Having captured his first win in five years, the sporting world is bracing for what may be the most compelling chapter yet of the derailed golfing great’s story.

With his hair receding and his body broken Woods the human being of 2018 is a far cry from the Nike poster boy who once threatened to not just rewrite golf’s history books but to make every other player seem irrelevant.

His metronomic swing, the power of his strokes and his laser-like putting ensured a living legend status, but oddly it’s his personal troubles that may have made him more relatable to the public.

That showed last Sunday when Woods, 42, a 14-time major winner, marked his return from the doldrums with a victory at the PGA Tour’s season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta.

Thousands of fans ignored a heavy police presence and security regulations to jump the ropes and walk on the fairway behind Woods as he captured his first win since August 2013 – and his 80th PGA Tour title.

Outside Atlanta, the world tuned in to what Woods himself described as “one hell of a comeback”.

Woods’ storybook ending to his injury comeback season yielded record television ratings for host broadcaster NBC.

Despite coming up against NFL Sunday coverage, the Tour Championship’s average audience peaked at 10.84 million viewers, while receiving a 4.45 US household rating – up 178 per cent on last year’s event.

Put simply, it was the most-watched and highest-rated Tour Championship telecast on records which go back to 1991.

But why was Woods’ return to the winner’s circle so captivating?

It’s because the Big Cat seems to have nine lives. And each one has been more captivating than the last.

If one word can describe Act I of Tigermania, it’s transcendent.

Between turning professional in 1996 and playing through a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament to win the 2008 US Open, Woods was almost supernatural.

Seemingly on autopilot, he amassed 65 wins on the US PGA Tour in that span. Among those 65 trophies were 14 major championships.

An adolescent Woods famously had a poster detailing the legendary Jack Nicklaus’ career achievements glued to his bedroom wall.

Namely, Nicklaus’ 18 major championship wins – the most ever.

But Woods was never actually obsessed with the number, rather the age at which Nicklaus reached it.

An outgoing Nicklaus was 46 when he captured the 1986 Masters.

Woods, having reached major No.14 at the age 32, was on a trajectory so much steeper than Nicklaus he threatened to sale past the Golden Bear’s defining number.

Woods’ sheer dominance between 1996–2008 created a division within the sport; many were enamoured with his brilliance, but some didn’t want the achievements of golf’s greatest champion broken so easily.

When an injured Woods battled through 91 holes at the US Open at Torrey Pines – needing 72 holes of regulation, an 18-hole playoff and a sudden-death hole to defeat Rocco Mediate – most considered surpassing 18 majors a fait accompli.

But they had no idea what was coming next.

Having sat on the sidelines for 10 months while recovering from spinal fusion surgery last year, Woods feared he would live with life-altering pain and not be able to play golf again.

It is what inspired golf commentators last Sunday to call Woods’ Tour Championship win the greatest individual comeback in sporting history.

During the annual champions dinner at last year’s Masters at Augusta, Woods reportedly told a fellow former green jacket winner that he was “done” with golf.

But 2017 was just the latest instalment of a series of dramas which have derailed a remarkable career.

When Woods shut down his 2008 season after his US Open victory to have surgery on his ruptured ACL, it seemed the beginning of the end.

It kicked off Act II; a truly spectacular fall from grace.

In November 2009, US tabloid the National Inquirer published a story alleging Woods was having an affair with New York nightclub hostess Rachel Uchitel, and that she was photographed at his Melbourne hotel during the Australian Masters.

It kick-started a downward spiral that saw him attacked by his wife Elin Nordegren, crash his car and be linked to multiple mistresses, a number of them porn actresses, and lose several lucrative sponsors.

Over the next seven years, Woods would also have four back surgeries – the latter in April 2017. It was spinal fusion surgery Woods underwent to alleviate severe pain in his back and leg.

“I couldn’t walk. I couldn’t lay down … that was a pretty low point for a very long time,” Woods said after his win last week.

“Was this is how the rest of my life is going to be?”

Woods developed somewhat of a reliance on prescription pain medication and it led to arguably his most embarrassing episode to date.

In May 2017, he was arrested and briefly jailed in Jupiter, Florida, on suspicion of DUI. Police found him asleep behind the wheel of his car in the early morning hours with the engine running.

Woods subsequently completed an ‘intensive’ treatment program and, at the Presidents Cup in October, admitted retiring from golf was a possibility.

By November, the former world No.1’s ranking had plummeted to 1199.

Australian golf icon Greg Norman – whose 331 total weeks as world No.1 held the record before Woods broke it – has been in awe of Woods’ latest comeback.

“The last six months, to do what he has done, is impressive,” Norman said.

In 2015, Woods had briefly suffered with a dreaded mental block called the ‘yips’, where Woods uncharacteristically hit the turf before the ball on chip and pitch shots.

“From the chipping yips to where he is today? That’s an interesting transformation,” Norman said.

Two-time British Open winner Norman is amazed at Woods’ ability to withstand scandal after scandal.

“To come off that debacle he had with the car and all that stuff, he skates through things most other people probably wouldn’t get away with,” he said.

Woods’ two-shot Tour Championship win at East Lake Golf Club was the icing on the cake of a truly remarkable comeback season.

In a game recently dominated by 20-something stars such as Jordan Spieth and Brooks Koepka, Woods proved a force once again.

Woods’ 18 PGA Tour events also yielded two runner-up results and seven top 10s – good enough for $US8.4 million in combined prizemoney and FedEx Cup earnings.

Statistically, he was the PGA Tour’s No.1-ranked golfer for approach shots.

It begs the question, is Woods back?

“I think he’s back, for sure,” Australian world No.23 Marc Leishman.

“On a course like (East Lake) to dominate like this, you have to have every part of your game firing.

“I’m not surprised at all. He is a proven winner; it was just a matter of time.”

Only time will tell if Woods can pull off the inconceivable and win more major titles.

He nearly did this year; briefly holding the lead on the back nine on Sunday at the British Open, before finishing second to winner Koepka at the PGA Championship.

Even Nicklaus admitted Woods is “playing well enough” to overtake his record.

But Australian former world No.1 Jason Day poured cold water on the idea of Woods dominating the way he did in the early 2000s.

This Tiger Woods will be a different version, says Day.

“We’re talking about probably the best player to ever live,” Day said.

“It’s pretty remarkable to see what he’s overcome.

“But getting back to the dominant ways, I don’t know if he ever will.”

Regardless, Woods has ignited hopes of chasing down two more significant milestones. Though hopeful of surpassing Nicklaus’ 18 majors, Woods is also just two titles shy of Sam Snead’s all-time record of 82 PGA Tour wins.

It is the next quest which will undoubtedly engross the sporting world.

“To get to 80 is a big number,” Woods said.

“Sam is still ahead of me, but I’ve still got a chance.”