COMMENTARY | I pretty much deliberately (try to) avoid writing about Tiger Woods. So much is written about him. Too much is written about him. Worse, too much is written about him when he is not playing well. When he was on a tear, and firmly at the top of global golf, who could resist talking about him? He was amazing, his play was amazing, and his future seemed amazing.
I do not need to tell you why that all ended. However, since it ended, the attempts to drag Tiger’s name into the headlines have been copious, cheap, and largely unjustified. Numerous golf newsletters I subscribe to routinely promote headlines with references to some famous golfer or another “blasting” Tiger. Nicklaus blasts Tiger, Faldo slags Woods, Donald disses Tiger … and usually the ensuing article would contain some passing reference to Tiger Woods, not nearly as damning as the sensational headline, and would essentially be a complete waste of time.
So, now, anytime I feel tempted to write about Tiger, I worry about falling into that category of riding on Tiger’s misfortunes. However, having just watched the Presidents Cup this past weekend, I actually got excited about the prospect of the old Tiger (the golfer, not the person) potentially being back. He played well at the Australian Open, which in itself does not necessarily mean he’s back, but it certainly is not an argument against. What got me excited was a) how he played; and b) the look in his eye when playing his singles match on the final day of the Presidents Cup. He won over the very talented Australian, Aaron Baddeley, 4 & 3. At one point he was five up on Baddeley, and Woods was 5-under-par when the match ended after 15 holes. His drives were straight, his shots were crisp, and finally his putter was not failing him. And, he had that look in his eye – a look we have not seen for quite some time.
There is no question that the events of the past two years permeated Tiger’s brain, and took the “in” out of his invincibility. He learned what it feels like to struggle, to hurt, to doubt, and to fear. But what if he did get back into his former mindset, where suddenly he acutely remembers what it feels like to dominate, to excel, to win? His results and his world ranking do not show it right now, but Tiger Woods is the greatest active golf giant alive. He’s just been sleeping. What if the final round of the Presidents Cup woke him up?