Tiger Woods winning the Tour Championship is golf’s biggest victory in years
SINCE Eldrick Tont Woods burst on the scene as a 20-year-old in 1996 the golfing world has been in awe. While there is no end of talent on the tour, none get anywhere near the magical drawing power of Tiger.
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AS much as it no doubt means to the man himself, Tiger Woods’ first golfing victory in 1,876 days arguably means more to the sport he represents.
Tiger is golf and if you doubt that go check the ratings in the US when he hasn’t been playing.
No mainstream sport is so reliant on one person, and that has basically been the way since Eldrick Tont Woods burst on the scene as a 20-year-old in 1996.
In the 22 years since there have been any number on wonderful talents merge, many of them on the tour right now in the form of Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas.
Yet none get anywhere near the magical drawing power of Tiger. Just listen to his faithful as he goes about his work, a fan base almost religious in its fervour for the one-time golden child who strayed before being welcomed back by his flock.
Along with his fall from grace in 2009 based around a series of illicit affairs came back surgery that threatened to end his career and saw his ranking plummet to 1199.
He could now reach 13 and more importantly he’s clearly back as a genuine contender in majors.
At 42 some thought his chance of adding to 14 majors and challenging the 18 of Jack Nicklaus was gone, but hey, we’re talking about Tiger.
And it would seem a formality for him to now surpass Sam Snead’s record of 82 wins on the US PGA tour, given Tiger now has 80 (seven ahead of third-placed Nicklaus).
So suddenly his five-year absence from the winners’ list has been forgotten, or in the words of Paul Simon from his 1968 classic titles Mrs Robinson, “our nation turns its lonely eyes to you”.
The loneliness has gone, replaced by the re-emergence of the finest golfer of his generation.
Go Tiger.
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Originally published as Tiger Woods winning the Tour Championship is golf’s biggest victory in years