Local Golf Report: Like him or not, Tiger should inspire you

Well, that was exciting, but more so, Sunday was inspiring.

Yes, you guessed it. I’m talking about The Masters, and I’m talking about Tiger Woods.

Now, I’m thinking that, anyone who reads a local golf report watches professional golf, so you don’t need me to recite what happened at The Masters on Sunday.

But I also know at least some of you who read this column every spring and summer aren’t the biggest Tiger fans in the world, so you probably weren’t as excited, or tearful, or as emotional as I was when Tiger captured his fifth green jacket Sunday afternoon.

Nevertheless, love Tiger or not, here’s why you should respect, admire and applaud what he did at The Masters.

First, the man has had 14 surgeries, has a fused back and a body that is not like most of us. So imagine trying to play world class golf with that. Imagine all he has been through injury-wise, and what he is physically, and you would have never thought he’d be able to bring down big boys like Brooks Koepka, Rory McIlroy, and Dustin Johnson, let alone an Augusta National that is much, much more difficult than it was when Tiger was in his 20s and 30s.

The physical comeback alone is something that we should all appreciate and be inspired by.

Then, there’s the emotional return to the big stage. For years, Tiger was on a seemingly do-no-wrong pedestal. Now however, we all know Tiger was very flawed, we all know he was simply, a human being, who made a series of big, humiliating mistakes and plenty of bad choices that at a time hurt a lot of people, most of all his own family.

And make no mistake, Tiger was humiliated and publicly shamed. I don't know that I've ever seen anyone's mistakes and bad choices made as public as Tiger's were.

No matter how much money he has, he still went through and had to own up to a series of personal calamities, all that were self-inflicted, and no one, at least I'm not, is excusing those mistakes he made in his personal life.

The fact of the matter is however, and this is something I’ll always respect, Tiger did own up to everything he did. He not only paid for his mistakes, he held himself accountable for them, and for the whole world to see.

I wonder how many other sports heroes do we have out there right now who are making the same kinds of personal life mistakes Tiger did, yet they are not only not being publicly shamed, but I wonder, would they own them the way Tiger did?

But instead of going quietly into the night, with all his millions, Tiger faced the music, and instead of running away to the Bahamas, and never hitting another golf ball again, he fixed his life, as far as I know, became a better person, at least those who know him best say he is, and, above all else, put himself right back out there, to be ridiculed, scrutinized and criticized.

I wonder, would any of us have the courage to do that if we were in that boat?

I don’t know the answer to that, but I know this, Tiger did. He had the courage, the strength and the integrity to not give up, to not hide, to battle his demons, inside his body, and his mind. To me, that’s inspiring.

Tiger also had the courage to put himself back out on the course, against a golf landscape that has dramatically changed since he once dominated the sport.

Many thought he’d never win again, some thought he wouldn’t even contend again. He may have even thought that at one point. He’s admitted there were plenty of doubts on his way back.

But he still tried. He kept trying, he kept taking the risk of never, ever being the player he once was. And, it's clear, he did it because he loved golf. He didn't have to come back. He could have never hit another golf ball, and he would have billions in the bank, and still be considered one of, it not the greatest golfer ever. He really didn't need to risk anything, his health, his personal gains he has made, or the scrutiny of never being what he was once. But he did, and that's inspiring.

And that’s the point. You don’t have to love or even like someone to be inspired by them. Inspiration comes in many different ways, and from places we may never see coming. And what Tiger did Sunday is indeed inspiring. His comeback, now fully complete, should, at the very least, inspire people to fight, to battle, to not quit on themselves, or their dreams, no matter the odds.

Yes, you may not be a fan of Tiger Woods. You may not even like him. But if you love golf, love sports and love stories of perseverance, I think we can all agree, what Tiger Woods did in the 2019 Masters is indeed, inspirational.