Chansky's Notebook: Tiger Winning Us Back

Tiger Woods is why we’re addicted to sports.

We gave up on Tigers Woods because he couldn’t win anymore. That was the reason, not why he did all those things to himself and bottomed out of his golf career.

He was raised by a veteran father who kept tight control and taught Tiger to play the game like no one else could. Woods went to Stanford, were he was a self-admitted nerd until he left school to turn pro. Then the girls were throwing themselves at him on every tour stop.

He kept living a secret life even after marrying the nanny of a fellow golf pro and had two children with her. She found him out and bashed the back of his car in with a nine iron. Tiger left the tour a broken man with multiple addictions and a spine that was already hurting from twisting himself like a corkscrew on every golf swing. He lost all of his endorsements.

Even when he had repeated surgeries to fuse his back, no one believed he could be Tiger Woods again. Sure, there was still interest but most fans and media wrote him off as a has-been at 40. Then, 10 years after winning his last major, 2018 happened.

He had the lead on the back nine Sunday in the British Open at Carnoustie. Interest rose, but nothing like what happened at the PGA Championship this past weekend. When Tiger closed to within four of the lead Saturday, TV ratings spiked to what would be 69 percent by late Sunday afternoon.

Woods was hitting long and short irons right at the flagsticks and the ball was settling or spinning like the old Tiger. Surely, all the young guns like Justin Thomas and Adam Scott and eventual champion Brooks Koepka would fold with every roar of the gallery in suburban St. Louis. When he birdied the 18th hole, Woods pumped his fist into the air like the old days.

Although Tiger didn’t win, his gesture told the world that he was all the way back in what some were getting ready to call the greatest story in the history of golf. A least for now.

Yes, he may actually win another tournament and another major, but right now it is us with the addiction. The new Tiger is more grateful; he doffs his cap, fist bumps spectators and is more candid than the old cliché machine.

That’s the Woods we love and, obviously, the Tiger we want back. Apparently, all is forgiven.