Tiger Woods’ Far From Perfect Circle

Andrew Donaldson

Born and raised in West Virginia, Andrew has been the Managing Editor of Ordinary Times since 2018, is a widely published opinion writer, and appears in media, radio, and occasionally as a talking head on TV. He can usually be found misspelling/misusing words on Twitter@four4thefire. Andrew is the host of Heard Tell podcast. Subscribe to Andrew'sHeard Tell Substack for free here:

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4 Responses

  1. CJColucci says:

    Now that Tiger has established that he can be competitive (last year) and win a major (this year), the other golfers on the tour stand to make more money.Report

  2. Pinky says:

    You couldn’t have written a fall-from-grace story better than Tiger’s. He always had an almost supernatural ability to close on an opponent. There was no worse spot to be in than 3 strokes better than Tiger going into the last round, and everyone knew it. When his scandals broke, it was almost a Fisher King story where the health of his empire affected his physical health. If he’d bounced back sooner, it would feel like a debt hadn’t been paid. Now, it’s possible to be inspired by him again.

    His return also sets up the narrative for all the younger players. You have to prove yourself against the best, or at least the threat of him. And this won’t be a sad stretch, like, say, late-carreer Peyton Manning. And also, since I’m talking about narrative, the way this played out will keep the GOAT conversation alive forever.Report

    • Andrew Donaldson in reply to Pinky says:

      Since you bring it up, and it’s my piece, I’ll wade into the GOAT issue. Jack’s winning a Masters at 46 is very, very impressive, and will get somewhat lost in this discussion going forward now. If we are talking just stats Jack is still in the conversation. But we are not. GOAT is a influence and impact title, a perception driven crown. If you are talking impact on a sport, you would be hard pressed to find any athlete in any sport that was as important as Tiger was to Golf. The before and after Tiger ratings, the before and after pursues, the before and after approach others had to their games and health and training. We forget it wasn’t that long ago Augusta was “Tiger Proofing” the course he was so dominate. With this third act now, especially if he strings one more run together or at least remains competitive for a while yet, I think the book is closed on Woods being THE golfer in history of the sport. He is the GOAT, unquestioned.Report

      • Pinky in reply to Andrew Donaldson says:

        Tiger is greater than any golfer in his era, sure. Nicklaus won against greats, though. Virtually none of Tiger’s competitors won consistently.

        ETA: Heh. I lost track of my point, which was that if Tiger had maintained his peak level, there would be no debate at all. As it stands now, people can argue the question. Oh, maybe I was sticking to my point, which is that the GOAT question is still debated, and my proof is that you suckered me into a conversation about it?Report