Portrait of a man in the rough
Rooting for a comeback
THERE is no way to reside in anyone else’s soul, so it’s impossible to know for sure what hides behind the sad, droopy eyes and the sullen expression in the picture that nearly broke the Internet on Monday.
It could be the residue of a long night’s bender or fatigue or embarrassment — or as Tiger Woods suggested, prescription drugs. Who knows for sure?
Still, the mug shot of Woods that emerged early Memorial Day following his arrest in Jupiter, Fla., on suspicion of DUI can carry only one reaction in regards to Tiger Woods, human being, regardless of how you may have felt about Tiger Woods, golfing icon. And that is sadness. Sadness at remembering what he was, which for close to a decade was the greatest golfer in the world and, quite possibly, the greatest golfer who has ever lived. Sadness at how it started to go sideways on another holiday weekend, Thanksgiving 2009, when a domestic argument with his wife and a car accident in his driveway led to revelations of epic womanizing and sex addiction.
And sadness at what he seems now, a Springsteen song sprung to life — his back a mess, his career in tatters, his lifetime goal of breaking Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 golf majors seemingly gone — and now that mug shot, and this story, however it shakes out, whether this results in an actual legal morass or not.
Amazingly, next month will mark nine years since Woods won his last major, the 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, Calif. That was a weekend when it seemed he was an indestructible force, winning an 18-hole playoff over Rocco Mediate on one leg, since his left knee would soon require surgery.
At that moment, he was 32 years old and the most powerful figure in sports, one of the most famous peo- ple on Earth. He didn’t always act the part of the humble hero; there were too many times he blew off fans and behaved badly on golf courses, cursing freely, even though he knew every single pitch, putt, drive and duff was being televised. But the talent was unmistakable.
If he wasn’t yet the greatest ever, it was only a matter of time.
Now he is 41, stuck on 14 majors, hasn’t won a tournament since the 2013 WGC Bridgestone Invitational, has had only one Top 10 finish since, and hasn’t played a competitive round since withdrawing from the Dubai Desert Classic in February.
He has tried to stay positive despite four back surgeries since 2014. Just last week, he declared in a blog post, “I haven’t felt this good in years.” And that is the way most of the golf world has been rooting for years. The sport misses Woods, misses his drawing power, his appeal. And, mostly, his excellence.
If there is a role model for Woods to follow, it’s probably Michael Phelps, the American swimmer who, by acclamation, is the greatest Olympic athlete of all time. In 2014, Phelps had his second DUI arrest (in addition to a reputation-ruining picture of himself with a bong that had surfaced a few years before).
Phelps looked equally lost in his mug shot, and he was suspended by USA Swimming for six months. There was speculation that Phelps hadn’t yet hit rock bottom. But two years later, at the Rio Olympics, he won five gold medals and a silver, lifting his record total to 23 Olympic golds and 28 Olympic medals — precisely the kind of staggering, might-never-be-approached-letalone-broken sum it seemed Woods was cruising toward in golf.
Phelps didn’t have the physical woes to deal with that Woods did. But even if Tiger never wins another major, that isn’t what the prime rooting interest around him should be anyway. Anyone who ever saw Tiger’s swagger and his smile and the way he stalked golf courses wants to see that version of him again.
That mug shot shouldn’t be the last thing we remember. It can’t be.