14 and 72. In Defense of Eldrick

This is bullshit

I’ve made a comment that requires clarification. The comment you ask? “Tiger Woods is the greatest golfer to ever play the game.”

You da man

A statement filled with hyperbole, such as this one, requires explanation. But in order to explain my stance on this I have to get you the reader to view the game of golf from a different prism. Golf has always been an exclusionary sport. Its very name is exclusionary in its origin. It literally stands for Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden. That’s right, women! Screw Title 9. You don’t belong. Now go make me a sandwich.

This is also a loose translation of what Vijay Singh said about Annika Sorenstam in 2003 when she became the first woman to compete on the PGA Tour since 1945. She didn’t belong and he hoped she missed the cut. Stay classy

Who's a gal gotta blow to get a tee time around here?

The PGA and the rest of the golfing world, is filled with this type of “class”. For example, Augusta National used to have a requirement that all of its Caddies be black. Up until 1990, persons of color were not allowed to be members. And, still to this day, women continue to be excluded from membership.

You can find this type of thing just about everywhere. The story of guys like Charlie Sifford, Pete Brown, and Lee Elder are extraordinary. These are guys that played in tournaments at clubs that on a normal day wouldn’t allow them to set foot on the tee unless it was to carry someone else’s bag. Walking alongside your fellow playing competitor watching as they receive applause. Dodging the objects being thrown at you, and ignoring the jeers and spittle being hurled your way. Turning the other cheek because, after all, “it’s a gentleman’s game”. This was their reality.

Jackie Robinson had it easy

This is the sport that Tiger stepped into in 1997. A young phenom with an infectious smile. He could do things with the golf ball that we’d only dreamed of. He had a Stanford education and “didn’t sound black” (another way of saying that black folk don’t talk proper). How delightfully un-racist of them to notice his grammar.

But this was 1997. The world is different than it was when Sifford was breaking the PGA Color Barrier. Things had changed. The environment would be different for young Tiger. Gone are the days when he would have to tread the path of racism and exclusion that Elder walked. Which is what someone should have reminded Fuzzy Zoeller before he opened his mouth.

Smile if you're a Douche

But faced with all of this how did young Tiger respond? He became what we all needed him to become. He became perfect. He had to. He was an icon to an entire race. An inspiration to an entire generation. Not only was he the most popular athlete in his profession, he was the best there was. It was indisputable. No golfer from 1997 – 2007 won more tournaments than Tiger. He was so good that we started inventing rivals for him. Montgomary, Duvall, May, Garcia, Els, Goosen, Harrington, Phil. A list of names that with the exception of the last one, looks like a where’s Waldo of golf professionals.

If only my arms were longer

But this post isn’t about those guys. It’s about Tiger. And he was perfect. He was poised and polished. He didn’t just win tournaments, he won them in such a fashion that everyone else was automatically playing for second. It happened so much that we were surprised when he didn’t win. And if enough time passed without a Tiger victory we started asking if something was wrong. 14 Major Championships and 72 PGA victories later, and we’re still asking.

But why does any of this make Tiger Woods the “greatest golfer to ever play the game”?

No seriously. I kicked your ass with a broken leg

It’s simple. He’s won 14 Major Championships and 72 PGA Events, while having to be someone that we forced him to be. At no point have we ever allowed Tiger to simply be a golfer. In this most cerebral of games, thinking about “just golf” was never an option for Tiger. 14 Major Championships have not changed this. If anything the expectation has become even harsher. He was instantly saddled with being the face of golf for African Americans. Guys like Ricky Fowler, Anthony Kim, Hunter Mahan etc. were all in grade school in 1997. How many of this new generation of golfers would be playing something else, if not for Tiger?

Get a haircut and get areal job

Tiger’s 72 PGA victories put’s him third on the all-time list. But none of the two gentlemen above him had to endure what Tiger has. They were much closer to being Fuzzy Zoeller than Charlie Sifford. In a game when even the smallest amount of pressure can cause a missed putt or a poorly executed shot, it is not hyperbole to say that Tiger has played with more pressure than any golfer in history. He has carried this weight without complaint.

Lately he’s begun to crack a little under the pressure. He seems to have grown tired with playing the role that we’ve demanded of him. A role that he never really asked for. He’s frustrated and it’s starting to show. Maybe in a kicked club here or there. Maybe it shows up in the middle of what was meant to be an internal monologue. After being “Perfect” for over a decade, he suddenly seems human. Almost as if to say he doesn’t want to play by our rules anymore.

What is it with this guy and rodents?

“But Aagro”, you cry, “We don’t dislike him for his golf skills. We dislike him, because he’s not a good person. No one of any true character would cheat on Elin. It’s absolutely shameful”.

Like YOU could have said no

I feel you. He got caught with his hand in the box…errr…jar. So to speak. It was an absolute shame that this happened. Two things come to mind though. First and foremost is that it’s none of my damn business. The second thing that comes to mind is that I didn’t care when Arnie cheated on Winnie (constantly, by the way). I didn’t care when Rocco left his wife and kids for his massage therapist (hey the guy had a bad back). So why should I care that Tiger was getting a little on the side?

Better question. Why do you? He’s a golfer. And if his 14 Major Championships and 72 PGA Victories are any indication, he’s a damn good one. Some might even say he’s the greatest to ever play the game.