Tiger Woods, 42, wins first tournament in five years after multiple surgeries

Embed from Getty Images
The Tiger Woods scandal remains the most fascinating celebrity/sports story I’ve covered to date. The fact that so many women came forward on the record, over a dozen, and that his wife stayed so quiet and seemingly above it all just amazed me. Since then he’s had a DUI, he’s had high profile relationships, and he’s never recaptured the record setting performances of his youth. Until now. Tiger, who is now ranked 13th after previously not even being in the top 1,000, just won his 80th PGA golf tournament, putting him second to only Sam Snead’s 82 wins. He won the tour championship on Sunday, with his comeback being called unprecedented. Tiger just had his fourth back surgery in the spring of 2017 and he’s 42 years old.

Tiger Woods has won his first professional golf tournament in more than five years. He was victorious at the season-ending Tour Championship Sunday at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.

NPR’s Tom Goldman tells our Newscast unit: “Woods led the tournament from start to finish. His steady, dominating play seemed like a throwback to the early 2000s, when he ruled the game.”

But Goldman says the “moment of victory in Atlanta, was different. He didn’t throw one of his trademark uppercuts — instead Woods raised his arms and teared up.”

“I can’t believe I pulled this off,” Woods said during the trophy presentation.

A year ago, he was recovering from a fourth back surgery. When Woods returned to competition in December, he was rated No. 1,199 in the world. He’s now at No. 13.

Woods is celebrating his 80th career PGA win — two short of the career record held by Sam Snead. Woods’ last victory was in 2013 at the Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio.

“This season there was a return to competitive golf and a steady climb in the rankings as Woods pieced together a swing that wouldn’t ravage his 42-year-old body,” Goldman reports.

[From NPR]

I’m about halfway through a Tiger Woods biography now. He didn’t have a childhood and his father/parents (it’s unclear whether his mom had a hand in this) stage managed even his first relationship, making him break up with his high school sweetheart by letter after she came to one of his tournaments. The thing that stands out is Tiger’s laser focus on improving his game no matter the cost. He spent two very valuable years at the beginning of his career completely changing his swing despite the fact that it cost him his number one standing and he already had higher endorsement deals than anyone in the sport to date. He’s changed his swing yet again to accommodate his injuries. He was also aloof and competitive in his 20s and would regularly snub other players and skip important events. All of that has changed, and sports commentators are noting that he’s a kinder and more vulnerable player in his 40s.

Tiger brought renewed interest in the game of golf and helped popularize and integrate the sport at a time when there were still whites only country clubs. Look at the crowds following him after this win. I’m not a fan, I don’t watch golf and I find his half endorsement of 45 troubling and indicative of his narcissm, but hell I’m also a inspired by his comeback.

After his win Tiger kissed his latest girlfriend, a manager at one of his restaurants named Erica Herman. He loves restaurant managers.

wenn35335778

PGATOUR_B434_322651_0043

GOLF_B434_320141_0017

Photos credit: WENN, Getty and Avalon.red

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

21 Responses to “Tiger Woods, 42, wins first tournament in five years after multiple surgeries”

Comments are Closed

We close comments on older posts to fight comment spam.

  1. Janet says:

    Asshole rich guy makes a comeback. Cool.

  2. Juls says:

    I dislike Tiger Woods. He’s. …..not a good person. That being said, I feel his pain, literally. I just had my 4th back surgery at 36. It sucks. I can’t run anymore (which I loved). Can’t even do yoga because all of the bending. The only exercise I can do is walking. I can’t bend over to pick up things I have dropped. I can’t ride roller coasters or water slides. I can’t play with my kids the way I want to. I can’t play softball anymore. I can’t ride on a boat. I can’t even wash dishes or do laundry without help. So I am happy for him that he has found a way to do what he loves.

    • MissyLynne says:

      @Juls: I’m sorry you are going through that. Back surgery is awful. I hope you are able to feel better soon. Sending you lots of good energy and hugs.

    • Lightpurple says:

      Sorry you’re facing these challenges. Hoping you recover fully and can return to living your life as you wish without pain.

