Tiger is back and BOY, does golf need him!
In an age of dwindling golf club memberships and 'fuddy duddy' clubhouses stifling potential young talent and the future of the game, Tiger Woods rolled back the years on Sunday night at East Lake to win the Tour Championship, his first tournament win in five years.
The man who translated golf to the world when winning 79 tournaments on the PGA Tour including fourteen majors, has battled back from serious injury and one or two personal problems to show that he really is the greatest of all time.
This footage, recorded by the PGA.com's Teryn Gregson just illustrates the effect Tiger Woods has on the game of golf. Going into Sunday's final round with a three shot lead, Woods birdied his first hole to rapturous cheers, it really was hair on the back of the neck stuff. That birdie would be the only he recorded on the front nine with eight pars to follow before a nerve jangling back nine.
Playing partner Rory McIlroy was unable to exert any pressure, slipping to a dismal final round of 74, but with Billy Horschell posting a clubhouse total of 271 (-9), Tiger spent the back nine battling a few demons to eventually win by two shots, much to the delight of the massive galleries assembled.
The Tour Championship and Fedex Cup conclusion often have a feeling of anti-climax, but with it becoming more and more clear that Tiger was going to win the tournament and Justin Rose's last hole birdie to win the Fedex and a cool $10m bonus, this year it was anything but.
The result was an emotional one for Tiger:
“I just can’t believe I pulled this off after you know, what the season’s gone through, and it’s been tough. I’ve had a not-so-easy couple years, and I worked my way back and I couldn’t have done it without the help of everyone around me. Some of the players I saw after, on the 18th green, some knew what I was struggling with…it was really special to see them there.”
The win sets up this week's Ryder Cup in Paris all the more. Woods was a captain's pick and that's looking like a genius stroke by Jim Furyk. The former world number one has only been on one winning US team and has never triumphed away in the Ryder Cup. Buoyed by this win, whose to say Tiger can't inspire his USA teammates to victory this week?
