{"id":379503,"date":"2025-12-30T02:51:26","date_gmt":"2025-12-30T02:51:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/379503\/"},"modified":"2025-12-30T02:51:26","modified_gmt":"2025-12-30T02:51:26","slug":"tiger-woods-turns-50-its-the-one-time-golfs-greats-can-relate-to-him","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/379503\/","title":{"rendered":"Tiger Woods turns 50. It\u2019s the one time golf\u2019s greats can relate to him"},"content":{"rendered":"

AP
\n \u00a0\u2014\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n Talk to any golfer who played against Tiger Woods and there is sure to be at least one story about one shot so sublime they were certain it could not be hit by them or anyone else.\n <\/p>\n

\n He was just different. Better.\n <\/p>\n

\n The 2-iron Woods hit into the par-5 10th hole at the TPC Sugarloaf led Stewart Cink to say, \u201cThis is a skill set I don\u2019t have.\u201d Padraig Harrington once saw Woods hit an 8-iron so majestic at Firestone that it got in his head and led to the Irishman making triple bogey.\n <\/p>\n

\n Nick Price played the opening two rounds with Woods at St. Andrews in the 2000 British Open and felt the tournament already was over. Mark O\u2019Meara played a practice round with him at Pebble Beach before the 2000 US Open and told his wife before the championship started, \u201cTiger is going to win. And not only is he going to win, he\u2019s going to blow away the field.\u201d Woods won by 15.\n <\/p>\n

\n For all those years, so many greats in the game could never relate to Woods. And now, finally, they can.\n <\/p>\n

\n Not even Woods can beat time. He turns 50 on Tuesday.\n <\/p>\n

\n It\u2019s a milestone for anyone, but it\u2019s different in golf because the sport can be played well after the age when athletes have long retired in other sports. Phil Mickelson won a major at 50. Jack Nicklaus made an early Sunday charge at the Masters when he was 58.\n <\/p>\n

\n With Woods, it\u2019s complicated.\n <\/p>\n

\"Tigerhis first since 2008.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1343″ width=”2000″ loading=’lazy’\/><\/p>\n

\"Tigerhis first since 2008.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1343″ width=”2000″ loading=’lazy’\/><\/p>\n

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\"WoodsWoods apologized for being unfaithful to his wife and letting down both fans and family. “I had affairs, I cheated,” he said. “What I did was not acceptable, and I am the only person to blame.” It was his first public appearance since being hospitalized a couple months earlier following a car crash outside his home. Woods said he was in therapy for “issues,” which he did not explain. He and his wife divorced in August 2010.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1270″ width=”2000″ loading=’lazy’\/><\/p>\n

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\"InWoods was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. Woods, who was rehabbing from another back surgery, said in a statement that he had “an unexpected reaction to prescribed medications” and that alcohol was not involved. He pleaded guilty to reckless driving and went on probation.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1334″ width=”2000″ loading=’lazy’\/><\/p>\n

\"Woodshis first PGA Tour victory since 2013.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1187″ width=”2000″ loading=’lazy’\/><\/p>\n

\"PresidentTrump hailed Woods as a “global symbol of American excellence” and congratulated him on his “amazing comeback.”” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1333″ width=”2000″ loading=’lazy’\/><\/p>\n

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\"Woodswent viral on social media.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1333″ width=”2000″ loading=’lazy’\/><\/p>\n

\"Lawsuffered serious leg injuries in the one-car accident and had to be pulled from his vehicle by emergency responders. ” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1334″ width=”2141″ loading=’lazy’\/><\/p>\n

\"Woodsfinished in second place. “I’m a long way away from playing tournament golf,” Tiger said. “This is hit, hop in a cart.”” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1667″ width=”2500″ loading=’lazy’\/><\/p>\n

\"Woodssaid he was “frustrated” with the timeline of his recovery. He spoke of his intention to return to competitive golf while conceding he won’t be able to play a full tour schedule.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1667″ width=”2500″ loading=’lazy’\/><\/p>\n

\"Woodshis induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame in March 2022. “I had unbelievable parents, mentors, friends who supported me in the darkest of times and celebrated the highest of times,” he said in his acceptance speech. “All of you allowed me to get here, and I want to say thank you very much from the bottom of my heart.”” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1666″ width=”2500″ loading=’lazy’\/><\/p>\n

\"Woodshe made his return to competitive golf in April 2022. He finished his first round with a 1-under-par 71.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”1715″ width=”2500″ loading=’lazy’\/><\/p>\n

\"WoodsHe had missed the cut for the third straight major.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”2000″ width=”3000″ loading=’lazy’\/><\/p>\n

\"Woodsfinished the tournament tied for second after losing in a playoff.” class=”image__dam-img image__dam-img–loading” onload=’this.classList.remove(‘image__dam-img–loading’)’ onerror=”imageLoadError(this)” height=”2000″ width=”3000″ loading=’lazy’\/><\/p>\n

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In pictures: Golf icon Tiger Woods<\/p>\n

\n He now is eligible for the 50-and-older PGA Tour Champions. He also has had more surgeries than the 15 majors he won. This is the first year he didn\u2019t play a single tournament, the result of a ruptured Achilles tendon in March and a seventh back surgery in September.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cI\u2019m probably going to play 25 events on both tours and I think that should cover most of the year, right?\u201d Woods quipped in the Bahamas when asked about turning 50.\n <\/p>\n

