This past week Tiger Woods completed the comeback that so many had been awaiting for so long. His win at the 2019 Masters Tournament marks his 15th major win and his first one since 2008. He became the oldest player to win the Masters since Jack Nicklaus’ last Masters win in 1986. After having been written off by so many, the win marked a major moment in golfing history and excited a group of fans who had been turned away from the sport for so long.
Tiger’s career since his last win in 2008 has been filled with controversy. Beyond a slate of injuries, most remember the morning in November of 2009 when news headlines read that Tiger Woods had been in a car crash after being chased out of his house by his wife. She had found out he was cheating on her after looking through his phone at 3 a.m. when Woods was knocked out on Ambien. To make the story even better, all of this happened on Thanksgiving night! More recently, Woods was arrested on drunk driving charges, leading to a mugshot taken in Jupiter, Fla. at 3 a.m. that barely even looks like the Woods one would remember wearing the green jacket in 2005. It seemed like the only news that you heard about him was with regard to some new scandal and not about any level of golf success.
It made countless sports pundits tell him to announce his retirement and save some amount of his dignity, while he still could. The story was that he wouldn’t be able to reach his peak ever again. It even led to the now-viral video where Woods was filmed watching a slew of clips of people saying that his career is finished, that he will never return to his top form again, all while sitting back and smiling. He seemed to be the only person who actually knew that the story was about to flip.
Despite these controversies, Woods is back on top again. It is important not to forget about his past, but Woods should be remembered now for being one of the greatest golfers and winners to ever do it. The two memories of his legacy aren’t mutually exclusive and don’t have to be, but both are a part of the journey of ups and downs that shaped his career. He has won the second most majors of all time; he is the only player to have won all four professional major championships in a row; he has amassed the most career earnings of any player in PGA tour history; and he has spent the most time of any golfer ever atop the world rankings. People will probably never forget the leaked text messages between Woods and one of the women with whom he cheated on his wife, but if this is the last win he gets, he has ended on a high note.
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