His personal scandal back in 2009 derailed his career for a bit. And then his busted spine over the past few years almost ended it.
But there was Tiger Woods, the greatest golfer to ever play the game, raising his fists into the air on the 18th green at Augusta National Golf Course in the year 2019, celebrating his 1-stroke win at the Masters and shoving years full of doubt away forever.
It’s his fifth Masters win overall, and his first since 2005. It’s his 15th major championship, but the first since 2008. And just like that his race to catch Jack Nicklaus’ major-championship record of 18 wins is back on.
But this one was easily the most special win of his legendary career, because while his millions of fans lost it over the last four days, watching this all unfold, all those haters who have doubted him for so long now have nothing.
And that has to be pretty sweet.
Because mock-turtleneck Tiger went back to being mock-turtleneck Tiger, this time with some gum in his mouth, as he rallied for the first time ever to win a major. There’s a stat he’ll never have to hear again.
Tiger has been an easy target eve since his scandal and then through his injury woes. Fans made fun of the mistakes he made off the course then continued to snicker as he tried to work his way back to dominance.
They laughed when he chunked chips. They said “that’s it” when he would crumple to the ground mid-round and have to be carted off.
They wondered why he would even keep trying.
But there he was on Sunday walking off the 18th green with his son Charlie by his side and hundreds of adoring fans screaming his name as he made his way to the scorer’s tent to make things official.
There have been many times in recent years when Tiger could have called it quits. The once unbeatable golfer was very beatable and very beat up. Just two years ago he only attended the Masters champions dinner, saying his days were probably over due to his injury. He didn’t play that year and everyone feared the worst.
But then, thanks to the back fusion surgery of the century, he came back. He picked up his first win in ages last September at the Tour Championship. And while it was a great moment with the fans following him up the 18th fairway, it wasn’t a major.
Everyone wanted to see him do that on the grandest stage for him to be truly back.
On Sunday, he proved that and more, putting together a performance that left fans all over the world in awe of what he was doing. It was like old times again, when Tiger and golf fans gathered as a whole to cheer him on, to take us back in time again.
And boy did he do just that with a scintillating back 9 which he almost capped off with a hole-in-one on the 16th hole.
What an amazing day.
Tiger is now really back, and we’re all better for it.