\n He won the US Open just eight days before reconstructive surgery on his left knee. He won the Masters two years after surgery to fuse his lower back. But he hasn\u2019t been the same since that 2021 car crash in Los Angeles. Woods has played 11 times the last five seasons, finished only four of those tournaments and hasn\u2019t been closer than 16 shots to the winner.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cCome back to what point?\u201d Woods said. \u201cI\u2019d like to come back to just playing golf again.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n And so this celebration is more about looking back than forward.\n <\/p>\n

\n Ernie Els was most prescient in 2000 at Kapalua when he was on the losing end again \u2014 no one finished second to Woods more than the Big Easy. They matched eagles on the 18th in regulation, birdies on the 18th in a playoff and Woods got him with a 40-foot birdie putt on the second extra hole. Vintage Tiger.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cI think he\u2019s a legend in the making,\u201d Els said that day. \u201cHe\u2019s 24. He\u2019s probably going to be bigger than Elvis when he gets into his 40s.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n That\u2019s up for debate, of course. Undeniable is the impact Woods has left on golf.\n <\/p>\n

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\n Popularity soared and prize money skyrocketed. Woods made golf look different and he made it cool. And perhaps his greatest legacy is he unwittingly trained a generation of players who wanted to be like him. Scottie Scheffler said nothing inspired him more than watching the intensity of Woods when he was out of contention at the 2020 Masters. Woods made a 10 on the 12th hole and followed with five birdies over his last six holes. He tied for 38th.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cTiger was just different in the way he approached each shot. It was like the last shot he was ever going to hit,\u201d Scheffler said. It was the only time they played together. Scheffler now is coming up on three years at No. 1 in the world, the longest stretch since Woods.\n <\/p>\n

\n But it started with that skill set unlike any other.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cHe\u2019s the only guy I\u2019ve ever known who continually exceeded expectations,\u201d Tom Lehman said. \u201cNo matter how much you heaped on him, he found a way to exceed them.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\"Woods<\/p>\n

\n Lehman recalls one moment at the Memorial on the 17th hole, a green so rock-hard it felt impossible to get it close. Lehman hit 5-iron as high and far as he could and was pleased to see it roll out 25 feet from the cup.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cHe hits this shot way up in the air and it was coming down like a parachute,\u201d Lehman said. \u201cLands by the cup and bounces 2 feet and stops. I figure he must have hit a 7-iron. I said, \u2018Tiger, what club was that?\u2019 He said, \u2018That was a little, three-finger 5-iron.\u2019 He just filleted it in there.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cWhen I think of him, that\u2019s what I think of. Only one guy could hit that shot. And he did it often.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Woods had the career Grand Slam at age 24, the youngest of anyone. He had 50 wins worldwide and 10 majors before he turned 30.\n <\/p>\n

\n It wasn\u2019t as easy as he could make it look. The late Dan Jenkins once said when Woods was in peak form, \u201cOnly two things can stop Tiger \u2014 injury or a bad marriage.\u201d Turns out it was both. His path was derailed at the end of 2009 by revelations of multiple extramarital affairs, and the injuries kept piling up. He still made it back to No. 1 in the world in 2013 and he ran his PGA Tour victory count to 82, tied with Sam Snead.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cIf he never got injured, he\u2019d have 25 majors and 125 wins,\u201d Fred Couples said.\n <\/p>\n

\n Matt Kuchar saw it differently. He felt the injuries contributed to the legend of Woods, particularly that 2008 US Open win at Torrey Pines.\n <\/p>\n

\"Woods<\/p>\n

\n Woods was playing that week on shredded ligaments in his left knee and two stress fractures in his left leg. Often overlooked is that Woods had not walked 18 holes since the Masters until the opening round at Torrey Pines.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cThe legacy is bigger because of the injuries,\u201d Kuchar said. \u201cWhat he did at Torrey Pines, what he did at the (2019) Masters is sort of Hoganesque. At some point I, like most everybody, counted him out. And then he wins again.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Woods is keeping plenty busy outside the ropes. He was appointed to the PGA Tour policy board without a term limit in 2023 as the tour was in the midst of its battle with Saudi-funded LIV Golf. He now heads up the Future Competition Committee charged with reshaping the tour model.\n <\/p>\n

\n The next question is when \u2014 and where \u2014 he plays. Woods is the only player to have won the US Junior Amateur, US Amateur and US Open. The US Senior Open is at Scioto, the Ohio course where Jack Nicklaus learned to play.\n <\/p>\n

\n April at Augusta isn\u2019t the same without Woods. He set the Masters record in 2024 by making the cut for the 24th consecutive time. How much more? How much longer?\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cPeople want to see him,\u201d Kuchar said. \u201cAnd if he shoots 76, people still want to see him. He\u2019s unique in our sport.\u201d\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"AP \u00a0\u2014\u00a0 Talk to any golfer who played against Tiger Woods and there is sure to be at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":379504,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[566],"tags":[64,63,755,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-379503","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-golf","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-golf","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/379503","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=379503"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/379503\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/379504"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=379503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=379503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=379503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}