Tiger woods mug shot’ rise, collapse, and climb again during the last three years
This week, Tiger Woods was once again at the centre of the sports universe, as a record number of people tuned in to see him stripe fairways with his megastar ‘buddies’ Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Phil Mickelson.
Although the Match was simply a charity tournament held at Woods’ home course in Jupiter, Florida, the world takes note when he swings a club without discomfort.
The exhibition drew an average of 5.8 million viewers, making it the most-watched golf event in cable history.
No one realised how low tiger Woods had slid three years ago, just across the street from his Jupiter home.
On May 29, 2017, at 3 a.m., Woods was discovered slumped in his black 2015 Mercedes, which was still functioning but had flat tyres.
He struggled to perform roadside duties and told authorities he was travelling between Los Angeles and Orange County on the other side of the nation.
Woods was detained for driving while inebriated, but eventually agreed to a plea agreement. He was sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to careless driving.
“I want the world to know that alcohol was not a factor,” Woods stated following his arrest in a statement. “What transpired was an unanticipated side effect from a prescription drug.” I had no idea how much the combination of drugs had impacted me.”
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Woods escaped prison, but he was still at his lowest point.
He had to call off yet another comeback effort earlier that year owing to continuing back problems.
He kept a grin on his face despite the agony and never told his supporters how horrible things were. He couldn’t get off the floor behind closed doors because he was in excruciating back agony.
Another back operation followed – he’d previously undergone four, including a spinal fusion — but the sports world had given up.
According to an ESPN poll from the year prior, 70% of PGA Tour players believed Woods would never win another major championship.
Despite the fact that his 2017 surgery went well, Woods didn’t return to competition until late January 2018.
Every start was greeted with cautious hope, but every week Woods was absent was greeted with trepidation as suspicions about his health mounted.
Woods, on the other hand, didn’t simply keep coming back; he kept becoming better. Off the tee, he was transforming into a monster, his ball-striking was flawless, and his party-trick’stringer’ was as fantastic as ever.
While prior swing modifications aimed at protecting Woods’ back looked to limit the 44-year-old, his most recent move to become more compact simply worked.
If Woods kept healthy, it was just a matter of time until he won again on the PGA Tour, as the statistics showed.
Woods almost ended the drought in July of that year, when he led The Open at Carnoustie halfway through his final round, only to finish three strokes behind eventual victor Francesco Molinari.
Instead, it was shattered on September 24, 2018, as Woods walked up the final fairway at the Tour Championship with tens of thousands of fans trailing after him, like a sight from the year 2000.
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He keyed in and fought back tears before triumphantly raised his arms.
After the putt, commentator Jim Nantz said, “We thought we’d never see it, and I don’t think he thought either.”
Woods ultimately won his 80th PGA Tour event, five years after his 79th.
With that triumph, everything seemed conceivable for Woods again, even winning a major for the first time since June 2008.
The Masters in April 2019 was the next event on the schedule, and he was suddenly one of the favourites to win.
He played great entire Masters week, fist pumping his way around Augusta’s greens while staying in contact with leader Molinari, despite his back injury. He was just two strokes down as the final round began.
Surprisingly, none of Woods’ previous four Masters victories had come without a share of the 54-hole lead.
On day four, Molinari was still in front after 11 holes, but a shot into the famed Rae’s Creek on the 12th put him in a tie with Woods.
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From then, there was only going to be one winner.
Woods birdied 15 and 16, then consolidated with a par on 17, leaving him with just a bogey on the 18th. He made bogey on every one of his five strokes to win his fifth Masters and 15th major.
One of sport’s most famous sights will be Woods going off the green and hugging his son Charlie, who wasn’t even born the last time his father won a major.
The 15-time major champion has subsequently won on the PGA Tour, tying him with Sam Snead for the most PGA Tour victories with 82.
In Melbourne, he was captaining America’s Presidents Cup-winning squad, where he was perhaps the best player all week.
The only thing that has halted Woods’ progress is the coronavirus, but even that might work in his favour as he seeks to extend his career far into his forties.
In many ways, Woods donning the green jacket last year seemed like the ideal conclusion to one of sports’ greatest comeback tales.
But there’s no telling how wonderful this narrative will become now.
