THE
TIGER ROARS AGAIN
History
was rewritten recently when, against all odds and predictions, Eldrick Tont
Woods popularly known as Tiger Woods won the US Masters Professional golf
tournament after he won it last in 2005 and after 11 years of winning a major
golf title.
Woods
won his fifth Masters green jacket and his first major championship in 2008. The
icing on the cake is the award of “the presidential Medal of Freedom” to Tiger
Woods by President Donald Trump in a ceremony at the White House on May 6th,
2019. At the occasion, President Trump praised Wood’s many accomplishments on
the golf course and his ability to come back from debilitating physical
adversity that might have permanently sidelined any other athlete.
At
the peak of his career, Woods won 13 golf major titles from June 1997 to
October 2010. After which he fell from Number 1 to 58 in world ranking. The win
by Tiger Woods was therefore very significant in the face of various crises he
went through and its implications for those going through one trial or the
other.
The
first challenge he encountered was the marital issues he had with his estranged
wife Elin which ended in a divorce settlement of about $100 million. Following his
failed marriage, several notable global brands such as AT&T, Gatorade, PepsiCo,
General Motors and Gillette ended their marketing deals with him.
Before
the crises that befell him, Woods earned roughly $90 million in a year from his
marketing pacts and was seen as the most powerful endorsement figure in sports.
However, only Nike and Electronics Arts continued to support Tiger Woods. Nike
Brand president, Charlie Denson, said “He’s
got issues he needs to deal with and he’s dealing with them. We are looking
forward to him getting back on the golf course.”
Woods
also had challenge with his health. He had serious back injuries/ pains that
sidelined him from competitive golf for 15 months and had two major operations.
Also, his knee muscles ached and this affected his swing and made him unable to
practice for long hours.
On
May 29, 2017, Tiger Woods was arrested near his Jupiter Island home, Florida by
the Jupiter Police Department at about 3.00am for driving under the influence
of alcohol or drugs. He was asleep in his car which was stationary in a traffic
lane with its engine running. This was shown on various television networks around
the world with the Police taking him through drills and he does not seem to
know where he was.
Despite
the trials and depressions Woods went through, he did not give up hope that one
day; the golf world would chorus his name again as one of the greatest in the
game.
Woods
has been able to prove that “the downfall of a man is not the end of his life.”
Woods did not allow negative comments to weigh him down even when analysts said
he would not rise again especially with the rise of young talented golfers
like; Justin Rose, Francesco Molinari, Xander Schauffele, Jason Day and Tommy
Fleetwood.
No
doubt the return of Woods is a source of encouragement to many people, especially
those who are on the verge of throwing in the towel.
Culled from July 2019 edition of
redemption light.
Note
Hope you found this article useful? If you have any questions or you wish to make contributions, kindly use the comment section below this article. Thank You!
Hope you found this article useful? If you have any questions or you wish to make contributions, kindly use the comment section below this article. Thank You!
ADEDAMOLA IYIADE
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