Per the official website of the PGA Tour, the top five golfers in the world are in this order – Dustin Johnson, Justin Rose, Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka, and Jon Rahm rounding out the top five. And what seems to be missing here is the one player that brings all eyes to the sport like none other. The guy that stole the attention of any other sports news this past weekend because he had a chance at winning The Open. You may have heard of him… Tiger Woods.
All of golf’s popularity runs through one single human being, and if you like him or not, you cannot deny that fact. Coming from someone who doesn’t have much interest in golf no matter the tournament, when Tiger is even in slight contention, that’s what I want to know about and see at any single moment possible. Woods transcended golf over two decades ago and has been the sports most important and best since. I remember when I was discussing “The Dominant 20” that ESPN had put together and thinking it was nuts, but they truly did nail the top choice… it was Tiger.
Simply put, the most must watched Golfer of All-Time. And personally, the Greatest Golfer to ever do it. Sure, Woods has had his problems that so many have judged him on and even wondered if he should ever truly come back. Now, Tiger brings all eyes back to the golf course for the first time since he truly went away. And to fully understand the greatest of Tiger Woods, you must understand his accomplishments. Born Eldrick Tont Woods, he managed to win the biggest Major in Golf, the Masters, four times (1997, 2001, 2002, 2005), the Open Championship three times (2000, 2005, 2006), the PGA Championship (1999, 2000, 2006, 2007), and the US Open three times (2000, 2002, 2008). The reason I bring up the US Open last is due to the fact I can remember the 2008 like it was yesterday. Watching with my dad, Tiger was about to go away to repair his ACL and his knee all together, and ultimately, he shocked the world, knocking down a 12-ft putt to go to a playoff, that he ultimately ended up winning. I can remember the passion he showed, the way the crowd responded, and the amount of people were locked in just to watch Tiger be Tiger.
Woods is the most dominant athlete in the past 20 years because he has been unbelievable. And now, with the return of Tiger, you can feel the excitement in the golfing world again. I understand how long he was away, how many terrible things that went on in his life, but plain and simple, his dominance is simply unmatched. The 11-time PGA Player of the Year won every award possible, has all the championships he needs to even prove that he is the best, and the influence that he has on the sport of Golf is unmatched. No one comes close, he makes a sport that most people see as boring and makes it become electric. The longevity proves, as he is now technically two decades into his career, even with the long layoffs in the middle, and his statistics are tops in all of Golf history. Not only is he so impressive on the course, but his ability to have everyone want him to succeed on the course shows how important he is to sports, and specifically golf.
All those championships leave people believing, hoping, and thinking that one day Tiger Woods could be atop the Golf World again. If you take a look at this shot that made me automatically think “Vintage Tiger”:
https://twitter.com/scott_edwards18/status/1020711564918370304
It makes you just feel that electricity he brings to the course day in and day out.
And while he wasn’t able to capture The Open this past weekend, Golf is back at its peak officially, due to the fact that Tiger will be contending for the future.
So please PGA, keep bringing on the Majors, because the more we get to see Tiger contend, the better the world of sports are, and the more exciting it is to be a sports fan.
Love him or hate him, Tiger Woods is quite possibly the most important athlete in all of sports, and the more you get to see him in the classic red shirt for the biggest day of the tournament, all feels so right.
So what do you think? Is Tiger back? Or have we seen him win his last championship?
Let us know!
– Scott Edwards, Creator of WTF Sports Nation
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