Let’s be very honest with ourselves. Golf does not need Tiger Woods. However… Exhilarating, blood-pumping, stand-and-clap-in-the-living-room golf? Now that most certainly needs Tiger Woods. It simply doesn’t exist in nearly the same fashion if/when he’s absent. No argument. With his 80th victory all-time on the PGA TOUR on Sunday, it’s safe to say Tiger will continue to excite.
The Tiger Effect
If you’re an avid follower of golf, you don’t need any explanation on this matter. Remember what Jeff Gordon was to NASCAR? Multiply that by a billion and you have the affect Woods has on the game of golf. It’s extremely difficult, and rare, to be relevant in a sport for almost two decades. Go ahead, name as many as you can. They’re all legends.
At The Course
If you didn’t watch, you can see the photo above. I don’t know percentages and I’m not going to pull numbers out of thin air, because that’s just not me, but there’s gotta be close to like four thousand percent of the gallery just chasing Woods around the course. Not only is it impressive to see herds of people following a red shirt, but it takes a toll on his partner, too. Imagine a slew of people following you around, only to take a break from watching when it’s your turn. That gets demoralizing. Not to mention hitting a ball into the gallery. It’s tough enough to hit out of those areas, but with hundreds of people trampling the area, you’re hard pressed for a good lie.
On The Couch
Sundays are for football, I’m not going to sugarcoat it. They just are. However, there are exceptions to every rule. When does the NFL get trumped on a Sunday? When Tiger makes a run. I’ll be honest with you, I didn’t watch a wink of the first three rounds in last weekend’s Tour Championship. But, you can bet your sweet little ass I didn’t miss any of Tiger’s shots on Sunday. That day, football could wait. I wanted to see something special, and I’m willing to bet I wasn’t the only one. And boy did I see it.
Tiger Woods Is Getting Better
I don’t mean he’s playing better golf than ever has. Not yet. I won’t rule out that possibility, but it would be tough. Tiger has played some damn good golf in his career. What I mean is that he’s getting better every time he plays. It’s evident to the naked eye, and it’s being confirmed by those playing next to him. His swing is becoming more and more fluent, which has been a miracle to many.
Pain Free
Tiger Woods now swings his golf clubs pain free. All opponents are shaking in their slacks, I guarantee it. Tiger Woods’ epic collapse in the world of golf had many causes, but none more debilitating than his injured back. The injury kept him out of golf for longer than anything else did. Now? It’s gone. Tiger says he experiences no pain when playing, and nothing is more music to Tiger fans’ ears that hearing that. What does that mean for his potential? No limits, if you ask me. Golf is not a game where 40 and 50 year-olds wither out as easily.
The Chase For 83
Sam Snead holds the record with 82 PGA Tour victories. Woods, five years after collecting win number 79, now has 80. Will it take another five years for 81? Can he overtake Snead within the next year? I’ll leave that up to you to discuss. As long as the man in red is playing on Sunday, I’ll be tuning in to find out. This is a once in a lifetime competitor we get to witness. Peaks, valleys, peaks, etc. If anyone can, Tiger Woods can.
