Tiger Woods Unites the Golf and Sports Worlds With Emotional Masters Victory

I won’t pretend to follow all the weekly ins and outs of the golf world. Like many people with deep respect, though not total dedication to the game, I tune in for majors and take note when something miraculous happens elsewhere.

Majors bring together the best in the world and all the casual fans so important in helping a sport maintain its relevancy. They also serve as a benchmark for success at the highest level. For all his successes, a player like Rickie Fowler is still often talked about for his lack of a major title. Each time another one rolls around, pundits wonder if it will finally be his time to break through.

Another golfer who arrived in Augusta looking for a breakthrough last week was one of the all-time greats. With 14 majors under his belt but none since 2008, Tiger Woods entered the week looking to officially mark his return to greatness after a tumultuous decade. And, because he is Tiger Woods, the whole world was watching.

Arguably no single active athlete has made a bigger impact on their sport than Tiger. Similarly, almost no one has had as public a fall. After his infidelity scandal in 2009, four back surgeries, and a DUI arrest in 2017, Woods thought he would never play golf again. But just two years later, going into Sunday at the Masters, he found himself playing in the final group, just two strokes off the lead.

Tiger had been the main story all week, so despite a weather-mandated early Sunday start at Augusta, the world made sure to set their alarms and tune in for a chance to witness history.

At the day’s outset, capturing major number 15 looked to be a formidable challenge, thanks to a remarkably calm and consistent Francesco Molinari out in front, who had only made one bogey in his first three rounds, and a crowded list of accomplished names still in the hunt. After Tiger followed up a birdie on 3 with bogeys on 4 and 5 while Molinari turned in par save after par save, the lead had extended to three shots, and the morale of Tiger Twitter was going down quickly.

You have to understand – Tiger Twitter is very much a real thing. I was active on the platform while watching the final round, and it seemed like my entire feed was a nonstop blast of Tiger Woods. From the Tiger Tracker, providing information on every shot, to everyone chiming in with excitement at important moments like Woods’ birdies on 7 and 8 which brought him to within a stroke of the lead, it was a truly unique experience.

I think it was after watching four members of the final two groups (including Molinari) find the water on the notorious par-3 12th hole and Woods comfortably reach the green that the real possibility of Woods winning the Masters and what that would mean set in.

For the last several years, I had criticized whenever ESPN or other media sources would show Tiger highlights or focus on Woods’ performance in any event he was playing in, regardless if he was anywhere near contention. It had seemed unfair to all the other golfers, but perhaps I was just too young to fully understand. I remember watching Woods’ win in the 2008 U.S. Open via a playoff against Rocco Mediate, his fourteenth and most recent major victory entering last week, but I was only nine at the time. The rise of Tiger Woods and how influential he was to an entire generation of golfers and in growing the sport as a whole was largely before my time.

But as Woods safely made par on 12, moving into a tie for the lead, everything seemed to click. I knew the story, but I hadn’t really seen it for myself. From the ashes, there was Tiger Woods, on the verge of winning the Masters. The world was going crazy. He is the only athlete on the planet who can generate that kind of enthusiasm. Tiger IS golf. Tiger IS sports.

My stomach was in knots on the back nine. So much was riding on every shot. At one point, five players were tied for the lead, something almost unheard of for a final round. However, on the par-5 15th, Woods and Molinari had an opportunity to set themselves apart from the pack. Woods did just that with a birdie, while Molinari’s ball found the drink once again, leading to an untimely double bogey which took the Italian out of contention. Tiger now held sole possession of first place with just three holes to play.

There are times where you see something happen and instantly know you’re witnessing history. That’s how I felt watching Tiger’s tee shot on the par-3 16th, which hit the middle of the green and rolled to within two feet of the hole. I caught myself smiling both in admiration of the shot and recognition of what was becoming inevitable.

Tiger knew the situation on the 18th hole. With a two-shot lead, all he needed to do was play it careful and the trophy would be his. With the composure he had exhibited all week while others had their missteps, he got the job done, and released all the emotions of more than a decade of working, often with an uncertain future, to get back to this spot.

Following his fifth Masters victory and his first since 2005, Woods had a moving embrace with his children, which drew flashbacks to the celebration with his father after his first victory in 1997. It was a time to rejoice in what will certainly go down as one of the biggest sports stories of the year and perhaps one of the greatest comeback stories in sports as a whole. However, it is also a time to reflect upon our values.

After all, Woods is hardly the perfect role model we want our heroes to be. Sarah Spain wrote a great article about this issue, and how Tiger’s story can appeal to some for showing that everyone has flaws and can overcome them, while those same flaws can make others want to root against him. Ultimately, though, I think you have to appreciate Tiger’s drive and perseverance through an incredibly difficult journey.

From outside of the top 1000 in the World Golf Rankings in July of 2017, Tiger now stands at #6. And with 15 majors, the chase to match or even surpass Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 seems to be alive once again. History suggests that the window is short for the 43-year-old Woods, but the all-time greats are called that for a reason, so who knows?

Tiger Woods’ victory at Augusta is a statement marking the return of an iconic figure, one who can turn a sport many deem at-best occasional viewing into must-see television. His overall narrative may be complicated, but one thing is for certain: the golf world and the sports world as a whole are better when Tiger is competing at the highest level. Welcome back.