The announcement on March 11 that Tiger Woods had surgery on a ruptured left Achilles tendon is hard to read but it has become even harder for the 15-time major winner to finally admit what is clear to nearly all – he can no longer play at the highest level of professional golf.
The single greatest asset for any elite level athlete is inner self-belief. Barriers that inhibit others are surpassed. For much of his career, Tiger accomplished records on the golf course that may live forever.
When others had doubt – Woods saw matters far differently. It is that inner self-belief that drove Tiger to the pinnacle of the mountaintop.
One need only remember a valiant Woods claiming the 2008 U.S. Open title while playing on a broken leg.
Tiger was attempting to ramp up his practice regimen in time for this year’s Masters. However, his body sent the clearest signal he is no longer physically able to do so.
In true Woods fashion he posted a terse statement on his situation via X.
“As I began to ramp up my own training and practice at home, I felt a sharp pain in my left Achilles, which was deemed to be ruptured. This morning, Dr. Charlton Stucken of Hospital for Special Surgery in West Palm Beach, Florida performed a minimally-invasive Achilles tendon repair for a ruptured tendon. “The surgery went smoothly, and we expect a full recovery,” added Dr. Stucken. I am back home now and plan to focus on my recovery and rehab, thank you for all the support.”
But the delusion that a return to form is doable needs to come to an end.
Just keep the following in mind. Woods underwent last September a microdecompression surgery of the lumbar spine for nerve impingement in the lower back. It was believed to be the sixth surgery on his lower back in the past 10 years. The Achilles situation is no stranger to Tiger.
At the 2010 Masters, Woods revealed he tore his right Achilles tendon in 2008 and hurt it again several times in 2009 yet continued to play. He won six times during the 2009 PGA Tour season.
Complicating matters was a February 2021 car wreck when he suffered serious injuries to his right leg, foot and ankle after losing control of his car near the border of Rolling Hills Estates and Rancho Palos Verdes, California, approximately 30 miles south of downtown Los Angeles.
How severe were the injuries? Woods later explained surgeons nearly had to amputate his right leg because the injuries were so severe, and he underwent multiple surgeries to repair it.
In April 2023, Woods had a subtalar fusion procedure to address post-traumatic arthritis in his right ankle that was caused by injuries suffered in the car wreck.
Many years ago, I attended with several friends a concert by the legendary singer Frank Sinatra. The famed “chairman of the board” was revered by a fan base that adored his stirring voice in tandem with unforgettable lyrics and music that stirred emotions.
However, at the concert it was clear matters were amiss. Ole Blue Eyes was unable to remember the words to his own songs and what was thought to be a rejoicing of his talents became a quick embarrassing moment for a man who could not come to terms that his best days were now in the rear-view mirror.
The same is now present with Tiger Woods.
Before the arrival of Woods, it was simply assumed the placement of Jack Nicklaus as golf’s greatest player would never be approached. Woods, undoubtedly, changed the conversation.
But the march of time and the continued breakdown of his body are the only constant elements for Tiger now. His physical fragility stretches back numerous years even when he was in peak form.
Come next month it will be six years since Woods made a stunning comeback in capturing his 5th, and likely final, green jacket at the 2019 Masters.
Woods had planned to tee it up at the Genesis Invitational on the PGA Tour last month but the passing of his mother Kultida on February 4, prompted him to withdraw citing the inability to prepare properly because of grieving her death.
His last appearance in actual tournament play took place at last July’s Open Championship at Royal Troon. Tiger missed the cut there.
Since winning at Augusta in 2019 Tiger has played in 14 majors. His best finish was a T21 at the 2019 U.S. Open. He’s missed the cut seven times and withdrawn twice. Former NFL coach and Hall-of-Famer Bill Parcells was renowned for saying “you are what your record says you are.” The Woods record is there to see. The issue is that Tiger’s eyes are in deep denial to fully comprehending the reality of now.
Woods then came forward with a game plan where he would only play in limited events – at most one per month – and only concentrate on the majors. That game plan clearly has not materialized with any success.
Part of it is the verbal protective shield Tiger has concocted. He’s stated the inability to thoroughly practice as he did years ago because his body does not allow him to do so. While all of this is certainly true what is also true is that he cannot play elite level golf against the likes of Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele – the world’s top three players, and doing so on a part-time capacity.
Questions have piled up – can Tiger actually even walk 72 holes pain free? Can his game show any real semblance of consistency? His distance off the tee has lessened. His famed iron game is no longer rock solid and his usual putting prowess is now totally suspect.
Tiger has attempted to show he’s still in the picture when playing in four silly TGL matches his year for his Jupiter Links team. The last coming March 4 when Tiger and his fellow compatriots were thrashed 9-1. However, that circus show is hardly a benchmark for being truly competitive.
If there’s one thing no elite level athlete wants to see happen it is losing the wherewithal to control their narrative. Tiger, like other such athletes, wants to end matters on his terms – and on his time table.
Admitting what others see has never been the modus operandi for Woods. His penchant for proving others wrong has long been his motivation card. Unquestionably, there’s little to dispute given the vast achievements he’s accomplished on a golf course. But those moments are now grounded in two words — the past.
Personally, I don’t see Tiger ever having a press conference in which he definitively says his days at the highest levels of competitive golf are over. I can remember when Woods opted to conduct a most debilitating tightly controlled press event on February 19, 2010 in which he faced the music for his philandering ways. He then mouthed through tightly gnashed teeth the public relations created words “I am deeply sorry for my irresponsible and selfish behavior I engaged in.”
Public humiliation is no easy matter for anyone – but for Woods the free-fall and inability to set the exact terms and conditions of how he presented himself was crushing. One can only speculate if Tiger truly realized the hypocrisy he had created with his “ideal” family life when all of that was predicated on a massive lie.
Woods has always placed the highest of emphasis points on secrecy. How apropos his yacht is named “Privacy.”
But there’s no secret here.
Tiger’s days at the high elite level of professional golf are over. Yes, he may opt for play on the Champions Tour when turning 50 later this December but when an actual tiger has no claws and no teeth the net result is it stops hunting and become the hunted.
In a golf jungle in which he ruled for so long – Tiger Woods needs to realize, unlike Sinatra, his legacy is forever set. However, should he insist on returning to play and the results are nothing more than missed cuts and withdrawals that will be a clear indicator he then is totally clueless.
Closing one chapter can mean opening new ones. But one cannot go forward by continuing to remain in clear denial.
Time and tide wait for no man – including Tiger Woods.
