Tiger's Year In Review: A Look at Woods' 2010
This past weekend, Tiger went into the final round of the Chevron Challenge with a four-stroke lead. Three years ago, you could have packed up the trailers and gone home. Tiger didn't lose a final round lead, he just didn't know how.
After watching this past year unfold the way it has for Woods, nothing seems out of the question. Nobody is more excited to turn the page and start a new year than Woods. As 2010 comes to a close, let's take a look back at the events that occupied Tiger's time.
January: Fleeing Paparrazi, Tiger in Hiding
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With 2009 ending with speculation and scrutiny, Tiger found himself in the spotlight of the tabloid media and sports media alike. Images of Woods blanketed the covers of magazines and newspapers, and his "transgressions" were the subject of entertainment news programs frequently.
With the media frenzy surrounding him, Woods took to seclusion for the early part of the year. Spending the first part of the year in hiding only partially worked, as his absence from the public only fueled more speculation as to what was really going on with Woods.
February: Tiger Emerges, Apologizes
2 of 13Emerging from weeks of seclusion, Woods addressed the media on February 19. While Woods did not answer questions during his statement, he made a public appeal for forgiveness, noting that his selfish behavior ultimately hurt many individuals, especially his wife and children.
With his mother and close friends present, Woods asked that the media respect the privacy of the family as they worked through their struggles.
Woods may have had the best intentions in breaking his silence, but his words weren't well received by all, as many players chided Woods for the timing of the announcement, as it came during the week of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.
March: More Media
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March was perhaps the peak of the attention Woods had received to date. In early March, it was released that Woods was returning from inpatient therapy for sex addiction. In the midst of this, Wood was losing some of his most lucrative sponsorship deals, as Gatorade, Accenture and AT&T had terminated their relationships with Woods.
Woods couldn't escape the tabloids in March, as his former mistresses had released explicit text messages that had reportedly been sent by Woods. Given the past two months of his life, he had little leverage to argue their relevancy.
Woods would break his silence on March 21, conducting an interview with ESPN. Many questioned the content of the interview, claiming that Woods likely had too much input in choosing the content. At any rate, Woods was slowly edging himself into the mainstream sports media as he prepared to make his return to the PGA Tour.
April: Tiger's Return to Augusta
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Tiger’s highly anticipated return to Augusta fared about as well as he could have hoped. After an overall positive reception from the galleries during the week, Tiger would finish in the top five, higher than many would have expected given the circumstances.
April didn’t end well for Tiger, as he would miss the cut at Quail Hollow. His early exit would be just the sixth time he missed a PGA Tour cut in his career—and would mark the worst 36-hole performance of his career.
May: Tiger and Swing Coach Split
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On the heels of withdrawing from The Players Championship at Sawgrass due to what Woods cited as back spasms, well known golf instructor Hank Haney announced his resignation as Woods' swing coach.
While it was reported that the split was mutual, many media outlets fueled the speculation that Haney was separating himself from Woods' yet-to-be repaired image.
June: Tiger Finds His Game at Pebble Beach
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After an impressive return to the tour at the Masters in April, Woods' game came back to the level expected for someone with as much of a layoff as Woods experienced. His withdrawal from The Players Championship left the public with more questions than answers as to Woods immediate future.
Aside from some tense moments with reporters during his press conferences, the week went fairly smooth for Woods. Woods was able to silence most at Pebble Beach that were growing critical of his ability, where for the second time this season, he would finish in the top five of a major.
July: St. Andrews Isn't so Kind
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Tiger likely felt good about his chances heading into The British Open. Woods easily won the 2000 Open Championship at St. Andrews, firing a four round total 269 (-19) and winning by eight strokes. Just five years later, Woods returned to St. Andrews and won another Open Championship by finishing five strokes clear of local favorite Colin Montgomerie.
The third time around wasn't nearly as kind to Woods. After struggling with the weather conditions all week long, Woods would finish far from the top of the leaderboard, 13 strokes behind winner Louis Oosthuizen.
August: A New Low for Woods
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Tiger Woods had every right to feel confident heading into the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club. After all, Woods was the defending champion and had won the tournament eight of the last 11 years. If ever there was a week for Tiger to emerge, this was it.
