This Tiger is back: the surly guy to interviewers (especially ones who ask silly questions after a round is over), the guy who cusses up a storm in earshot of cameras or slams his club to the ground after errant shots or who laughs at other poor shots as if to say, “I’m Tiger Woods; that can’t happen.”
Actually, that Tiger Woods probably never left. And it’s the one who makes it hard to root for Woods, especially as he inches closer to 40 years old. At some point don’t you grow up a little bit on the course? Cuss on TV when you’re 22 and people say you’re an intense competitor. Do it at 35 and you’re a guy who hasn’t matured.
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Just once, you’d like to see Woods play with some sort of joy. Jack Nicklaus, people forget, once was a hated golfer. He matured. He grew and he became a beloved figured. Woods is admired for his success, but beloved? Nope.
And yet Woods is still the player most people want to see in contention. He still drives the golf engine. Order is restored in the sports world when he wins.
When he’s in contention, you can’t turn away. It’s clear, like him or not, that most people aren’t ready for the Woods era to end. You can hate the New York Yankees, but when they returned to prominence, baseball got more interesting. Villains are good, too. Woods can — and does — fill both roles.
But is he back as a golfer? Keep in mind that he finished fourth last year (though he didn’t hold a final-round lead) and he finished fourth in the U.S. Open as well, yet he didn’t win anything.
He’ll win again. In his last 11 majors he has finished in the top six eight times and only missed the cut once. Stay consistent and chances are you’ll be victorious. We’d like to see a more mellow Woods — a guy who loves the game and shows it. But what we really want is for Woods to win again. Nobody tunes in to see whether he’s stopped cussing.
