Tiger Woods: Out of The Woods

admin — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 06:35:54 +0000

This is not a simple up and down par save. No various assortments of skillful shots will be able to help Tiger through this predicament. Regardless of what the man does throughout the rest of his career he will always be defined by what has surfaced since Thanksgiving. Just in case you haven’t been paying attention to the biggest sports story of 2009 let me give you the abbreviated version; Tiger Woods was in a car accident, has been “allegedly” involved with multiple women other than his wife, and his sponsors/world is crumbling around him. It is a story that keeps snowballing and its unique aspects will be analyzed. I would like to touch on but a few of those, including its impact on golf, his family, and his future. And Like Tiger I will attempt to sort out this mess…
First of all, let us try to get a grasp on the magnitude of this story. The Tiger Woods saga was on the front page of the New York Post for a record 20 days, passing a little story called 9/11. Unbelievable that with so much else going on in our world that this story has this kind of impact, but that is another argument for another time. There are no parallels to this. Some say it’s a lot like the Kobe Bryant situation but guess what Tiger is much bigger than Kobe. According to Forbes magazine, Woods is the first billion dollar athlete. He is a brand that makes the sport of golf relevant, and what do these events say about the sport of golf which is supposedly a gentlemen’s game? He has tarnished the game, his image, and most importantly the relationship with his family. Be that as it may, it probably won’t affect him on the course.
Tiger will come back to golf and will continue to be the best. He will go on to break Jack Nicklaus’ majors winning record and may be remembered as the best in the history of golf. Unfortunately for Tiger none of these accomplishments can undo what he has done. Although his actions will never be forgotten, playing and playing well is the only way he will be able to move on. Let’s be honest, whether you love Tiger or love to hate Tiger, we all want to see him back on the golf course. Worst case scenario, he’s back by The Masters.
None of that matters to Elin Nordegren, also known as Mrs. Woods. We all know he cheated not only because of the accusations but because Tiger himself has apologized for his discretions. Whether he cheated with 12 women (as the media is reporting), 6 women or 1 woman it doesn’t matter. All those numbers address are the severity of his personal problem. Tiger is human, he has problems (major problems) and it has cost him not only from a financial standpoint. We all know Elin didn’t bash out the back of Tiger’s ride to save him from the big bad fire hydrant. She did a number on not only the car but rumor is to his trophy room and his face (broken nose, chipped teeth, possibly more). Although this is purely speculative it does make sense because he is yet to make a public appearance. Not only is Elin going to abandon ship, so are many of his sponsors. Accenture and AT&T are some of what is sure to be only a taste of what is to come. Tiger like any other human being should be and is paying for what he has done.
It is the story that never ends. More and more women claim to being with Tiger as his world continues to unravel. Woods’ real colors don’t consist of his Sunday red. Even though he asks for privacy, he shall receive none here. He didn’t want privacy when he was making his billion dollars. You can’t pick and choose when you want to be famous. The true Tiger has come out of the Woods.

Words: Cliff Pyron
Photos courtesy of Hutton Harris

TWP Magazine » Hutton Harris

Tiger Woods: Out of The Woods