Friday, February 5, 2016

What to do with Tiger Woods


Tiger Woods: a 21st century sporting icon and, as a result, a household name. Woods is a man who is compared to some of the greatest players in the game of golf and expected to break the records from players including Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicholas. He is a man who inspired many of the younger players at the amateur and professional level. He played with absolute authority, and he was realistically expected to win every tournament – or at least stay in contention.

But now the once-counted-on consistent front runner can’t count on much of anything these days. After having the worst season in his career and two back surgeries, Woods is uncertain as to when he will return to the game of golf, according to an article from ESPN in December 2015.  In an interview at The Albany Golf Club found on PGA.com, Woods blamed the uncertainty of his return to competitive golf on the unhealed nerves in his back.

"For nerves, there are really no timetables, and therein lies the tricky part,” Woods said.  

The former champion is now 40 years old, has a long list of injuries, is still fixing his reputation after several issues in his personal life, and, on top of that, is trying to fix a golf game that was in shambles as of his last competitive appearance. So what should he do now?

An article posted in late December on Wood’s webpage said that he is looking forward to returning for the 2016 season but unfortunately still does not mention an expected date of return to competition.

Many people question as to whether he will or will not return, as well as whether or not he really should return. I do expect Woods to return to playing completive golf in the next year or so. I do not expect him to ever play as dominantly as he did earlier in his career. He is 20 years older than when he started, and the years have definitely taken their toll on him. As to whether or not he will win again on tour, I do not think that he will win any more on the PGA Tour. Everything about his game is flawed. He can’t seem to get his swing fixed even though he has been through several instructors, and, more importantly, he can’t seem to get his head in the game. Ever since his personal issues from a few years ago came to light, he has never really played the same.

I think that the best thing for him is to bow out and retire officially from playing professional golf. If he returns to the tour I expect him to struggle tremendously. It is only going to frustrate him further. Woods no longer serves the role of inspiration for younger golfers. He has been replaced by players like Rickey Fowler and Jordan Spieth.

Only time will tell what Woods will do and who knows, maybe we will see him become a commentator in the near future.
-Joe Kubicki

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