Is Tiger Here to Stay? Analyzing the Legend’s Return to Professional Golf
Tiger Woods made his grand return to the professional golf stage this past weekend at the Hero World Challenge. There were some things to like, and some things not to like, as is the case with just about any performance in a tournament that the player doesn’t win. Overall, Tiger had a productive weekend finishing T9 at (-8). While watching Tiger this past weekend, something felt different from his previous comeback attempts. From a playing standpoint, this is the best he’s looked in any of his comebacks, and his swing looks the best it has looked since 2013. But the most important part of Tiger’s comeback his how relaxed and confident he looks.
In previous comebacks, Tiger has looked tense and nervous. He has been playing as though he has something to prove. This time around it’s been completely different. Tiger Woods has finally realized that he has nothing more to prove. He is a 14-time major winner. He has won the career grand-slam. He is possibly the greatest golfer of all time, with only Jack Nicklaus able to dispute that claim. Tiger Woods is playing now with the mentality he should have been playing with two to three years ago; the mentality that there is nothing else he needs to accomplish. He can now play golf and try to win while still knowing that he does not have to. Tiger Woods’s legacy has already been cemented.
The only thing Tiger woods could do to further cement his legacy is winning four more majors to tie Jack Nicklaus for the most career major wins at 18. But father time is not on Tiger’s side in the battle. He is now 41 years old and let’s face it: he is well past his prime. However, it is not totally out of the realm of possibility that he wins a few more majors. After all, Nicklaus won the last major of his career at age 46. But, as mentioned before, Tiger does not need to win anymore. Just look at the reaction Tiger gets each time he plays in a tournament. It is clear to everyone involved int his sport that the fans already view Tiger as one of the top two players of all time. His name is trending on Twitter any time he is playing. Tiger Woods has the support of golf fans in a way no player ever has. The bottom line is this: No matter what Tiger Woods does for the rest of his career, he is not going to change his perception among golf fans. So where does that leave Tiger as a player?
Tiger is never going to dominate the sport the way he did in the past. As mentioned before, he is now 41 years old. He has also had multiple back surgeries and, if history tells us anything, those surgeries have likely shaved more years off of his career than we realize. However, none of this means that Tiger cannot still compete and win. Woods is the second-winningest player in PGA Tour history with 79 and is second-winningest player in major tournaments with 14, according to pgatour.com. If there is anyone in golf today who knows how to win, it is Tiger Woods. It is plausible that Tiger adds to his tournament win total and possibly even his major win total. If he can stay healthy, it is safe to say he has at least five more years worth of chances to win more tournaments.
No matter what happens from this point forward in Tiger Woods’s career, his legacy is already written in stone. He has nothing left to prove to golf fans, and certainly, nothing left to prove to himself. Tiger Woods has impacted the game of golf in ways no player ever has and no player probably ever will again. As tough as it may be, it is time for fans of the sport to lower their expectations and move on. If Tiger wins more events, great for him. If he doesn’t, that’s fine too. We must now appreciate the memories Tiger has given us, and hope he succeeds for the remainder of his career; however long that may be.
