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Finally, Tiger Woods has become a sympathetic character.
There is no telling where the greatest golfer of his generation would be today if he hadn’t sabotaged his own career while he was dominating the sports headlines for more than 20 years.
The one credit Woods can certainly take is expanding the game to fans and kids who had never watched a tournament before. That is how dynamic and how unusual his rise to fame was after leaving Stanford and turning pro at 20.
His net worth of $1.2 billion is more than twice what any other golfer has accumulated, winning his first of five Masters at 21, his first of four PGA championships at 23 and his first of six U.S. Opens and British Opens at 24. He was a good bet back then to surpass Jack Nicklaus’ career mark of 18 majors.
His armor began to chink during his six-year marriage to Elin Nordegren, the Swedish beauty who was working as a nanny for Tiger’s friend and fellow pro Jesper Parnevik when they met. They appeared to be a magical couple until the National Enquirer exposed one of what turned out to be many extramarital affairs, after which he won only one major over the next 15 years.
He apologized and said he “thought I could get away with anything I wanted to . . . and felt I was entitled.” Most of his fan base was forgiving as long as he could still thrill them on weekends during the golf season. His amazing Masters victory in 2019 signaled he was still among the best golfers on the planet even at 44 years old, but it turned out to be his last hurrah.
Even through a series of arrests for impaired and reckless driving, Woods didn’t do his career harm until that single-car accident in California in 2021, when he had to be airlifted to a hospital and, according to doctors, very nearly lost a leg and has had numerous surgeries and procedures since then.
It has been a continuum of medical rehabs, and watching him try to walk the sloping terrain of Augusta on a still-healing ankle over the weekend was proof that he will never win another major against the dozens of younger golfers for whom he was once their hero and inspiration.
Woods has kept his personal life as private as possible, and the happiest he looks on a golf course is when playing alongside 15-year-old Charlie Woods in father-son tournaments. From all reports, he is a loving, caring dad.
He is remarkably gracious to fans on the course, doffing his cap to them far more than he once did as the tenacious Tiger. Woods certainly respects the game and has become an advocate for the PGA and USGA; as his younger indiscretions also fade away, he may become beloved more than ever before.
Featured image via Associated Press/David J. Phillip
Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs daily on the 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro.Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
Art, I read your stuff regularly and enjoy it just as often. Today, you missed the mark. For those that follow golf closely, Tiger has been beloved by fans and fellow players for his entire career. He has been the leader in steering the tour through the challenge of LIV and has come out even more admired by his peers. I actually fail to see the point of your article. Aren’t we all hoping that the indiscretions from our early years fade away as we gain perspective? Additionally, a fact check will reveal that he did not win any majors following the exposed infidelity until the 2019 Masters followed by another PGA tour event that Fall. I’ll keep reading but wanted to let you know the predictions and proclamations about what the future holds for Tiger have almost always been wrong. In your case, his legacy has long been cemented as the center piece of the Mt. Rushmore of golf (Jones, Hogan, Nicklaus, Woods, if you’re wondering).
Sorry, but you don’t gloss over what was a major failing in the mans life. It’s not only fair to point it out, it’s instructive, a moment to say – don’t do these things. Being great at a sport is minor compared to being great as a person, as a husband, as a father, and in that Tiger failed.
It’s nice to see him being gracious to the fans, and playing even when he clearly has pain. He’s an abject lesson in what could have been and the failures of the human condition. He serves as a reminder to others.