Fans recall their favorite Tiger tales, part two | Things you don't know about Tiger Woods | Fans recall their favorite Tiger tales | Woods grows into golfing legend before our eyes | Woods inches closer to owning his swing | Woods' pro debut a memorable, if not a winning, one | What they're saying about Tiger now | What they said about Tiger back in 1996/97 | Players share Tiger stories | Tiger Woods also a legend off the course with charitable work | Share Your Tiger Memories He had us at hello. Forget that he was still a kid. A bit gawky. A tad nervous. And a college look about him -- from the haircut to the eyes cast downward -- when he stepped to the podium. There was something special about this man-child who had just left Stanford behind to seek his fortunes on the PGA TOUR. And it wasn't just his amateur record. Or that fabulous Nike deal. Or that smile. It was a presence. A belief in himself. An ability to push the limits -- of his mind, his game, our expectations and society. You didn't need to know golf to know Tiger Woods. He was the legend who was already changing the face of galleries and the game. A symbol of what golf was becoming, not of the racial divide that existed in the turbulent 1960s; of the racism he still sometimes felt. Tiger was shy and quiet. And confident -- at times cocky. Oh, he would get embarrassed when someone would bring up one of his late father's pearls -- that his son was the Chosen One and would impact nations or would change the course of humanity or win 14 majors. But in the fall of 1996 when he walked onto the 10th tee for his pro-am round at the then-Greater Milwaukee Open, when thousands of people were waiting for the game's biggest star -- a man who had yet to hit a shot in competition as a professional; a kid who had bought dinner at McDonald's with gift certificates a few nights earlier -- he was a little taken aback, but he was definitely confident. And focused. Back then, Tiger joked around a bit, but small talk wasn't part of his grand plan. Intimidation was. He kept to himself and trusted only a very few. The new kid on the block was the new star and that wasn't always easy. Neither was the constant crush of media, which he held at arms length. He kept his head down in the locker room and blocked out the distractions. His head was down on the course, too, focusing on what he wanted to accomplish.
Then again, no one else was Tiger. Ten years later, Tiger is comfortable is his own skin. He's more confident and always at ease with his rock-star celebrity. His dozen majors, 52 PGA TOUR wins and 70 wins worldwide have set him so far apart from the crowd it's ridiculous. He's redefined the game and, in doing so, showed everyone else what it's going to take to keep up. He's set himself apart, yet he can still be -- in a way -- one of the guys in the locker room, making friends with younger players and often acting more like an impish kid or frat boy than the one responsible for purses skyrocketing exponentially in the last decade. He has evolved into a businessman who is committed to giving back and mentoring children through his Tiger Woods Foundation, the new Tiger Woods Learning Center and his fundraiser Tiger Jam. He's a quiet activist, moving society's racial mountains with moments like his 12-shot win at the 1997 Masters; moments that had remained alive in the dreams of men like Charlie Sifford, Lee Elder and one Martin Luther King. He's more at ease with the reporters and has gotten to know a handful of them in the last decade, tapping them on the shoulder, teasing them and giving them nicknames. He's still intensely private, but he gets it. He laughs at himself, has fun with the celebrity and knows people want him to weigh in on anything and everything -- like Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer before him. Perfect? Hardly. But would you really expect him not to have a few rough edges? And the spotlight? It's brighter than ever. The paparazzi found him vacationing on his yacht, Privacy, and even shot long-range pictures of his wedding to Elin Nordegren. He was asked to grieve in public, talking about his father's dwindling health and ultimate death. He was patient, composed and direct, even when questions crossed the line. He can no longer walk into a mall under the radar. He can't walk anywhere under it. But he understands his limitations and adapts, choosing to spend his time with family and friends -- and some of his oldest friends are some of his closest.
And those guys -- like Jerry Chang or "That's probably the most amazing thing," Begay said. "I see him as the same person he was when we were 15 years old. He loves the game. He wants to be good at it and he has a passion that's hard to beat." Added Jason Gore, who played junior golf with Woods, "I'm not ashamed to say I'm a huge Tiger fan. And I 'm not ashamed to say he's done so much great for the game. He's just a great guy. What I'm more proud of him for than anything he's done on the golf course is that he's just such a down to earth guy. I think people get the wrong view of him. He's got a heart of gold." Oh there have been changes to his hairline, his body and his diet, but one of the biggest came in 2004 when he married he married Nordegren. Even that came under scrutiny as pundits wondered if marriage would ruin his game. Instead, it enhanced it as she pushed him to embrace his life outside golf. "They compliment each other; she's great for him and he's great for her," Jeff Sluman said. "He has so many varied interests that he didn't have when he was coming up." He's as focused -- if not more focused -- than he was a decade ago. And, if possible, even more of a perfectionist. Who else would change his swing twice in an effort to get better? And brush it off -- with a knowing smile -- when his game was under construction, others were winning majors and headlines were wondering if his run was over. Those goals he had in 1996 are now givens. He has a dozen majors, and it's only a matter of time until he passes Nicklaus' record of 18. Those youthful moments when he was cocky or smug are gone. Now, he's just honest. He knows when his game is on, he's hard to beat. And even when it isn't -- like last week at the World Golf Championship-Bridgestone Invitational -- his mind almost always finds that something extra. That work ethic his father instilled in him as a kid is stronger than ever. Twice at July's Cialis Western Open, he and instructor Hank Haney closed down the range. He tied for second there -- almost won it -- then won the next four events he entered. "I'm around him every day," said caddie Steve Williams. "I can tell them that I've never known anyone with the desire and determination that he has." Tiger at 30. He's a kid at heart, yet so competitive he doesn't want to beat you, he wants to put you down for the count. He's the best player in the world and, arguably, sport's best-known celebrity. He can take your breath away with one shot, yet it's his mind, his focus, that sets him so far apart. The man has changed the way we look at race, golf and celebrity and continues to push the limits -- of the game and our expectations. Questions are answered with a wedge shot straight into the hole and through your heart. Ten years? It's flown right by -- all those majors, all those wins, all those moments from that incredible hug with Pops in 1997 to pointing the ball into the hole at Medinah in 1999 to sobbing on Williams' shoulder at Hoylake last month. All those memories, yet we still flash back to that kid who had us at hello. Remember that first Nike commercial when there were still courses he couldn't play because of the color of his skin? "I've heard I'm not ready for you," he said. "Are you ready for me?" We took the challenge, and it's been an incredible ride. Question is, are we ready for more? He is. |
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