This past weekend I got to do something that I haven’t been able to in quite a while — watch Tiger Woods play decent golf. He didn’t have a stellar tournament, definitely still not back to his prime, but there were at least flashes of the Tiger I grew up loving to watch.
I first became enamored with Tiger during his big Masters win. Sitting at home as a sixth grader, I watched as he dominated the field in a theatrical fashion. Far before the days of widely used Internet, Google and wikipedia, I searched the newspapers for information about him and checked the TV guide for the next tournament.
I grew up living next to a golf course and started playing at a pretty young age. My parents also bought a golf cart that was mostly used for joy rides with my friends, but also to hit the links on occasion. My grandparents are also big golfers and that furthered my love of the game.
I followed Tiger as he continued to win major after major and tournament after tournament. Many people ask, “how I can sit and watch golf?” and I always reply it can be so exciting for only hitting a ball every five minutes or so. Sitting on the putting green and having a 20 yard putt go in seems next to impossible for me and usually a big moment for the golfer.
Tiger brought a lot of exciting moments, mainly because his long tee shots often ended up everywhere but the fairway. Watching him muscle out of situations to plop the ball right next to the hole made him seem like a super hero. But like most super heroes, he did have a downfall.
I had never followed one particular athlete like I did Tiger. I like a lot of teams, love the Hawkeyes but aside from a crush or two on a former Iowa kicker and quarterback, I was mainly for the team. So when I saw on the news that he had been in a car accident, I immediately feared that he would never play again. What came out later seemed so much worse. The fall of an athlete who you look up to is a very different experience and one that I learned from.
For as big of a name and athlete he became, I am not overly surprised that something like this happened. It seemed he could do no wrong and had the world at his fingertips.
The fall from grace was a rough one and hasn’t even completely finished. Tiger is just now getting over injuries to his body as well as his ego. His game looks completely different from long stretch of victories and a momentum surge by Tiger doesn’t put the same fear into younger players as it did a decade ago.
Like I said, I was excited to watch him again. It was hard to see him fail over and over again in his game, not for his sake, but that he was “my guy” and I liked to watch him win. I do not approve of his escapades that got him in trouble, and if we were actually friends, I would have a much different take on it. But we’re most definitely not and when people ask, I tell them I wouldn’t be able to watch sports or most any entertainment, if I couldn’t look past their personal life and only focus on the game. I don’t put much stock into any public figures nowadays and just enjoy the entertainment they bring instead of getting bogged down.
I hope to some day see Tiger play and maybe even go to the Masters Tournament in Augusta. It would be an awesome experience to see not only him, but several other golfers including Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy who have been among Tigers’ biggest competitors. Maybe Tiger will get back to winner, even adding another major to his resume or maybe not, but it will be fun to watch.
Contact Jamee A. Pierson at
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or jpierson@newtondailynews.com