    • genie says:

      I am also 36 and about to have my second hip surgery and everything you said rings true- Its hard not to get depressed when all you want is to be active like before- despite being disgusted by Tiger’s behavior his physical comeback is super inspiring. stay strong and healing thoughts!

    • Juls says:

      Thank you all for the words of support. I am grateful to be pain-free. The depression from being physically debilitated at a young age is real. Take care of your bodies, people. One injury can affect the rest of your life. I, Like Tiger, am young and healthy and physically-fit. Sometimes things go wrong and there is no looking back. There are things I will never be able to do again. It’s hard. So, as much as I dislike Tiger Woods, I can find inspiration in his comeback, if that makes sense.

    • jwoolman says:

      I’ve had bending problems due to a nerve injury. I tried various types of grabbers but they would fall apart so easily. This one has lasted for years, I keep getting more only to have them in more spots inside and outside the house:

      EZ Reacher 32″ Outdoor Standard
      by ArcMate

      Amazon has them (be careful of some vendors who will send cheap lookalikes, happened to me but they refunded) but you can also buy and see the full line (different lengths and designs) at

      arcmate.com

      They are really sturdy and you can buy replacement rubber cups with screws if needed. Amazon has those, too.

      I did buy my last few from Amazon but made sure the vendor was ArcMate and so had no trouble. I don’t see any difference between the indoor and outdoor model for the EZ Reacher design, so last time I just got the outdoor one. Your local hardware store or similar place may carry them, but I don’t have a car and so buy online.

  3. Lightpurple says:

    Yes, creepy, sleazy Tiger won something and creepy, sleazy Orange Dotard tweeted about it because sleazy guys must stick together or something. Meanwhile, the big sports news yesterday was Jimmy G’s injury.

  4. Other Renee says:

    Zero interest in this guy after what he did to Elin. What he did was just so beyond immoral. Entitlement at its worst. I hate it when I really admire someone and they turn out to be a super creep.

    • JayneBirkinB says:

      He’s a terrible husband, but he’s also a terrible sportsman – he was using criminal doctor Anthony Galea’s illegal PEDs. Wouldn’t be surprised if he’s got a new Doctor FeelGood in his stable to juice him up now.

  5. PeggingOut says:

    I’m here for a redemptive Tiger comeback. It’s exhausting carrying animosity forever on everyone in the world who screws up. I’ll save it for my exes.

  6. Michelle says:

    I have followed golf for years even before Tiger because my husband (and kids) are avid golfers. I admire Tiger for his accomplishments in golf but that is it. The guy is a douche. Always has been. I’ve seen him at tournaments and he just has this air of supremacy about him. I thought that he would have gotten better after all of his scandals and surgeries, but I saw it yesterday. The arrogance is still there.

  7. Dana marie says:

    I am not a tiger woods fan, but I’m happy for him regarding his win. A true testament that hard work pays off. I am not thrilled to hear about his support for DT, but yes, it’s so exhausting to hold animosity. It’s bad for your soul.

  8. Maum says:

    Not only did he repeatedly cheat on his wife but he had unprotected sex with prostitutes while she was pregnant wih his kids.
    He was happy to put her health, and that of his unborn children, at risk.

    Prick.

    And a DUI when you are loaded enough to have a car on call to follow you around and take you home? Double prick.

    • Kumquat says:

      Thank you! That’s all I think of when I see/hear of him. It’s interesting that people (mostly men) breeze by that disgusting-ness b/c he’s VERY good at hitting a ball into a hole with a stick in the fewest swings.

  9. Leapin' Lizards! says:

    I’m a diehard Tiger Woods-the-champion-golfer fan and neutral about his personal issues. Thrilled about his comeback, especially as an older player.

  10. Knitter says:

    Watching a clip of his dad putting him on the Mike Douglas show when Tiger was just a scared-looking two-year-old gave me some sympathy for him. He never had a chance. There was no way he could grow into a normal human being after the pressure of being paraded around as a child prodigy like that.

    • Leapin' Lizards! says:

      I watched a clip of him, he was around 5 or 6 maybe. His dad squatted down to his level to talk to him, and Tiger did this little move – leaning on his golf club, putting his hand on his hip. It was practiced, he was imitating the grownups. No, he never had a chance.