Keith Strudler: The New Tiger

There is a point in our not so distant past where Tiger Woods was essentially even money against the field in any golf tournament. In other words, Tiger basically had the same chance of winning as all the rest of the golfers at the event combined. That was around the time when we assumed the question of whether Tiger would break Jack Nicklaus’ record of most Major wins was when, not if. Of course, that all changed in 2009, when Tiger’s personal life spiraled downward in remarkable tandem with his professional skills, including a series of knee and back surgeries that often made things like walking without discomfort a sport onto itself. He lost both his sponsorship empire and his golf ranking, which at one point had lasted over 500 consecutive weeks at number one in the world. And of course, he lost the undying support of an adoring public, who once viewed Tiger Woods as the personification of everything perfect.

All of which led us to last weekend, when seemingly out of nowhere, Tiger reemerged to win his fifth Master’s and 15^th Major – his first since the 2008 US Open. In doing so, he became the second oldest Master’s winner at 43. It was unexpected and probably marked the first time in years a lot of Americans watched so much as a tee shot on television. The overarching assumption about Tiger, at least before Sunday, was that he was playing out the string. Maybe he’d win a minor event somewhere, but eventually he’d announce a victory lap and spend his time doing whatever retired golfers do, since I’m guessing it’s not golf.

Tiger’s victory instantly drove a particular narrative – starting with the Nike commercial that seemed to run before the final putt. It’s the story of redemption, of a fallen hero overcoming overwhelming odds to revisit the mountaintop. That after surgeries and divorce and substance abuse, he’s put those demons to bed. And more to the point, he’s now even more of role model than he was as a brash kid out of Stanford that took winning for granted. He’s an American myth of redemption, where winning the Master’s on Sunday served as a larger metaphor for winning at life. That was certainly the television script when a victorious Tiger hugged his kids, reinforcing the idea that while his marriage collapsed due to his well-documented infidelities, he has now also found his footing as a father. Fin, exit stage left.

I have no reason to doubt Tiger’s sincerity and love for his kids. I’m also sure it was a wonderful feeling to have them by his side at the end, the first time they’ve witnessed their father at the top of the golf world.  I also won’t deny the insanity of Tiger’s physical comeback – a testament to his mental and physical determination. Winning a single Master’s is something the vast, vast majority of gifted top professionals will never do. Winning a fifth at age 43 with more scars than a med school cadaver is downright ridiculous.

But, contrary to popular vernacular, I will question the immediate an unquestioning adoration of Tiger Woods not simply as an athlete, but also as a persona. What Tiger did on Sunday – well really also for the three days prior – was amazing. And the pressures he’s endured as a multi-racial athlete in one of America’s historically segregated sports is remarkable. But what he’s done several years prior was less so. At his worst, Tiger was selfish, egotistical, and unlikable. Perhaps not unlike Lance Armstrong, another of America’s iconic heroic figures before his fall. And if not for his athletic comeback, most people would have simply remembered Tiger Woods as perhaps the greatest golfer of all time whose body broke down too soon.  And yet with a single victory, his story arc seems to be so much more.

Perhaps this reminds us of one of the greatest truisms of sport – and sports heroes in particular. In the end, the thing that matters most, is winning. We can ignore the unsavory if the on-court storyline is compelling enough. And even more to the point, we seem to assume what we learn on the field inherently carries off it. That’s why Tiger will once again be an American role model, with endorsements from everyone up to and including the former President himself.

By the way, I’m not suggesting that Tiger hasn’t changed as a person just as he’s evolved as a golfer. For all I know, he is now truly a remarkable father and family man. And perhaps he has learned from all his past transgressions, like hopefully all of us do. I’m simply suggesting that Sunday’s win shouldn’t be instant verification of that reality.

Of course, now that Tiger is truly back, we may have more time to find out for sure.

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