WS Chronicle

Tiger Woods is the 2019 Masters Champion. Two years ago, those were words I would never thought I would utter so soon. 

Woods has overcome multiple injuries and scandal to get back to the mountaintop, winning a major. I wrote a sports column months ago stating I thought he would get back to his winning ways, but I did not think he would be able to reclaim his magic so quickly.

Over the last nine months or so, you could see Tiger trending upward toward this moment. He had good showings in the previous two majors. What really opened my eyes to the possibility he could compete this year was his win at the Tour Championship in September of 2018. I felt that win would give Tiger the confidence he needed to get close to where he was five or six years ago.

I prefer to stay neutral when commenting on most sports topics. When it comes to Tiger, I am happy for what he accomplished two weeks ago. So many people wrote him off, saying his career was over, or that he would never win another tournament. I didn’t think it was fair the way he was treated in the media.

I was amazed at how so many reporters and sports commentators were comfortable in saying Woods was finished.  For me, he was so dominant, all he had to do was get back to 80 to 85 percent of where he was and he would have a chance to compete at a high level.

It seems many people forgot what Tiger accomplished when he was in his prime. He was so much better than everyone else, he didn’t need to get back to 100 percent of where he was. It was clear with how mentally strong he was, as long as he stayed healthy, it was only a matter of time before the winning happened.

We all know what happened in his personal life and so many people seemed to focus on that aspect. Everyone has faults, so I kept my opinion strictly on his injuries and performance on the course. I understand his alleged affairs were well publicized in the news, but is that what we should have been focusing on? I think not; we all have skeletons in our closet.

At 43 years of age, Tiger now has 15 majors on his mantle. The Golden Bear, Jack Nicklaus, still holds the record for most majors with 18. With his health concerns seemingly in his rear-view mirror, it might be just a matter of time before Woods eclipses the Golden Bear.

I think Woods can compete at a high level well into his 40s. That sort of longevity will give him a great shot at passing Nicklaus. I don’t think it’s going out on a limb to say I think he will finish his career with 20 major titles.  Some may call me crazy, but I think it’s possible.

Tiger inspired so many people to pick up golf clubs back in the late 90s; it’s great to see him back on top.  As a fan, I am eager to see if my prediction will come true.