Addiction, divorce and injury - it's been a hell of a ride but having spent a few years in the golfing wilderness it looks like Tiger Woods is back.
After all the injuries and scandal I for one did not believe that a genuine comeback was on the cards... but following a successful spinal fusion surgery Tiger's once again the focus of media attention (for the right reasons) and pulling in the crowds like he never went away.
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Eldrick Tont Woods (don't laugh), better known as Tiger Woods, turned pro in 1996 and within a year he was the number one ranked player in the world.
He had already won three regular PGA Tour events when he turned up at the 1997 Masters. No one, with the exception of his father Earl no doubt, could have predicted what would unfold that week.
Things didn't get off to the greatest of starts for 21 year-old Tiger as he shot a 4 over par 40 on his opening 9 holes. However, he subsequently turned the round on its head with a 6 under par (30) back nine which resulted in a first round score of 70 (-2).
He never looked back as he followed up with rounds of 66, 65 and 69 for an 18 under par total. He claimed his first major crown and became the youngest ever winner of the Masters. His 12 shot margin of victory also set a new record. Not a bad way to introduce yourself to the world!
Below is a short video summarizing that 97 Masters performance.
Following his success at the Masters the charismatic Woods instantly became a global sensation. Quite simply he was the new face of golf. Sponsors lined up with multi-million dollar offers and it wasn't long before he penned deals with Nike, Titliest, American Express and Rolex worth an estimated $100 million.
Image SourceWoods' utter domination began in 2000 when he won the U.S. Open by 15 shots breaking his own record (winning margin in a major) in the process. He reclaimed the number one ranking which he held almost uninterrupted for 11 years.
During that time he racked up a total of 14 major victories and by 2009 Forbes confirmed him as the world's first billionaire athlete. He also married Swedish former model Elin Nordegren and they had two children together. Fair to say thinks were looking rosy...
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Unfortunately things were not quite as perfect as they seemed, at least not for wife Elin. In late 2009 rumours of Woods' extramarital activities began. They intensified so quickly that by the middle of December he had admitted to a serious amount of infidelity and issued multiple apologetic statements.
Plenty of drama ensued in the following months as Woods entered into a rehab program for his sex addiction and reports surfaced that he had had reconstructive surgery on his face after his wife battered him with a 9-iron.
Needless to say Tiger and Elin ended their marriage in August 2010 after six years.
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Woods didn't just lose his wife as a result of the infidelity scandal. Most of his sponsors severed ties with the disgraced superstar although he did manage to keep his deals with Nike and Electronic Arts.
Despite taking a break from golf and suffering from a loss of form on his return he managed to regain the world number one spot in March 2013 and hang onto it until May the following year.
That's when the major back problems began. The next few years would see Tiger undergo a number of back surgeries followed by unsuccessful comeback attempts. By the middle of 2017 he was ranked out of the top 1000 for the first and only time in his career.
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Tiger Woods hit rock bottom at the end of May 2017 when he was found in his car asleep, with the engine running, under the influence of alcohol and drugs. He was arrested and later plead guilty to reckless driving which resulted in a fine and community service.
For the man who had once been at the top of the golfing world his meteoric fall from grace was complete. At this point most believed (myself included) that there would be no coming back. Tiger Woods' golfing career seemed as good as over.
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The drastic spinal fusion surgery that Tiger had undergone in April 2017 was quickly forgotten as the news of his arrest dominated the media. He described it as a 'last resort' and no one had ever returned to the tour following a similar procedure.
Having failed to play in a single official PGA Tour event in 2017 expectations were low as Tiger reappeared for the 2018 season. However, he began the year with a decent showing (T23) in the Farmers Insurance Open which he followed up with a missed cut at the Genesis Open. No real fireworks but at least his back was holding up.
His next three results were far more impressive as he finished 12th, tied 2nd and tied 5th. Bear in mind this is a guy who less than a year earlier was pretty much down and out. And there's a hell of lot of great players out there right now so it's not exactly weak competition.
In his latest event, The Players Championship, Woods finished in a very respectable tie for 11th in one of the strongest fields of the year.
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For many people, especially his critics, Tiger's comeback will not be complete until he wins again. Some will say he needs to win another major.
Personally I think his comeback is already verging on miraculous given the severity of his back problems and everything else that's taken place off the golf course. Two top-10s, four top-20s and just the one missed cut in eight events this year is pretty good form by anyone's standards. If he hadn't set the bar so ridiculously high when he was at his peak more would probably have been made of what he has achieved so far this year.
Will he win again and does he have another major in him? If he can stay fit and his results so far this year are anything to go by he can most definitely win again and there would have to be a chance that he'll add to his 14 major titles.
Some of the swagger has gone but his determination is endless and there's no doubting his golfing ability. I get the feeling he's not out there this year trying to prove anything to his fans or his critics. He wants to prove to himself that he can still be the best. Look out Dustin, Jordan, Justin and the rest. Tiger's on the prowl...