Why Tiger Woods May Need to Step Away from the Game for Awhile

It's often difficult to tell whether or not an individual's appearance or personality is changing when you see them every day.

It's not until we see old photos or videos of ourselves that we realize how much weight we've gained, or how many more grey hairs we now have.

Upon taking a step back to review Tiger Woods' career, a concerning image began to emerge.

Sometime late in 2007, Tiger Woods began to change.

Perhaps life was beginning to become a little more real following the birth of his first child, Sam.

Perhaps he was missing his father and life-long friend, Earl, more than he was letting on.

Perhaps, he was beginning to grow tired of the supposed double life he had been leading for many years.

Perhaps his numerous, and ever growing portfolio of endorsement deals were beginning to put more strain on his time and energy than he would have liked. 

Or perhaps all the pressure, scrutiny, and stress that comes with being the best golfer on the face of the planet was for some reason, becoming more exhausting than it had ever been before.

We will probably never know the real reason or reasons behind what caused this visible change in the way Tiger Woods carried himself on the golf course.

But change he did.

Tiger Woods’ personality took on a whole new demeanor.

That pure joy that could be seen in his eyes upon sinking a tournament winning putt, or executing a miraculous recovery shot, had all but disappeared.

That electric smile of his was becoming scarcer by the day.

Whereas earlier in his career he appeared to enjoy every second of living out his life-long dream, sometime in late 2007, golf turned into a job for Tiger Woods.

In essence, he just didn’t look happy, nor did he seem nearly as interested in his success or failure on the course as he once did.

Sure, the wins still piled up between late 2007 and the 2008 US Open, but that was inevitable.

The guy won the 2008 US Open while playing on a broken leg.  Why should we be surprised that he was able to rack up numerous wins while something was clearly on his mind?    

Many believed that a year away from the game while recovering from reconstructive ACL surgery would allow Woods to realize how much he enjoyed competing on golf’s biggest stage.  Maybe that time away from the game would increase his hunger to get back out there and do what he has loved doing since the age of two. 

But that wasn’t the case.

If you thought he looked miserable in late 2007-2008, Woods appeared as if he was slowly approaching a boiling point in 2009, which was evidently the case.

Throughout the 2009 season, he often appeared indifferent on the golf course.  He looked more like that employee who was just there to do the bear minimum, collect his check and leave.  Albeit the "checks" Woods was there to collect were nothing like those that most employees take home.

He seemed more irritable than usual with the media, the crowds, and himself.

His on-site preparation for tournaments often consisted of only nine-hole practice rounds, if he showed up for a practice round at all.

Even when he did win, he didn’t appear to be enjoying it like he once did.  He looked more like a nine to five guy finishing up a long, miserable day at the office than a guy who was supposed be living the life he had always dreamed of.  

Whereas earlier in his career his smile seemed genuine when holding up new trophies and over-sized checks each week, in 2009 his smiled appeared more like that one you force for the family Christmas card so you can finish the photo, get out of your fancy cloths, and get back to enjoying your weekend as quickly as possible.

Looking back at old clips of Woods in 1997, 2000, 2002, etc. and then comparing them to the way he looked in 2009, one thing became glaringly obvious.

The man did not look happy.  

Although golf fans might attempt to find out my address and hunt me down for saying this, perhaps Tiger Woods needs to step away from the game for a while.

Not because he needs that time to patch up his marriage, although time away from the game, the traveling, and the cocktail bars certainly couldn’t hurt.

Not because Rick Reilly said he should.

Not because he needs to hideout while the public forgets about his numerous “transgressions.”

But because he needs to figure out whether or not he still wants to be a professional golfer.

Bobby Jones walked away from the game at the age of 28.  This can be partially attributed to the fact that he was an attorney and had a young family, and at that time his financial future was far more secure in law than it was in professional golf.

But, the main reason behind Jones' decision to step away from the game at the young age of 28 was because he absolutely despised everything that went along with being the most famous golfer in the world, and it started to bleed into his personal life and affect the way he viewed a game he had loved since a very early age.

Even though Jones was an amateur and not being paid a cent for winning tournaments, during the later stages of his quest for the grand slam in 1930, make no mistake about it, golf felt like more of an unwanted job for Jones.

Take a look at photos of Jones after he won the 1930 US Amateur.  What you will see is the most run-down, miserable-looking, 28-year old you will ever seen in your life, which is precisely why Jones hung up his spikes immediately following his win at the 1930 US Amateur which concluded his quest for the Grand Slam.   

Unfortunately, Woods has been looking more and more like the run-down, miserable-looking Bobby Jones of 1930.  

Winning major championships is difficult enough when you’re the best player in the world.  Winning majors when you don’t even feel like being there is that much more difficult.

Woods is now at a crossroads in his career and in his life.  He’s won 14 majors and he is right smack in the middle of his prime.

A run at Nicklaus’ 18 majors will require at least some form of re-commitment to the game for probably the next 5-7 years—the exact time frame depending upon more variables than can be listed in this article.

Considering his level of fitness and the continuous advancements in equipment, Woods can expect his prime years to last somewhere into his mid-40s. 

So, he’s got time.  It’s not as if he’s 45 and just two majors away from catching Jack’s record and is contemplating whether or not he would like to take some time away from the game.

Forget for a moment his marriage troubles, his alleged transgressions, the media frenzy surrounding him, and all the other gossip that is hitting supermarket check-out stands by the truckload.

Tiger Woods may need to step away from the game for while because he is beginning to look and act like Bobby Jones did back in 1930—right before Jones left the game of golf for good.