Magical. 5,117 days that were well worth the wait.
Tiger Woods is your 2019 Masters Champion. Chills, I know right? It’s all good I’m right there with you. It’s hard to fathom what happened today down Magnolia Lane. It’s been 5,117 days since Tiger Woods last had the green jacket draped around his shoulders . For as many highs as he has experienced in that time span, one could argue that there have been twice as many lows. From a long list of setbacks and self inflicted trials that included three separate back surgeries, a DUI, and an infidelity scandal whose effects rippled through not just the golfing world but the whole country. Many thought that we would fail to see this day again. One would be hard pressed to find something in sports that go together better than Tiger’s Sunday red and the legendary green jacket. The current generation would have been too young to truly appreciate his last Masters victory in 2005, whose importance pails in comparison to what we got to witness this afternoon.
“A tradition unlike any other.” The Masters needs no introduction, the stigma that surrounds the tournament stand alone as the pinnacle of the game. At a place where excellence is a given and tradition runs deep, Augusta National is the greatest stage in the game of golf and arguably all of sport and today they got their most deserving champion.
One could go into great detail about the statistical significance that this win has on the game of golf and for Tiger’s career. However, truth be told they speak loudly for themselves. Five green jackets and 15 major championships place Tiger at the peak of the game forever. Although, there is one stat that should warrant the most of our attention. This Sunday marked the first time in Tiger’s illustrious career that he came from behind to win a major championship. This win is not about Tiger getting closer to Jack Nicklaus’s record of 18 major wins. Or the fact that he joins an exclusive list alongside Mr. Nicklaus to be the only people to have at least 5 green jackets in their closet. This victory is about the comeback that will go down as arguably the greatest in sports and it’s only fitting he had to come from behind to do it.
Tiger’s long list of injuries over the past decade have been talked about as the hardest thing he has had to endure to make his way back to the top of the game. I would argue that the psychological, social, and mental consequences he faced due to his actions in 2009 were much more influential. In a game where mental fortitude is required at every turn, it’s hard to look past the kind of mental toll he has had to overcome since his high profile mistakes. Between a divorce, a DUI, addiction, lost endorsements and the loss of his own game, this win is a testament to persistence, toughness, and humility everywhere and should serve as an inspiration to us all. Tiger walking off the 18th green Sunday as Masters champion is not something we as fans deserved but rather the win Tiger deserved. Tiger owes the fans and the game of golf nothing. Between his 14 majors, 80 wins on tour and all the clutch performances in between, he has given us images and memories that we will never forget. Tiger Woods is living proof that someone can reinvent themselves, climb their way out of the ditch, and achieve goals they knew were still possible.
On Wednesday of this week Tiger received the Ben Hogan comeback award. The irony that runs through his victory today at Augusta National can not go unmentioned. In 1997 after Tiger’s first win at Augusta, the first person he embraced after victory was his father. This afternoon that person was his own son, Charlie. During the CBS broadcast this afternoon, Nick Faldo discussed the fact that a sun’s cycle is 11 years. It had been 11 years since Tiger captured his last major title at Torrey Pines. Today, 11 years later, golf’s prodigal son has officially returned as your Masters champion. There are few moments in life where we are moved to tears through a sporting event. Today, April 14th, 2019, we were privileged to experience one of those.
-KG
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