And just like that, the march to greatness is back on. Okay, maybe not “just like that.” In fact, far from “just like that.” For Tiger Woods to claim Victory No. 80 on the PGA Tour, he had endure being stuck at No. 79 for five whole years, bogged down by multiple surgeries spurring swing changes and extended time off the course, not to mention by personal wounds that were often self-inflicted. This time last year, he couldn’t even touch anything longer than a pitching wedge; he was recovering from a procedure that literally fused his vertebrae, and, as he himself noted, mired in “a low point for a pretty long time.”
As hard as the comeback may have been, Woods looked as if he hadn’t left through four rounds at the Tour Championship. He tied for the lead after rekindling his love affair with East Lake in the first round, and then kept it the way he had been wont to do when dialed in on courses that fit his eye. And considering his track record when ahead, his final 18 looked to be more a coronation and less a challenge. Not for nothing was he 53 of 57 when heading into Day Four with at least a share of the lead, and 23 of 23 with at least a three-shot advantage.
Nonetheless, Woods knew he had his work cut out for him. It was one thing to bank on previous accomplishments, and quite another to do so with a body that exhibited a propensity for betraying him. From ahead, he understood that the goal was to not beat himself, thus forcing his so-called peers to put up low scores in order to beat him. And, in the face of pressure, he met his objective and they didn’t meet theirs. He birdied the first by way of a warning shot across the bow, and his date with destiny was sealed.
For a while there, the old Woods seemed to be front and center, in trademark Sunday red-and-black ensemble, focused only on the task at hand, mouth shut, eyes on the prize, oblivious to anything else. Near the end of the grind, though, the new Woods showed up, and for the better. Breaking character, he acknowledged cheers and, especially during his surreal walk to the 18th green, allowed himself a glimpse of the thousands who matched his stride behind him. He broke into a wide grin and then had to summon enough will to prevent his emotions from going the other extreme.
The Woods that capped a return to the podium yesterday was much changed — more forgiving, more vulnerable, more human. There would be no running away from the masses, like what he would have done before and like what playing partner Rory McIlroy actually did. Instead, there was an understanding of the moment. As he noted in the aftermath, “I appreciate it a little bit more than I did because I don’t take it for granted that I’m going to have another decade, two decades in my future of playing golf at this level.”
Exactly how much more golf Woods has in him remains to be seen. However long or short it may be, though, he will most certainly be negotiating it as best he can. Nominally, he will be 13th in the world when he heads to Paris as a member of the United States team to the Ryder Cup late this month. By any other measure, though, he has cemented his status as the best of the best. He has long been used to proving doubters wrong. This time around, he also had to put himself in his place. The King is dead. Long live the King.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994.
