1,876 days.
That was the length of time in between Tiger Woods’ victories on the PGA Tour. In that amount of time: Woods had four back surgeries, pleaded guilty to a DUI and played by far the worst golf of his career.
However, for the last few months, golf fans have watched something they haven’t seen in almost a decade. Tiger Woods looked like his old self. Woods finished in the Top 10 in two major tournaments for the first time since 2013 and had his first runner up finish since 2009. None of that compared to the scene at East Lake Golf Course in Atlanta this past Sunday, when Tiger Woods finally won.
“I just can’t believe I pulled this off. It’s been tough. I’ve had a not so easy last couple years,” said Woods in a press conference following his two stroke victory. He later added, “Would I ever be able to live pain-free again? … I was beyond playing. I couldn’t sit. I couldn’t walk. I couldn’t lay down. That was a low point for a pretty long time.”
Golf needed Tiger Woods to be relevant again possibly more than any sport has needed an athlete. The scene on the 18th hole on Sunday afternoon exemplified that. Fans chased Woods up the fairway as everyone knew they were about to witness his historic 80th win, and the first in over five years. Fans chanted his name as Woods fought back tears as he lined up his final putts, and then the roar when he sunk that final putt, was something golf fans had waited years to hear.
The “Tiger effect” was seen in the television ratings as well. CNN reported that the Tour Championship on Sunday drew a 5.2 overnight rating. That number was up over 200% from last year when Woods was not involved. They added that this was the highest rated tournament of the 2018 season, not including the four major tournaments.
While we may never see Tiger Woods at what he once was, at 42 he is still young enough, and fingers crossed healthy enough to give us glimpses into the past. For golf fans, this is much needed and just in time.
This coming weekend, Woods along with the best other 11 American golfers will head to France, as they will take on the best 12 players from Europe in the 2018 Ryder Cup. Additionally, when he steps onto the first tee at the Masters next April, he will be 43 years old, and he is already the betting favorite to win the tournament.
