Tiger Woods has been lauded for several years now as possibly the greatest golfer of all time. He’s won Athlete of the Year awards. He’s No. 2 on the all-time list for Majors titles. But what he did this past weekend brought him from sports hero status to Sports Legend status.
His victory in the U.S. Open was something of Hollywood scripts. He hadn’t played in a tournament since early April when he had surgery on his knee. His doctor told him not to try playing in the open. Most commentators I read discounted him, given his knee and two-month leave of absence from golf.
But it wasn’t just getting the win while injured or defying doctor’s orders. It was the way he won injured. In the most dramatic fashion, he birdied the 72nd hole to force a playoff round, birdied the 90th hole to force sudden death, then settled for par on the 91st hole to beat one of the (by all accounts) friendliest guys to ever play that tournament. That’s right, with a bad knee, grimacing from pain throughout the tournament, he went five rounds and an extra hole and beat every other able-bodied soul.
Tiger is hurting now. I give him a 25% chance of playing in the British Open next month, and I give him a 30% chance of not playing golf again this year. But it was worth it. He is now four Major titles away from Jack Nicklaus; and like Nicklaus, he’s now a sports legend. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
on Jun 17th, 2008 at 8:27 PM
Tiger is a great golfer, probably the greatest golfer, but he hasn’t done anything “heroic” in his life.
on Jun 17th, 2008 at 8:36 PM
Just for a little history…
Ben Hogan won the 1950 U.S. Open at Merion less a year removed from nearly dying in an [url=http://www.usga.org/news/images/news/hogan.jpg]automobile accident[/url]. After barely making it around the course (and before painkillers), he needed a par on the 72nd hole to make it into the playoff. Back then, they played 36 holes on the final day of regulation. [url=http://www.monroegallery.com/showcase/images/life_BenHogan.jpg]He hit an iconic 1-iron on the green[/url] and two-putted to secure his spot. He then won the 18-hole playoff the next day against two competitors, including a former U.S. Open champion.
This doesn’t away from what Tiger did–to me, this was his most memorable professional victory to date, after the 1997 Masters and 2000 U.S. Open. But let’s not get carried away here.
on Jun 17th, 2008 at 10:43 PM
The best golfer ever? Likely. A sports legend? Probably in that context. A hero? Hardly.
What “heroic” thing has Tiger ever done other than sink impossible putts? I don’t seem to recall him taking any stand on important issues or using his immense celebrity to do good. This is not to single him out since a lot of athletes are simply interested in performing and making as much $ as they can, but this hardly makes him heroic or worthy of our worship. I’ll take a Joey Cheek (http://teamdarfur.org/) any day of the week.
on Jun 17th, 2008 at 10:51 PM
I meant sports hero. What he’s done, in the context of sports, has been heroic. No, he hasn’t cured AIDS or ended poverty. That’s clearly not what I meant.
on Jun 18th, 2008 at 9:32 AM
Tiger obviously is the greatest golfer of his generation. He handles himself with a lot of class and I can find no fault with him at all. But please, enough already with the media hype on the “injury comeback” aspect to this story.
From everything we heard on Sunday and Monday all he had to do was take an over-the-counter pain killer to make it comfortable for him to play. This wasn’t Willis Reed hobbling onto the court for game 7 against the Lakers in the 1970 finals. Nor was it Kirk Gibson’s world series pinch hit home run when he could barely jog around the bases.
Golf is a “skill competition” – not an athletic event. The proof of that is that a 45 year old man can come within one stroke of winning one of golf’s biggest championships. It is impossible in a true athletic event or sport for a 45 year old to compete evenly with a great athlete in his or her 20s or 30s. So the injury comeback hype in this case is just that – Hype.
on Jun 18th, 2008 at 12:07 PM
Oh yeah, big deal. He just tore his ACL and now needs reconstructive surgery and ended his golf season.
http://www.golf.com/golf/tours_news/article/0,28136,1815681,00.html
Yeah, the media really overhyped that angle of the story.
on Jun 18th, 2008 at 1:04 PM
What does it say about the rest of the golfers that a guy (granted probably the greatest golfer of all time) with a torn ACL, coming off surgery that prevented him from playing a full 18 holes of golf, can go out and play 91 holes of golf over the course of 5 days and win what is arguably the world’s toughest golf tournament?
on Jun 18th, 2008 at 3:20 PM
Prior to today’s press release about the torn ACL, the only injury news we were given about Tiger indicated that he was recovering from routine Arthriscopic knee surgery on April 15th.
What coverage does a professional basketball player, hockey player or football player receive when they return two months after being scoped? Usually pretty minor and routine stuff, No?
Let’s at least agree that they aren’t treated as if they’re walking on water like the media did with Tiger this past week.
So, yes, prior to today’s news about the ACL, all the previous media coverage was hype with a capital H.
on Jun 18th, 2008 at 4:09 PM
Thanks Cyd for this article. I knew EXACTLY what you meant but everything must be overanalyzed by some, particularly those who feel as though a pin is being stuck in them each time they have to acknowledge Tiger’s greatness.
As for him not doing anything with his celebrity to “do good’. I guess that little thing called the Tiger Woods Foundation which funds communities and organizations that nurture family values and encourage adult involvement in children’s lives. In additio, the foundation’s clinics give thousands of young people golf lessons and also draw attention and support to the organizations that allow inner-city children access to golf. Ya know I’m not even saying that people have to kiss the guy’s ass. Like any athlete, he’s going to have adoring fans and those who just don’t think he’s all that or wished he wouldn’t throw his clubs or curse or some other reason. But please..before talking out of the side of your mouth that the guy doesn’t do anything “good” with his celebrity…at least check your facts first.
on Jun 21st, 2008 at 9:10 PM
Seriously. This guy, arguably the greatest golfer ever, felt it necessary to take a chance on ending his career to play in this tournament. Doctors told him not to play. He limped noticeably all week. He grimaced on nearly every swing of the club (and the TV folks dutifully showed each one several times just to make sure we understood how tough he is). And he won. Great.
It makes him look selfish and foolhardy, not heroic.
on Jun 22nd, 2008 at 2:05 PM
I’m really tired of using “hero” in the context of “sports hero.” Heroes rush into burning buildings and rescue children. Heroes overpower terrorists plotting to crash a plane into the Capitol.
I don’t have trouble calling Tiger a sports legend. Yes, this win cements it. I don’t have problems with calling him one of — if not THE — best golfers ever. But let’s reserve “hero” for the people who really earned it.