Woods has shot at redemption

March 7, 2011 by Steven Slivka 

Tiger Woods needs to return to dominant and respectful form

Remember the days when Tiger Woods ripped through his so-called “competition” with ease? Recall the days when he was the “Face of Golf,” the days when he was relevant?

Those days seem like ages ago.

Ever since Woods’ car crash in November 2009, his golf game has been as disastrous as James Franco’s Oscar-hosting skills.

Prior to his crash, which inevitably led to his infidelity going public, Woods was at the top of his game.

He was coming off of a season in which he had six victories to go along with 14 top-10 finishes.

He was averaging a score of 68.84 per round, his best average since 2006, and he grossed more than $10.5 million to add to an already insurmountable amount of money he earned through endorsements with companies like Nike, Gillette, Buick, etc.

He had a Swedish model for a wife, two great kids and a fanbase that stretched worldwide from his hometown of Cypress, Calif., to the greens of St. Andrews in Scotland.

Then Nov. 27, 2009 happened.

At first it appeared Woods was in a minor car accident near his central Florida home, then rumors of Woods’ infidelity to his wife, Elin Nordgren, surfaced and his image changed forever.

Since his arrival on the PGA Tour in 1996, Woods has been the most dominating force in golf.

He is second only to “Golden Bear” Jack Nicklaus on the all-time career Major tournament victory list with 14. He is third all-time with 71 career victories and has won the PGA Player of the Year Award a record nine times. He held the No. 1 world ranking in the FedEx Cup standings for more than five years, and Forbes listed him as the richest sportsman in the world, earning a reported $105 million.

Oh, how those days seem like ancient history.

Since that fateful night of Nov. 27, Woods’ dominance on tour has been nothing but a memory.

He took a five-month hiatus from golf and returned for the Masters in April 2010. His return was greatly anticipated by fans around the world. He finished the Masters tied for fourth place with K.J. Choi and with a brilliant performance after such a long absence. He had the golf world buzzing and awaiting the return of the Woods they knew.

However, Woods’ fabulous return to golf was short lived. He finished the 2010 season winless for the first time in his professional career.

He currently trails the rest of the PGA in scoring average, greens in regulation percentage and putts per round. The only category he fares well against the field in is driving average, at 296 yards per drive.

Although his 44 percent driving accuracy trails the rest of the tour by 15 percent, the long ball doesn’t matter since he can’t hit it straight.

Woods’ image has taken a severe beating as well. Since his “accident,” he has lost more than $22 million of endorsements with AT&T, Gatorade and Accenture.

As for his golf game, it doesn’t seem like Woods will be the “Tiger” of the past anytime soon.

We’re so used to the Woods who came up clutch when it mattered. The Woods who collected himself after his 20-foot putt rang around the cup. (Although on Sundays, he hardly missed those putts at all.)

People loved him because he played the game his way. When Phil Mickelson would make a 30-foot putt during the final round of a Major, Woods would make a 50-footer because he never settled for second.

He had the poise and determination it took to win on tour, and for 13 years he did it religiously.

However, all that is in the past.

The new Woods is so concerned with repairing his image that it’s altering the way he plays the game. Since the 2011 season began, Woods has already been criticized for disrespecting the game by spitting on the green and swearing out loud.

I can’t recall an athlete of Woods’ caliber that fell so far from grace. Not even Brett Favre’s latest stint with the Vikings or Barry Bonds’ steroid scandal compare to Woods’ plummet from the sport that made him so famous.

Even his famous “Tiger Woods PGA Tour” video game has taken a bashing since his sex scandal erupted.

According to FoxSports.com, “Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11” was down 68 percent from the 2010 edition.

Woods needs to take a long break from golf. He needs to take a long break from life. He needs to find peace with himself and his family before he can find peace on the course. It’s obvious he has major issues, issues that weren’t present until that fateful autumn night.

He needs to sit down, collect his thoughts and shoot a 10-under par at Pebble Beach on “Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11.” Who knows when he’ll do it again in real life?