BY: Andrew Edwards
The return to glory– Tiger Woods has now won his first major championship in 11 years, this time coming from the grandest stage of them all: the Masters.
The final day of the Masters was forced to be pushed up due to inclement weather in the Augusta area, with a new tee-off time at 7:30 a.m. CT. At two strokes behind the leader, Francesco Molinari, Tiger Woods found himself in a comfortable position to take over the lead. He did just that, surpassing Molinari and taking over the sole possession of first place with a score of -14 at the 16th hole.
He would never vanquish the lead again.
With four shots even on the 17th and a five-shot bogey on 18, Tiger Woods found himself winning his fifth Masters tournament and his first since 2005.
The four minutes following his final chip in will live the history books forever. Walking off the green and up into the stands, Woods was greeted by his son. As they shared a hug in front on an audience of thousands, the sports world found itself watching a scene that will last a lifetime, which will only be rivaled by the hug he shared with his father after his 1997 Masters win.
The U.S. Open win in 2008 was the last time that Woods won a major tournament, and he did so on a torn ACL. This would be followed up by a neck injury in 2010, Achilles injury in 2012, and back surgery in 2014, 2015, and 2017. Against all odds, Tiger Woods was able to overcome what many believed he would never achieve again. This is one of the overarching themes of sports that make them so great: The ability to achieve success even when those around you are filled with doubt.
Tiger easily could have hung it up after his third back surgery in 2017, but he decided to push forward and form a new and improved version of himself. He heard all of the talk about up-and-comers such as Jordan Speith and Justin Thomas and how they would overshadow him and become the face of the golf world. He heard about how he would never win another major again. He heard from the “fans” about how he should run his personal life.
They spoke, and he listened.
Their doubt was his fuel to create success. Whatever opinion you have of Tiger, and whichever side you take when it comes to his personal life, it’s undeniable that golf is a better sport when he’s winning. Tiger’s back. Golf world: Take notice.
