Every generation holds a special place in history.
The 20th century was particularly eventful. Man first started to fly in 1903 and there were two World Wars (1914-1918 and 1939-1945). There were further damaging wars. TV was invented in the 1920s and South Africa had its first broadcast in 1976. Man first set foot on the moon in 1969. Sports icons like Jesse Owens, Muhammad Ali, Babe Ruth, Pele and others arrived. The first heart transplant was in 1967; Woodstock – if you can remember it you weren’t there – happened in 1969. Oh yes, the cellphone was invented in 1973 and the internet came along in 1983.
The American president JFK was assassinated in 1963 and Elvis died in 1977; Nelson Mandela was released from prison in 1990 and less than a day later Mike Tyson was beaten by Buster Douglas.
And, the list goes on, and on.
Anyone who lived through various decades in the 20th century would, on reflection, have lived through the most tumultuous period in history.
However, for sports fans, this 21st- century generation has been golden. Perhaps the best ever? There are certainly a number of athletes who could stick up their hands and be considered the GOATs of their sport.
Bolt. Messi and Ronaldo. Federer, or Nadal, or Djokovic. Serena Williams. Phelps. Bryant or LeBron James. Murali and Warne when it comes to Test bowlers. Schumacher or Hamilton. Kipchoge. Oh yes, and Tiger.
Of those 16, we’re down to half that: Messi, Ronaldo, Nadal, Djokovic, Hamilton, Kipchoge. LeBron. And Tiger. All-time greats at what they do.
However, Father Time waits for no man, or woman. The tap comes on the shoulder and it’s time to move on. It can happen overnight. We should be watching each and every performance of those mentioned and marvel; at their skill sets, but for the younger among us, at their legacy.
Which is why, when Tiger grimaces, everyone grimaces with him. When Tiger sneezes, the world sneezes.
Both happened in the space of two days at the Genesis Invitational in February. On the final hole of his first round, Tiger shanked an 8-iron, leaving the couch wags to say, ‘I can do that!’ Tiger explained that he had back spasms. The following day he withdrew after six holes of his second round. We thought the worst. ‘Luckily’, it was a bad dose of flu which required him to be placed on a drip.
But we all thought the same thing. Is this the last of Tiger?
Over the years we’ve raised that question all too often. The 15-time Major champion has undergone surgery at least 11 times, that we know of, since 2002. Knee (2002, 2008, 2019). Thigh (2008). Back (2014, twice in 2015, 2017, 2021). Foot and ankle (2021, 2023).
Yet, the magic of Tiger is such that we’re all still asking the question, ‘Can Tiger win a 16th Major?’ His last two Majors came 11 years apart, at the 2008 US Open and the 2019 Masters. That Masters win was one of the sporting feel-good stories of this century, or any other. For those four days at Augusta National, everyone was Team Tiger.
Perhaps it’s now time to stop asking the same questions. This is 2024, Tiger is 49 in December. Let’s lower the expectations. Let’s simply appreciate his greatness, for there might never be the like again. Bolt, Federer, Serena, Phelps, Bryant, Murali, Warne and Schumacher are memories.
Life comes at us fast. Let’s just sit back and watch the rest of the Tiger show. Without expectations.
– This column first appeared in the April 2024 issue of Compleat Golfer magazine.
