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From the first perfect start and club signature to the final, and arms raised in triumph, to the unprecedented flood of humanity that populated the 18th fairway behind him until he cried, he had to to retreat to finish what was in the 18th green in front of him, the images of what Tiger Woods did on Sunday were moving and memorable, telling a story that we did not know it could end.
Woods is back, his end-of-season championship victory is a living reminder of what he once was, evidence provided by these streaming fans refusing to be forced by some security guards outclassed at nightly ratings. up 206%. year, Sunday of the NFL. But more than that, what Woods did on Sunday is a promise of what he can be again, how this author with the red shirt and crazy fist of golf domination can go back to the top of his sport for the big four securities. it must match Jack Nicklaus' all-time mark: 18.
Who would doubt him now?
Woods has already set up a 9-1 favorite to win a fifth green jacket next April. His victory in Atlanta prompted the Westgate Las Vegas sports specialist to push him just ahead of former Masters champion Jordan Spieth (10-1). But it's his arrival in France for the upcoming Ryder Cup that further contributes to fueling the belief that he can once again channel the formidable profile that has made East Lake its 80th career victory in PGA (only two behind the all-time leader Sam Snead). All those young golfers who were wondering what it would be like to face him on a Sunday, all those American compatriots who are his teammates now, but who are his competitors all the other events of the year, all the European opponents who tried to fill the gaping golf shoes left open in his absence?
He is ready to see you now.
"Well, a lot of these guys, the youngest were on the road when I was on the road," Woods told reporters in France. "You know, they never really played against me when I played well. It's been five years since I won a golf tournament? And a lot of players had just arrived, be it J.T. [Thomas], Jordan, now Bryson [DeChambeau], Brooksy [Brooks Koepka] . . . many of these guys had not played against me yet.
"I think when my game is there, I think I've always been a hard person to beat. They jokingly said, "We want to go against you."
Then he smiled and said, "All right. Here. "
And it's gone. On Sunday, there was Rory McIlroy. Formerly the strongest heir to the Woods Trophy, four-time major winner with a few failures at the Masters to make the Grand Slam career inevitable, McIlroy was not a match for Woods in Atlanta. Combined with Woods for the final run, McIlroy quickly lost speed, one more day than four never threatened Woods' solid and consistent winner. It was like that with Woods, whose mere presence was enough to melt those around him.
It's the same, but different too. The comment "Here you go" in Paris? Tiger 1.0 would have said it with a death glance, showing no weakness and carrying no gaiety. His version 2.0 smile says a lot about what he went through, about those years of physical pain and personal embarrassment and how they shaped the man he is now.
"The weak point was probably not knowing if I could live again without pain," he said at a press conference in Atlanta. "Will I be able to sit, get up, walk, go to bed without feeling the pain I was feeling? I did not want to live like that. That's how the rest of my life is going to be? It will be hard for the rest of my life. I was beyond playing. I could not sit down I could not walk. I could not go to bed without feeling the pain in my back and leg. It was a low point for a very long time. "
To go back to these heights, how would he qualify it as "up there with obviously all the major championships I've won, the players, the world championships golf?"
And suddenly, all these goals are back on the table now. Tiger proved it Sunday. That he can do it like this new version of himself, with a time-dominated advantage and the sweetened perspective of life, well it's just that sauce. What promise she promises to be, as expected, a Ryder Cup like this one in memory of having set off in France towards a major season in 2019 that already feels electrified by the form of Woods. Not only does he bring back the generation of fans who grew up watching him crush competitors and fairways with the same ease, but he allows these fans to turn to the younger ones who have heard of such feats with wink.
Now, these beginners can see what it was, can feel the power of his presence, feel the impact of a man who changed the game by his singular dominance, can understand why we spent so much time to talk about her way to be, why we worried about the status of her surgically repaired back, why we so worried about the state of a personal life torn by business and embarrassed by a jab. And even better than that, Woods kids can see their dad at his best.
"Often, they equated golf with pain because every time I did, I would hurt myself and it would cause me more pain. And now, they see a little joy and see how much fun it is for me to be able to start again, "he said. "They've felt it, and they know what their dad can do on a golf course now."
US too. The majors are there.
The 14 major victories of Tiger Woods:
Tara Sullivan is a Globe columnist. She can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @Globe_Tara.
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