The Inspiration of Tiger Woods
Featured Columnist Andy Reistetter recorded a video of this article in the very room at TPC Sawgrass that Tiger Woods spoke on February 19th. The video is available on the following link:
Tiger Woods is coming back to the game of golf at the Masters in exactly three weeks from today.
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It was in this very room at TPC Sawgrass where he addressed the world on Feb. 19th .
The Sunset room aptly named as Tiger, in an honest and forthright manner, put closure to his past life.
The Tiger of Tales unimaginable three months earlier is a Tiger in Transition now.
With the sunset behind him, it is only a matter of time for a new sun to rise in his life.
This opening of a new dawn will likely carry him to new heights in his personal life and professional golfing life.
What then is the inspiration of Tiger Woods?
We know it to be true that his parents Kultida and Earl Woods were a great inspiration to Tiger throughout his life.
We know it to be true that Tiger's Buddhist faith is an inspiration to him.
We know it to be true that his wife Elin and children Sam Alexis and Charlie Axel are an inspiration to him.
We know the game of golf has been an inspiration to Tiger too and that he wants to become more respectful of the royal and ancient pastime when he returns to championship golf.
Sometimes life is planned and sometimes the unexpected reveals a deeper insight into one's inspiration of life.
Tiger chose TPC Sawgrass for his talk.
Others may have selected the room, but one thing is for sure about what happened right here in this room a month ago.
Fate intervened to reveal a foundation and source of inspiration in Tiger's life for the entire world to see though the world may have missed it.
The main camera failed during Tiger's talk and the backup camera came from the left side of Tiger Woods.
The camera angle showed Tiger's mother seated in the front row but also showed something else in the background.
This door right here.
A special door made by JELD-WEN, a Proud Sponsor of the PLAYERS.
Carved out in wood is the Stadium Course's signature hole-the island green 17th .
This hole has great significance in the genesis of Tiger Woods.
It was right there in the 1994 U.S. Amateur that Tiger made a 12-foot putt to take the lead for the first time in the final match in his first of three consecutive U.S. Amateur Championships.
It was right there again in 2001 on Saturday that Tiger made a 60-foot triple breaking birdie putt that held up as the one stroke margin of victory in his dramatic PLAYERS Championship.
As a future Hall of Famer, Tiger's lineage extends to the very origins of the game of golf.
Old Tom Morris, Willie Park Sr., Walter Travis, James Braid, Harry Vardon, J.H. Taylor, Walter Hagen, Tommy Armour, Gene Sarazen, Bobby Jones, Byron Nelson, Sam Snead, Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Billy Casper, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Ben Crenshaw, Payne Stewart among others tie Tiger to the very origin of the game in Scotland over five centuries ago.
As Tiger looks forward to the green grass of Augusta National, he may remember what Bobby Jones did there in the aftermath of the Great Depression.
Not a wealthy man at the time but a man with a name and reputation, Bobby Jones believed in his dream and acted upon it at a time when from a worldly sense, it didn't make sense at all.
Golfers and people who don't golf alike believe in the words Tiger used right here in this room-"it's not what you achieve in life that matters; it's what you overcome."
We marveled at Tiger's ability to overcome intense competitors, difficult golf courses, and intense pressure in winning 71 PGA TOUR events including 14 majors.
We surely look forward to and need his inspiring role model of someone who overcomes the demons in life that we all face at one time or another.
We're inspired by a Steve Stricker who earned the Comeback Player of the Year in two consecutive years.
We want Tiger to become the Comeback Person of the Year!
Oh, by the way, Tiger play well at Augusta National. We don't want your fame or fortune to interfere with a fair opportunity to surpass the 18 major championships of Jack Nicklaus.
We look forward to the return of Tiger right here at TPC Sawgrass.
Next time though, we hope he makes it for the 2010 PLAYERS Championship and speaks with his clubs out there on the Stadium course.
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