4 reasons why you should root for Tiger Woods
By Sean Sears
Tiger is back, people! And when Tiger is playing at his best, golf instantly becomes must-watch TV.
With the Masters less than a week away, Tiger Woods is set to compete and take home his first Major since 2008. And at 42 years old, Woods will try and make one more final push towards Jack Nicolaus’ majors’ record, as a new generation will be exposed to Tiger’s greatness.
Of course, many are doubting Woods’ chances of actually winning the Masters, with reports stating none of his peers truly think Tiger is going to win Augusta, with some even calling it ‘a joke’ that he was the favorite.
As the stage is being set for what has the potential to be a legendary can’t-miss moment in sports, here are five reasons you should be cheering for Tiger to win in Augusta this weekend.
4. He’s finally healthy and looks like a threat
The past three years it’s been tough to watch Woods play golf, as he’s suffered through back pain, Achilles issues, and personal issues that have put both an emotional and physical strain on him. But, he’s starting to resemble the guy who used to nailed 44-foot puts for birdies on the regular, playing with the swagger that made Tiger so special.
Of course, it wasn’t a given that Woods would ever be in this position, and he wasn’t planning on getting to this point. He just missed the sport and wanted to get back to playing and less concerned about how he performed. He was quoted in this excellent ESPN article going into detail about the void that was missing without golf in his life.
"“I missed it so much,” he said.”I used to bring my son out [to the course] and he’d play and I couldn’t. I could barely ride in a golf cart. I missed my buddies calling me up and saying ‘Hey, let’s go play a quick nine,’ and me saying ‘OK, let’s go.'”"
However, it seems this most recent back surgery for Tiger, fourth back surgery collectively has helped the 42-year-old get back to being on top. A lower lumbar fusion of his L5 bone and his S1 bone, which the chief of spine surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital Dr. Andrew Hecht has confirmed has a high chance of allowing Tiger’s back to return to an elite level.
And after finishing just a shot-back of winning the Valspar Championships in Florida just a few weeks ago, Tiger showed is still one of the best golfers in the sport.