THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Could this version of Tiger actually be ... lovable?
Under par.
Wait, let me repeat that …
Under par.
Somehow, finding a combination of skill and will to overcome a staggering mix of age (46), physical destruction (back surgeries and a smashed right leg that was mangled in a near-death car accident), and plain old rustiness that would knock down even the youngest and sharpest player (over 17 months without ANY actual competition on the PGA Tour) …
Somehow, against all those odds, but with every golf fan on the planet hoping against hope that he wouldn’t just collapse in a heap …
Eldrick Tont “Tiger” Woods once again lived up to both his name and his DNA on Thursday at The Masters.
Tiger shot an improbable 71 that — this really begs belief — could actually have been better with a pinch of luck, in a first-round odyssey that most of us feared might end in tears.
Honestly, I can’t remember a sports event that made me so …
Nervous.
And frankly, as Tiger approached the first tee about an hour before noon in Georgia, I wondered if HE were nervous.
YES, I know that now sounds absurd, given how the day transpired and, well, because we’re talking about Tiger Woods.
This is a player who has veered over the years between a creature almost mythical on the golf course to a man on the street with very public weaknesses.
It sometimes seemed, in the “second” phase of his career, as though he’d sign another scorecard — more testament to his brilliance — and then change, as it became necessary to walk among us as a man with faults and frailties.
My guess?
I suspect that Tiger was so utterly gifted, that perhaps he was treated as something of a sporting god with untold riches, but it was all too heavy and all too soon.
The whole world knew of his infidelities, his broken marriage — but at the same time, that he appeared determined to be a loving and attentive father.
And a better man, in general.
Tiger’s fall from grace, his admission of humanity (no other word for it), and his determination that he learn to smile and enjoy his talent without letting it overcome him — that whole process made him, um …
Is lovable too strong a word?
Whatever you choose to call the change, it was great to see Tiger having fun, sharing life with Sam and Charlie, with the caveat that we’d probably never see the truly overwhelming golfer again.
But that was OK.
Then, suddenly, at the 2019 Masters, it all came back together as Woods – having recently endured yet another back surgery – somehow channeled the old, fierce Tiger for a few hours and held off a squadron of terrific young players to win his 15th major.
With his kids there to share it.
SURELY, that was enough.
For Tiger, for his family, and for us.
An irony in that victory was that it tied Woods with Sam Snead atop the PGA Tour list of wins, at 82 apiece.
He also has won countless other tournaments on the European and Asian tours, but the “new” Tiger never mentioned that spoiler — it was a small but worthwhile sign of graciousness.
Even a year and a half ago, we weren’t thinking of Tiger in terms of MORE wins, not in his busy life.
Then came the car crash that nearly killed him, a terrible moment in southern California that occurred because Tiger was late to tape a TV spot, and hurried through the morning sun on a dangerous stretch of road.
First responders ultimately needed the Jaws of Life to pry him from the vehicle and hurry their patient via chopper to a hospital.
That accident was in February of 2021, and once Tiger was out of danger, he first remained stuck in the house, then on short trips with crutches.
The idea that he might play in another Masters was a pipe dream.
Yet, with screws and rods and heaven knows what else holding his right leg together — the “drive leg” for a right-handed golfer — Tiger played in a couple of fun events paired with Charlie (but riding a cart when necessary).
I HAVE to struggle when coming up with athletes I’ve known who have Tiger’s drive to win.
Michael Jordan.
Kobe Bryant.
Tom Brady.
Muhammad Ali.
There are others, but …
As the legendary coach Paul Brown replied, when asked if his all-world running back Jim Brown was in a class of his own: “I’m not sure, but I know that it doesn’t take long to call roll.”
That’s Tiger, so when rumors started circulating that maybe, just maybe, he had hit enough balls and walked enough miles to try playing at Augusta … I knew he’d go for it.
Remember, Tiger won the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines on a broken leg.
The Masters was his best shot in one way — he knows every blade of grass and each bump in the fairway — but at the same time, it is not the idyllic picnic setting you see on TV.
AUGUSTA is brutally hilly, and the walks up and down never cease. The old joke is that the only flat pieces of land at The Masters are the tee boxes.
“I think I’m really fine in terms of playing golf,” Tiger said, “but the walking … that will be something else.”
I knew he could will himself through a round or two, but he’d feel the pain — and of course, he wouldn’t be Tour-sharp.
I’m thinking a 76 and then a 77 as the pain got worse, and if somehow that snuck him inside the cut line, he’d DQ with a well-earned medical exemption and watch the rest of the tournament with his family.
I knew, though, that no matter the scores, the crowds would adore him.
And then, even with some stumbles on Thursday — he muttered, “C’mon, Tiger!” after a poor chip shot — it became immediately obvious that Eldrick Woods was not out there just to be a celebrity.
Asked prior to the tournament if just physically managing to play was a win, Tiger immediately said no.
“Winning,” he said, “is getting the green jacket.”
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Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. He also writes Zags Tracker, a commentary on Gonzaga basketball which is published monthly during the offseason.
Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”