In one of the most stunning and emotional rounds of golf I have ever watched, Tiger Woods roared at Augusta once again to take his 5th Masters title and 15th Major Championship of his career. Tiger was the player we fell in love with so long ago on Sunday. Focused and determined, he took control of this tournament in what can only be described as "true Tiger Fashion" and golf found that special excitement again that only Tiger brings to the game. The King of the Course returned this weekend and all of a sudden the golf world is abuzz about what lies ahead and the possibilities are so exciting. This golf fan couldn't be more excited to have Tiger back in the discussion when talking about the top golfers in the world.
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I have been both a golfer and a golf fan since as long as I can remember. It started back when I was 12 years old and I started working at the little par 3 golf course down the road from my house. I would spend the summer cleaning up the tee boxes and changing garbages. Occasionally, we would even get tasked with special jobs like getting rid of a wasps nest that was too close to the 9th green. That was a bad idea and a story for another day. This is the time when I started to play golf and when I say play, I mean play a lot! We worked for the first month of the summer just to pay for our memberships at the course. We would head to the course at 6:00 AM to start our cleaning duties and we would be finished around 10:30 each morning. The rest of the day was spent playing. We would play round after round after round.
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By the time I was 18, I was working at a private golf club as a bartender and still playing daily. Golf was a huge part of life for me and a large group of my friends and for the next several years we would travel all over the Maritimes playing different courses. We had become golf fanatics. We had become pretty decent players by that time as well. Most of us shot in the low 80's with occasional scores in the high 70's. We were far from scratch golfers but we were strong enough that it was always competitive. At the same time, Tiger Woods was making golf history with his ascension onto the PGA Tour and his rise to stardom. He was quickly becoming the most dominant golfer in the world and like most of the golf world, I couldn't get enough. I am the same age as Tiger Woods and to me, it was always fun to watch what this guy was capable of doing. He wasn't just playing golf. He was reshaping the golf world around him. He was changing the way people viewed golf and he was bringing golf into a whole new generation. Golf fans were increasing exponentially and more and more young people started to take up the game. Tiger made golf fun!
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Woods was a golf prodigy from the age of 3 and he never disappointed from the moment he stepped onto a course for a professional tournament. He started winning tournaments and major championships at an unprecedented pace in his early years and was far and away the most dominant golfer in the world during his prime. Any time he played he was considered the favourite to win. He was able to complete not only a career slam but also won 4 majors in a row. The only other golfer to accomplish this feat was Jack Nicklaus. Tiger Woods seemed destined to break all of Nicklaus’s records with ease until he ran into some trouble with injuries and his personal life. Sadly, his off-course troubles and injuries have been the biggest focal points when discussion Tiger's career over the past ten years. There was a time when the discussion was about when Tiger would eclipse Nicklaus for the most career majors but that conversation shifted to if he would ever win another one at all. All those questions were erased on Sunday and the conversation has gone back to how many more will he win.
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I personally think that he can still surpass Jack Nicklaus and set the record for career majors. I know that there was a long dry spell for Tiger and that for the longest time many thought he was washed up and done. For all that Tiger has been through and all the mistakes he made, I think that he has come out stronger on the other end. For the first time in a very long time, Tiger is healthy. His health has been an issue for so long now. He has had problems with his knee, elbow and most significantly his back. it is not shocking that he would have problems with how violently he swung the club. Tiger hit the ball harder and farther than golfers had ever done in the past. The best part is that not only did he hit the ball far, he also had absolute control over his shots. He was able to make shots that other golfers couldn't even think of. It was like watching magic right there on the course. That combined with his deadly accurate putting stroke made him unstoppable.
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Sunday was the first time in 10 years that I felt excitement and emotion while watching golf. I can say without any wavering that the "Tiger Effect" is absolutely a factor. When he is in a tournament, fans become a different animal. When he is in contention, fans become like a Tsunami of passion and excitement. There is a roar when a golfer makes a nice shot or putt and then there is the "Tiger Roar". The Tiger Effect was in full force Sunday as the crowd got more and more buzzed with excitement. Once Molinari put his ball in the water and Tiger put his foot to the pedal, it was game over. Every single other on the golf course knew that Tiger was making his run and the old Tiger was on display for all to see. Determined and calculated, unlike no other golfer I have ever seen. He saw the tide shift and made it clear to all that nothing was going to stand in his way.
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Watching Tiger make his way up the 18th fairway in his traditional red shirt, knowing he was going to win, was such an emotional moment. For the first time in his career, his kids were going to see him as the great player they had only heard about. They were standing right there at the 18th green waiting to see their dad achieve something 11 years in the making. Tiger was about to win his 15th major but it was quite possibly going to be the biggest one of his career. This was going to shut up all the naysayers and prove to the world that Tiger still had some roar left in him. Watching his reaction after he made that final put and seeing him embrace his children had me choked up and at the brink of tears myself. Never had I seen Tiger so emotional after a win. It wasn't the same as when he was winning majors with ease in his 20's. This one was a long and hard journey through some pretty tumultuous times. The king had fallen hard and been to the bottom of the mountain and now he had finally made it back to the place he belonged. On Top!!
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There is already talk that Tiger could win another major this year. Both the US Open and the PGA Championships set up nicely for him as they are both being played on courses where he has won before. Now, I don't know if he will win another this year but it is certainly a possibility. I can certainly see him winning 3 or 4 more over the next 7 years IF he is able to stay healthy. That is the one factor that can stand in the way of Tiger setting the record. When his head is one straight and it appears that is finally the case again, nothing can stand in his way. This fan will be watching very closely and enjoying the ride. How many more iconic struts up the 18th are we in store for? Many more I hope because there is nothing better for golf than a competitive Tiger Woods.
Did you watch the Masters this past weekend? What were your thoughts of Tiger's win? Do you think he can still catch Nicklaus? I look forward to your comments.