‘IF THIS IS THE START OF TIGER’S FAREWELL TOUR, WE NEED TO SAVOUR IT’
How lucky are we to have lived in the era of Tiger Woods? When I was a kid, I don’t think I ever truly appreciated the greatness that I got to witness week in, week out. I remember desperately pushing my Sunday night bedtime in an effort to see Tiger inevitably win another tournament in that staple Sunday red. He sparked my love of golf without doubt, but I think it’s only as I’ve grown older that I’ve come to fully appreciate what he has done for our sport.
I know there are some who don’t particularly like Tiger, whether for the poor taste of his personal life for so many years, or for his handling of the mantle of World No.1. His closed-off nature did not endear him to everyone. That is fair enough. But in his absence – through choice, form or injuries – I think golf fans came to appreciate him even more.
That has never been more apparent then in the run up and playing of this year’s Masters Tournament. I don’t think I was alone (certainly not judging by my Twitter feed) in the anticipation I felt as the days without an official withdrawal ticked by. Or when news broke of his private jet being tracked from Florida up to Georgia. Or when he holed that putt for par after scrapping his way up the first in the first round. Or when he started firing iron shots that reminded us all who Collin Morikawa is second best to.
After what Tiger has been through physically and mentally, seeing him compete once again was something I’m not sure any of us knew how to handle. It was a surreal cocktail of nostalgia, hope and inspiration – a defiant mixture of traits that only the greatest golfer of all time could display. The inevitable fading did nothing to lessen the awe that preceded it. I felt grateful. Grateful that the sport I love has given us somebody who defines it.
Whether Tiger wins again or not is beside the point for me. I wouldn’t put it past him, but there are several new waves of golfers who have deepened and hardened professional golf in the intervening years. We have now reached the point where I don’t think the sport needs him to complete yet another comeback, even if it would be extraordinary to witness. New chapters have been written by other superstars such as Rory, Jordan Spieth, Brooks Koepka, Collin Morikawa – and now Scottie Scheffler.
The women’s game has done similarly since the years of Annika Sorenstam and Karrie Webb, with Jin Young Ko and Nelly Korda both showing signs of potential dominance. Yet while each of those players and others have shown more than just flashes of greatness by achieving extraordinary things, I still think there is an ineffable quality that so few possess.
I think Spieth has it, and Rory. Scheffler I’m not so sure about, despite this historic run he is on. I don’t want to sound disrespectful to any player or diminish any of their achievements. I’m sure countless players would swap their entire careers for Scheffler’s last two months. But it intrigues me to try to work out what it is that really moves the needle in our world of golf fandom. For so many years people fixated over Tiger and this year’s Masters was a reminder that we still obsess over him, even after all this time. More so than any of his would-be successors.
But it isn’t all about dominance either. I still tune in to watch Spieth, to watch Rory. There is something that certain players have that others don’t. It isn’t as simple as charisma. I wouldn’t class Inbee Park as oozing charisma on the golf course, but there is something that draws me to watching her, too. Perhaps it is a fascination with all the different ways you can be successful in this maddening sport that we all love, whether it be through their raw talent, their mannerisms, or their seemingly flawed technique.
I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I do know that we’re lucky to be a part of a sport that gives us so much. Maybe we’ve moved towards a world where more players are media trained, sponsor savvy and technically proficient. But golf is a game with such infinite possibilities for improvements that I think it will always attract individuals, and all their different idiosyncrasies. Getting the occasional needle-movers within that is worth hanging around for. Just look at the TV ratings for this year’s Masters.