Tiger Woods: ‘I didn’t know if I’d ever be out here playing again’

The professional rejuvenation of Tiger Woods has delivered moments of personal significance. Last November, when starting out on his latest comeback trail, Woods asserted that he didn't want his two children to only know Dad as a "YouTube golfer."

On Sunday, as Woods celebrated his 80th PGA Tour win and first for five years, he again pointed towards what Sam, 10, and Charlie, nine, may think. For so long, Woods’s physical torment undermined his everyday life.

“I think they understand a little bit of what Dad does now,” Woods said. “I hadn’t won any tournaments in which they can remember, so I think this will be a little bit different for them. To be able to have shared what I did with them at the Open this year, I had a chance, I had the lead. They felt it, that atmosphere.

“They know what their Dad can do on a golf course now. It’s not what I used to be able to do. A lot of times they equated golf to pain because every time I did it, I would hurt, and it would cause me more pain. And so now they’re seeing a little bit of joy and seeing how much fun it is for me to be able to do this again.”

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It is fascinating that Woods has evolved into the people’s golfer, a domain he couldn’t possible inhabit after tales of his extra-marital affairs emerged. The tribal scene on Sunday as Woods strode towards victory was quite the sight. For his own part, Woods is clearly more open and appreciative of support than in his early, dominant days.

“It means a lot more to me now in the sense I didn’t know if I’d ever be out here again playing, doing this again,” he said. “I don’t know, 20 years ago, hell, I thought I was going to play for another 30 years. That’s just the way golf is. You can play until you’re 70-years-old.

“Then, there was a point in time I didn’t know if I’d ever do this again. So yes, I appreciate it a little bit more than I did because I don’t take it for granted that I’m going to have another decade, two decades in my future of playing golf at this level.”

The scale of Woods's achievement reverberated around golf. Nick Faldo conceded "I was one of many who didn't see this happening again." Jack Nicklaus, whose haul of 18 major titles will again flash into Woods's view, offered further praise.

“I never dreamed Tiger could come back and swing the way he has, after surgery,” Nicklaus said. “I think you could argue he’s swinging better than he has ever in his life. He has played fantastically.

“I think throughout this year some of Tiger’s issues were between his ears as he had to remember how to win again. Tiger has been close, almost there. You knew he was going to win soon.”

The man himself had previously suggested he would only regard this comeback as complete should he win another major. In the aftermath of two-stroke success at East Lake, the 42-year-old was of a mind to treasure the journey to this point.

“I’ve been sitting on 79 for about five years now and to get 80 is a pretty damned good feeling,” he said. “Just to be able to compete and play again this year, that’s a hell of a comeback.

“Some of the people that are very close to me, they’ve seen what I’ve gone through. Some of the players have seen what I’ve gone through, and they know how hard it was just to get back to playing golf again, forget the elite level. Just be able to play golf again and enjoy being with my kids and living that life. And then lo and behold, I’m able to do this and win a golf tournament.

“Probably the low point was not knowing if I’d ever be able to live pain-free again. Am I going to be able to sit, stand, walk, lay down without feeling the pain that I was in? I just didn’t want to live that way. This is how the rest of my life is going to be? It’s going to be a tough rest of my life. And so I was beyond playing. I couldn’t sit. I couldn’t walk. I couldn’t lay down without feeling the pain in my back and my leg. That was a pretty low point for a very long time.”

Justin Rose, who claimed the FedEx Cup and richest prize in golf – $10m -with a share of fourth at East Lake offered a message of "about time" to Woods after the pair collected trophies. "In some ways, I'm half-joking because he's looked so good this year, and I think that it's been a matter of time," Rose explained. "I think that we've all been waiting for him to win, and we've all been wanting him to win.

“I think it’s great for the sport, great for the game. He truly moves the needle like no one else out here, and he wins in style. He wins with charisma. He’s brilliant to watch.”

The small matter of the Ryder Cup, featuring Woods, is a matter of days away. “I think the weekend was a pretty good introduction into the Ryder Cup, for sure,” Rose added. Not half.

(Guardian service)