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
