Every aspect of Tiger's story requires us to reach for superlatives to discuss his golf. Phenomenal, greatest of all time, unsurpassed, extraordinary, remarkable, exceptional, astonishing, and on and on - his golf career included the most dominating decade of any athlete in any sport at any time. He was bigger than Babe Ruth, Muhammad Ali and Michael Jordan. He drove the television ratings of the PGA ahead of the NFL. A young golfer of color took a sedate sport played by the few and made it more popular than America's secular religion. Incomprehensible. It was, and still is, Tigermania.
Yet, his personal story is terribly sad. His parents created a person barely capable of functioning. He grew up friendless, never learned how to talk to or treat colleagues, teammates or coaches, blew off his high school/college girlfriend when told to do so by his folks. He told sophomoric, moronic, off-color jokes in attempts to relate to women. He eventually took control of his life in his early twenties. He found some space for privacy and established an important relationship with Joanna Jagoda, a woman who had a settling effect on his life. But she moved on to law school and out of the limelight. He found friendship and camaraderie in Las Vegas with the rich and famous, particularly Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan. For the high rollers in sin city, discretion was part of the appeal. Another part of the appeal was the endless buffet of available and attractive women. Las Vegas provided privacy and a release from the high-pressured life of being Tiger. However, it was at home at Isleworth where the aspirational role model for his life lived happily, with a beautiful wife and two kids. Mark O'Meara was Tiger's friend, neighbor, and mentor. Mark and Alicia provided Tiger his home away from home. In 2004, he married Elin Nordegren. However, being married to a gorgeous woman was not enough for Tiger's narcissistic personality. Las Vegas beckoned and Tiger continued years of endless serial philandering that exceeded that of his father's. As Tiger grew older, one aspect of his life remained mired in the past and that was his complete lack of human understanding and empathy. After insulting then president Bill Clinton by declining a White House invitation, he later asked Clinton to make an appearance at an event in California. The ex-president duffer asked for an 18-hole round in exchange; Tiger ignored him on the course, walked off greens chatting on his cellphone while Clinton was putting, and generally treated Bill Clinton like crap. Jerk is an inadequate descriptor. After Earl died in 2006, an unhinged Tiger went off to take SEALS training rather than prepare for the US Open. He later won the British and crushed it for the balance of the year. His golf kept getting better, but his personal life was on the brink. He escaped exposure of an affair with a waitress in the 'Enquirer' in exchange for an interview in 'Men's Fitness.' His daughter Sam was born in early 2007. Years of weight-lifting and very physical golfing led to medical problems that peaked in 2008, when he won the US Open with no ACL and two stress fractures. Painkillers became part of his life, while the great golf and good times in Las Vegas continued. His son Charlie was born early in 2009. His womanizing was getting worse and worse and he actually lost a major, after leading going into the final day. Thanksgiving weekend of 2009 was when the world that Tiger had created fell apart. Elin, and soon everyone, learned of his multiple transgressions.
After 45 days at a sex addiction clinic, he made a televised apology to the world at PGA headquarters. He then played well in the 2010 Masters, but seemed uncomfortable. Hank Haney, his coach of many years, walked away. Elin finalized their divorce over the summer. He and his caddie, Steve Williams, had a nasty falling out in the fall. And the injuries started piling up. He missed most of 2011, but had a very solid stretch in 2012 and 2013 and regained his number one ranking after winning a few tournaments. His personal life was shaping up after he and Lindsey Vonn got together. Back surgery in 2014 was followed by some absolutely horrible golf the following year and the end of the relationship with Vonn. In the summer 2015, his once only friend on the tour was inducted into the Golf Hall of Fame before the British Open. Mark O'Meara twice specifically asked Tiger to come. Although he was in St. Andrews, Woods did not join the other almost two dozen tour players who attended the ceremony. He spent most of 2016 recovering from two more back surgeries. A year later, he had back fusion surgery that was followed by an arrest after he nearly overdosed on painkillers. Tiger has put his medications behind him, is free of pain and has played some competitive rounds of golf this year. There are reports that he may even be a better man. Let's hope he is.
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