Instead, Woods would finish the tournament in a different time zone than the leaderboard, an unheard of 30 strokes back from tournament winner Hunter Mahan. Woods' finish would mark the worst 72-hole score of his professional career.
August wouldn't end much better for Woods. As the end of the month approached, Woods would reach a final divorce settlement with former wife Elin Nordgren. Some initial estimates had projected that Woods would hand over as much as $750 million in the settlement, but all accounts indicate that the final number is closer to $115 million.
September: Captain Pavin Gives Woods a Break
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While Woods showed signs of him old self throughout the 2010 PGA Tour season, it was clear that he still was not himself. A combination of shaky play from Woods, combined with an abbreviated schedule, cast some doubt as to whether or not he would make an appearance at this year's Ryder Cup.
That controversy would in part be settled on September 9, when U.S. captain Corey Pavin would name Tiger Woods and 21-year-old Rickie Fowler as captain's picks for the 38th Ryder Cup matches. Many were quick to criticize Pavin for the pick—including The Golf Channel's Jim Gray, who had a heated exchange with Pavin regarding the decision. Pavin adamantly defended his move, claiming that at any given time, Woods can be the most explosive player on tour.
October: Ryder Cup Comeback Falls Short
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The first weekend in October brought about the much anticipated Ryder Cup matches. The media had not relented in their pursuit of Woods since his last appearance across the pond. They made every attempt possible to ask the right questions to push Woods' buttons, the print media in Europe did their part in distracting Woods as well.
Woods remained unfazed by all this, performing solidly against his competition throughout the weekend. Woods and playing partner Steve Stricker would win their first two matches, before falling in the third session to Luke Donald and Lee Westwood.
As the Americans would stage a furious comeback during the final day's singles matches, Woods would defeat Francesco Molinari 4&3 to cap off a positive weekend at Celtic Manor. The team's efforts would fall just short, as the Europeans defeated the U.S. team by a single point.
November: Tiger Loses No. 1 World Ranking
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November didn't begin well for Woods. As Tiger awoke on November 1st, he was not the top ranked golfer in the world for the first time since June 12, 2005. Tiger's stretch of 281 weeks at No. 1 is a record, beating his own record of 264 weeks from 1999-2004.
Woods wouldn't stay down for long. In an attempt to re-engage his fanbase who had been straying from his side, Woods granted increased television interviews in an effort to increase his positive public persona. Woods even joined the world of Twitter in November so fans could know his every thought. To date, Woods has just shy of 325,000 followers.
December: Tiger Loses Lead, Chance to Get Back on Track
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After what had certainly been a long year, Woods was finally putting his game together, improving every week. Woods was still looking for his first win of the year, and the Chevron World Challenge would be the perfect opportunity to get things back on track.
Woods has hosted the tournament since 1999, winning it three times. In what was the first (almost) complete performance from Woods, he entered play in the final round with a four-stroke lead. In the past, a Sunday lead of that size would virtually indicate that the field was playing for second place. The story would end a bit differently this time around.
Woods fired a one over par 73 on Sunday, his only round in the 70s for the tournament. The score didn't prove to be enough to clinch victory, as Ryder Cup hero Graeme McDowell would shoot a three-under-par 69 to force a playoff with Woods.
Woods would fall on the first playoff hole, just missing a putt and an opportunity to extend the playoff to a second hole.
Looking Towards 2011
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As he says goodbye to 2010, Woods has to be happy to have the year coming to a close. The rest of the field has seen that Woods is beatable, and in some respects vulnerable. But Woods will no doubt work to get his game where it needs to be.
Woods would want nothing more than to close in on Jack Nicklaus' major championship record. He will have opportunities to do so at Augusta (Masters), Congressional (U.S. Open), Royal St. Georges (British Open) and the Atlanta Athletic Club (PGA Championship).
Next year will mark a new beginning for Tiger, where he will be playing to regain his world No. 1 status. With the uncertainty of Tiger's personal life overshadowing his stature this entire year, Woods should start 2011 with a much clearer mindset.
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