Tiger Woods’ Fall from Grace Was As Meteoric As His Rise to Sporting Greatness
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Interview Interview Tiger roars again Tiger Woods’ fall from grace was as meteoric as his rise to sporting greatness. But the narrative continues, writes Gruffudd Owen, as the most enduring sporting icon of our time dusted off a troubled decade to don the green jacket again in 2019 ith 15 Majors and 82 mother Tida played a huge part dad. That was pretty special. My Left: Tiger Woods has made PGA Tour wins, a record in their son’s phenomenal rise mum was there too, and she was numerous comeback attempts W total 683 weeks spent to sporting superstardom. “My crying. Looking back on it, it’s following the breakdown of on top of the world rankings, and dad was always the person who hard to believe how much that his marriage, but this time a net worth in excess of $700 would plant seeds and give me one tournament has meant to he looks set for good million (according to Forbes), encouragement, but also would me in my life.” Tiger Woods is not only one of the say things that would fester inside The impact of that win both tournaments I’ve won in greatest players ever to grace his me that wouldn’t come to fruition on Woods’ life and on the growth hindsight – more than 100 sport; he is a modern-day cultural for a while,” Woods told USA of golf cannot be overstated, around the world,” Woods told icon, a name instantly recognisable TODAY Sports. catapulting the prodigy to global TIME magazine. to millions all over the world. “He was very worldly and deep fame, and generating “Playing through it, you really For all his achievements, in his thinking. My mum was the unprecedented interest and don’t realise it. If you’re in a team however, one moment stands out enforcer. My dad may have been revenue for the sport. At the sport, you don’t realise how many above the rest as the epitome of in the Special Forces, but I was 2000 Open Championship, the games you’ve won. It just piles up the Tiger Woods story. On 14th never afraid of him. My mum’s still 24-year-old Woods became the on you. You just play, you get April 2019, his winning score at here, and I’m still deathly afraid of youngest-ever golfer to complete ready for the next week, you’re the Augusta Masters finally her. She’s a very tough old lady, a career Grand Slam (winning all in that moment. You’re always brought to an end 11 arduous very demanding. I love her so four golfing Majors), and his getting ready.” years of hardship in search of much, but she was tough. There second Masters win a year later Following his 2008 US Open another Major victory. “It will be was zero negotiation.” saw him hold all four titles victory, several commentators up there with one of the hardest This parental approach clearly simultaneously, an achievement began speculating that Woods I’ve had to win because of what paid off for the young Woods, as aptly nicknamed the ‘Tiger Slam’. breaking Jack Nicklaus’ record has transpired in the last couple his breakthrough triumph at the By the time he clinched his 14th of 18 major championships was of years,” Woods said at the time. Augusta Masters in 1997 came Major championship at the 2008 a matter of when, not if. But “To have my kids there, it’s at the age of 21 – making him US Open, his status as one of the a knee injury that Woods carried come full circle. My dad was here the tournament’s youngest-ever all-time great athletes – let alone into that tournament was a portent in 1997 and now I’m the dad with winner, a record that still stands golfers – was beyond dispute. of things to come, as the difficulty two kids.” to this day. “I’m shocked at how many of playing through the pain barrier Indeed, to chart Woods’ long “I thought I could win that began to take its toll. “Before that and complicated journey to week, but I didn’t think I could US Open, I was playing at Big sporting redemption at Augusta, win by 12 [shots] – that was “YOU NEVER WANT Canyon – which was my home one must begin by looking at the a big ask,” Woods revealed to the TO SHOW YOUR course in Southern California influence of his late father Earl, Augusta National Golf Club. COMPETITORS THAT – and I went out on the back YOU’RE HURT. I DON’T who introduced his son to golf in “It was a touching moment for WANT THEM TO GET nine,” Woods told TIME. Orange County, California at the us, as a family. It was one of those THAT MENTAL EDGE.” “It was the first time I had tender age of two. In their own moments where everybody melted TIGER WOODS played a round of golf since the different ways, Earl and Woods’ away, and it was just me and my Masters. I tried to play with ➤ 18 Upward Curve October-December 2020 October-December 2020 Upward Curve 15 Interview different types of knee braces, but Above: Tiger drives across they don’t allow you to rotate. So continents, teeing off on when I went out there on my home Turkey’s Bosphorus Bridge course, I lost eight balls in nine Right: Tiger Jam 2013 – the holes. I shot 54, not long before ultimate Vegas experience – the US Open, and I said, ‘OK, raising funds for TGR Foundation you’re the number one player in the world, and you just lost eight could have foreseen for a man balls on a home course that you who had been so dominant in could play blindfolded. This is his sport. After years of going to be an interesting week’. underperformance and failed “You never want to show comebacks led to a sharp drop your competitors that you’re hurt. in the world rankings – and in I don’t want them to get that his sporting status – there were mental edge. You always pick predictions that Woods might yourself right back up. That’s never win another Major again. what I’ve tried to do my entire “Anyone can win when they’re career: not show that I am hurt. playing great golf, when they’re With all of this in mind, the Play through it.” at a level where everything is fact that Woods finally did “TO SEE MY SON CHARLIE That Woods actually won the going well,” he said. THERE WITH OPEN complete his comeback at the 2008 US Open, let alone merely “That’s easy. But trying to dog ARMS, RUSHING AT ME 2019 Masters – more than a AND JUMPING IN MY played through it, is remarkable, out a win when it’s just not there, ARMS... THAT’S WHEN decade after he had last tasted but a combination of serious knee it’s really hard. It’s hard on the THE EMOTIONS CAME glory in a Major championship and back injuries and personal mind. Sometimes it can be very FLOODING OUT.” – makes it his greatest success issues soon caused his life to hard on the body, when it’s not TIGER WOODS in an exceptionally crowded drastically unravel in a way few working right.” field. Just as he had shared a ➤ October-December 2020 Upward Curve 17 Interview touching father-and-son moment following his inaugural win 22 years previously at the 1997 Masters, so too would he “HYPOTHETICALLY, IF I GIVE MYSELF relive the experience after this ANOTHER TEN YEARS. most extraordinary of comeback THAT’S 40 MAJORS.” victories – albeit playing the TIGER WOODS father role this time. “The funny part about the whole thing is, I don’t remember screaming,” so when we hugged, I turned her Woods told CBS. away from everybody and made “I don’t remember putting my sure she was sheltered. We just arms up, and I don’t remember had a little moment together.” yelling. It’s one of those blackout Tiger Woods’ resurrection at moments. There are certain the 2019 Masters is a powerful celebrations throughout my example of triumph over adversity, career after making putts that and he now can look forward to I just don’t recall. I guess I’m being inducted into the World Golf so locked into the moment. Hall of Fame in 2021. But it would frequently cited record that “The trick is can I keep myself “To see my son Charlie there be naïve to assume that his continues to elude him is Jack healthy and strong enough with open arms, rushing at me journey back to the top of his Nicklaus’ 18 Majors, and while the considering what my body has and jumping in my arms... that’s sport is now complete. The one ups and downs of the past two been through? That’s where I when the emotions came flooding decades have given him a sense need help with all my trainers and out. My mum was there, and she Above: Former caddy Steve of perspective on this question, physios and workout regimes, and kept saying how proud she was of Williams and Tiger at the 2004 there is no doubt that breaking hopefully, I can make it happen.” me, and how my dad would be so Oakland Hills Ryder Cup Below: the record remains a source of Given Woods’ track record proud too if he were there. And Tiger in his famous final day motivation.“Hypothetically, if I give throughout his career, you then there’s my daughter Sam.