What Will Happen To Mens Golf When We Lose The Roar of Tiger?

Women's golf has its rising star and she is 17 year old Lydia Ko.  She is the Tiger of the women's game and a singular reason to tune in to see the ladies play. In the last couple of years, if you've heard a roar from viewers of men's professional golf, it was likely to be the chant of the name of the games rising star. What seemed a familiar sound was actually the crowd chanting "Rory, Rory," and not that unmistakable roar that only a Tiger can make.

Apparently, the folks at Augusta aren't confused by the roar and neither are the organizers of most tournament events these days- including that tournament organizer named Eldrick Woods.  That's right.  Even Tiger needed Tiger recently in order to insure the viability of his own charity golf tournament, so he announced himself ready to play hoping to keep his tournament viable.  Once again, a seemingly unhealthy Tiger is announcing his intention play in an upcoming tournament, but this time its the Masters.

Can Tiger recapture the days of his youth?

Some guys have the ability to move the needle in special ways. Tiger is the needle.

It might sound conspiratorial to suggest that Tiger is only playing this years Masters for the sake of tournament sponsorship and viewer ratings that increase tournament sponsorship, but the evidence seems rather clear in light of his recent health status and failed attempts to finish a decent round. Tiger's don't hunt like this.  They quietly lay in wait so as not to over exert their energy- and then they overwhelm their prey with cat like agility and speed.  The young Tiger did this with apparent ease while the old Tiger has proven to us all that nothing great is ever truly easy- the great ones just make it look that way.

Tiger could finish his stellar career tomorrow and he will rank among the best to ever do it.  Problem is, he has a chance to be the best to ever do it.  Some think he already is, however, being the best and winning the most tournaments are not always the same accomplishments. As it stands, one modern era player stands in front of Tiger and his name is Jack Nicklaus.  Up until now, Tiger has tracked Jack's path of greatness to the letter and remains on the trail to catch and surpass the greatest. Problem is, he looks to have lost the scent.

What Jack accomplished in 19 years (13 majors)  Tiger did in 11 (14 majors).  Problem is, Tiger  seems to have stalled out since reaching that first resting plateau because when Jack reached 40 years old, he still had a few good wins in the bag.  Right now Tiger Woods is 39 years old. If he follows Jacks trend of 5 major titles after 40 years of age, all will be forgotten during these years of Tiger's malaise.  What can't be forgotten is the enormous impact he still has on the game of golf, an impact that even Jack never had.

Traditionalist who yearn for golf purity may not be happy now that every Happy Gilmore and his ethnic friends have taken to the game of golf.  The decades of opening new golf courses regularly has not returned, but the tide of closing existing golf courses regularly has stemmed while the likelihood of sitting to view a golf tournament on weekend television remains very strong- so long as Tiger says he's playing.

Yeah, yeah. We all like Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler and those cats, but we can get the leader board update when they play, whereas we will sit and watch Tiger wail and flail any day of the week.  Tiger has always been an adventure to watch because he plays for big prizes only.  In the effort to insure you win and not just place, you might find yourself missing the cut in the game of golf.  Some players would love to win the tournament, but are genuinely out there to just keep hold of their tour card and make enough money to call themselves a pro. That's never been Tiger Woods, and given his unwillingness to play mediocre golf, it never will be.  Tiger would actually rather overemphasize (I didn't say fake) an injury versus remaining in a tournament that he has NO chance of winning.  That might sound pitiful from a competitive point of view, but it also might explain why Tiger is a boom or bust (mostly bust) performer right now.

What does a golf fade away look like?

Tiger is not failing for lack of introspection.  When you listen to him talk about his woes, he seems pretty clear that he is reaching the waning days of his golf years, and he must develop a fade-away to close out his career like Michael Jordan (his idol) closed out his illustrious career.  To continue in the vein of basketball, no player completes a championship run without experiencing some significant adversity.  Outside of this third quarter meltdown that Tiger is experiencing with his career, the guy would have been on his way to a route of the entire field.

Greatness just doesn't work like that.

Despite being undefeated, nobody will consider Floyd Mayweather the best ever if he doesn't show us his ability to overcome that moment of real adversity in his career. This is Tiger's moment of adversity and his time to prepare for his fourth quarter finale. Whether he succeeds or fails is inconsequential to each of us who are totally hooked on this show and committed to seeing it through to the final episode.  If he stinks up Augusta, we will watch until its clearly time to check back next time.  39 might be old in most professional sports, but not in golf, so Tiger has time to prove all of his doubters wrong and all of his supporters right, or vice versa- so long as he can handle the pressure of knowing that every single one of them is watching his every move.

The question that remains is not whether Tiger is only playing for the sake of television ratings and sponsorship dollars.  The question that remains is what becomes of golf without Tiger?

Three Months After Surgery Tiger Roars Back Into Competition

Tiger Woods' back?

Not a particularly funny pun given the recent return of Tiger to competition following back surgery 3 months ago. If Tiger had his druthers, he might've delayed this return until the British Open.

Why doesn't Tiger have his druthers?

Because he is MJ to golf. Sure, Magic and Larry and Isaiah and Barkley did their part to elevate the game just as Arnie and Jack did what they could for golf. Tiger, like Mike, blew the cap off the hinges. I golf incessantly, and I can gladly report that EVERYONE is golfing now.

You can no longer stereotype who is and who is not golfing. Courses all around are easing long standing traditions like attire and general etiquette to accommodate the ignorant masses golfing to uncover their inner Tiger.

Tiger has changed the game for good, but game changer's get rewarded with a unique set of rules to follow as a result of their evolutionary behavior. To become MJ, Michael Jordan had to complete the circle. In an amazing swoosh of global proportion, Mike became by doing what seemed impossible at the time. Some of Jordan's best fans were critics when he played.

Who was amazed that Miami didn't 3peat?  The odds on Tiger breaking 18 majors should be even money with the history he's made and the time he's got to make more. To overcome Arnold Palmer, the man with a refreshing drink named after him, he had to be other worldly. To put the Golden Bear in his rearview mirror will demand the kind of stuff that breeds skepticism. Even Tiger fans find themselves wondering if the impossible is possible. Afterall, "who does that"?

Tiger Woods not only does that, he does this:  30 miles of running every week. Even during a tournament; even with knee problems; even when he doesn't feel like doing it.  When Tiger announced his long time workout regimen during his now infamous return to play presser, we all should not have been as shocked as we were.

In our feeble minds and bodies, we simply grow to believe that Tiger, Jordan and all the mega greats are blessed with special skills that the rest of us don't have. That skill is simply work ethic and drive. Though they perform so artistically, it's the work ethic that makes space for the artistry to be seen.

Tiger's ethics also have him playing a few weeks too early because this tournament is for his youth foundation. Speaking of youth foundation, Tiger is no spring chicken anymore and youth is no longer the foundation of his approach. What he used to be able to do with ease will demand more wisdom and discretion. If Tiger experiences a physical set back because, once again he has pressed beyond the limits of wisdom and discretion, he will have failed the first exam

To me, all of this is so funny because the beauty of golf is using the fade away when situations demand. If Tiger is developing a fade away it's because he's can't dunk like he used to. If this hoop/golf analogy had someone defending the hole it would be more sensible. Tiger has every shot in the arsenal but chose to dunk the ball more often than not. Now, Tiger is talking about adding strategy to the explosive game that already has him teetering on all time greatness.

Tiger Woods is back alright, but he might be a guy we've never met.