Tiger Woods knows he is past prime and will have to take a call on retirement from pro golf soon, even though his money earnings are still lucrative
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Tiger Woods
American legend Tiger Woods is revered as an all-time great with regards to being an athlete of an individual sport. The advantage of being in an individual sport as a professional is you can choose when to quit. Tennis has seen wooden racket-era legend Bjorn Borg shockingly retire at the age of 26, in 1983. At that time, he had won 11 Majors, just half of what Rafael Nadal holds today. That was an era when Borg felt he had been there and done everything. Likewise, Ash Barty decided she had enough by the age of 25 and walked away from the Tour earlier this year. She had won three Grand Slam titles.
Barty now plays golf for fun, more as a recreation sport with her boyfriend, Garry Kissick, who is an aspiring pro golfer. She feels it is better to be around him and have a go at a few holes on the greens. Of course, she will be at the Australian Open in 2023, not as a player but as part of the players’ services division.
Cut to the present, relating to a true legend in every phrase of it, Tiger Woods has more than dropped a hint he will not be playing too much golf. At 46, the Black American icon, who has won a record 15 Majors and 82 PGA Tour events, is now at a crossroads, literally. He knows, he is just three Majors behind Jack Nicklaus but to get to that number, he has to be in prime shape. physically.
On Tuesday, Tiger revealed he is not yet out of the woods. He is still the brand ambassador for the Hero World Challenge, an event that was held in Nassau. The relationship between Woods and the Hero group has been thick, and on for a long time. This is where the American’s role as a ‘businessman’ comes to the fore. It was not as if Woods was planning to play the Hero Challenge, which is nothing more than an invitation event. It suits the golfers and gets the sponsor mileage.
What has set the cat among the pigeons are interviews that Woods has given recently to a few digital sites and TV channels as well. Anyone who follows golf knows the war of words between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf has reached a crescendo in 2022. Woods has been a PGA loyalist, and will not fall for the LIV bait. He doesn’t need to. Frankly speaking, he is loaded with cash, even today. As per the latest Forbes Richie Rich list, Woods is among the Top 25 earners this year and pocketed around $ 68 million. For someone who hardly plays serious golf these days, his brand value is very much intact.
Related: “Don’t have much left,” Tiger Woods suffers another setback, says he can’t walk
Tiger Woods, an American legend, is getting caught in needles controversies with his statements over LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman
Woods’ golfing skills are still unmatched but where he creates a stir is when he takes on LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman. The world of golf has faced testing times in 2022. Those who owe allegiance to the PGA Tour, have stuck around. Those who fell to the lure of the lucre and moved to the LIV Golf have no regrets. There is discord over where the funding comes from for the LIV Golf events — Saudi Arabia. None has been able to stop it and LIV events have been held in the UK, USA, and even Saudi Arabia. They may not have TV rights and so on still being seen as a rebel series. Away from the courses, legal battles are raging in courts of law, so, for Woods to call for axing Norman, is weird.
Woods has jumped in and said Greg Norman must go as the CEO. Social media is full of pure vitriol, going for Woods’ jugular. More important, Woods himself knows his days as a golfing pro are going to be decided by how/if he can ever get fully fit. Golf fans are grateful to divine forces he survived a major car crash and is back on his feet. There were fears, his leg could be amputated. Nothing like that happened.
Today, for Woods to walk the full 18 holes and play has become painful. He has undergone major surgeries and is well aware he cannot return to the PGA Tour with the same commitment. Woods wants us to believe he is so gifted, he can execute all the strokes in golf which will mesmerize you.
Pray, how is he going to walk around the greens when he has not let fans know about his surgery schedule for planter fasciitis, an extremely painful heel condition? Yes, many athletes have undergone accident trauma and recovered well. Sample the names of Thomas Muster, a former Austrian clay court tennis specialist whose knee was smashed in a car crash. He came back after a knee reconstruction and went on to win many events on clay. Andy Murray has undergone a partial hip replacement and is still around the ATP Tour. He knows he will never be fully fit again like before.
Also Read: Tiger Woods and his $15 million DYNAMIC IMPACT as part of the Player Impact Program
That acceptance marks him as a champion who knows his body’s limits. Woods, for all his aura, has been arrogant. The stories of his personal life and ‘sexcapades’ are well chronicled. At 46, he is making news for the wrong reasons. His future is unclear. Speculation on retirement is doing the rounds. Not many athletes will admit, the obscene sums of money a top pro athlete makes do not let them retire. Woods is no different, he is making his pile, even now. Retirement is a personal decision. Fools will dream Woods can win Majors again, not the knowledgeable and discerning. Double bogey, Tiger?
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S Kannan
(382 Articles Published)