again. It is redemption at the highest level.
I’d like to see him break Jack
Nicklaus’s record of 18 Majors. If he stays healthy, that record could be
within reach before his 50th birthday. Until he officially retires,
I will give him the benefit of any doubts I have.
I wrote this in 2007:
“Jack
Nicklaus always speaks fondly of Tiger and I admire that about him. He should
know greatness in golf better than anyone. Tiger will easily break Jack's Major
championship record of 18 as long as he stays healthy. Keep in mind, that
Jack's most impressive record may be that he came in 2nd place in Majors a
record 19 times!
My
prediction is that Tiger will have won 26 Majors when he hangs up the clubs.
Over 30 would not surprise me but life and kids could mellow his desire.”
Winning one Major a year until his 55th birthday would give him 26 Majors. Who am I
to say he can’t do it?
Whatever happens, let’s enjoy this
magical ride while it lasts.
Never doubt a Tiger.
