Tiger, Not Burning Brightly and the ‘Good Man’ Wins

Like many millions around the world I got caught up in Tigermania in the late ‘90’s. I even took up golf at the ripe old age of fifty five (not a good idea) . I followed all of Tiger Woods’ tournaments and didn’t pay much attention to golf if he wasn’t playing or contending. He had other attributes that I found attractive. His razor sharp focus. His dedication to winning. His talent. His ability to execute. Values highly prized in the corporate environment I was in at the time. He also had a life to be envied. A yacht here. A private jet there. Rubbing shoulders with the major icons of other sports like Michael Jordan and Roger Federer.

When he got pummeled in the media as a result of the revelations of infidelity, I bought into the reasoning that this was a private matter for him to resolve with his wife and family. The questions that I thought I would raise were: “How dumb can you get?” and “If you wanted a life that included liaisons with multiple partners, why did you get married?”

He then announced his return to golf at the Masters tournament. Like most, I looked forward to his comeback from a five month layoff. It would provide me an opportunity to once again become an avid golf fan. I was quite convinced that he would come back and win the tournament and then get on the fast track to catching and passing Jack Nicklaus record eighteen majors wins.

I felt that if I were on the first tee when he was introduced at the Thursday start of the tournament I would applaud. And in fact the crowd did. And his performance that day, shooting a sixty eight validated all expectations.

Over the next two days though something had changed. Slowly but surely my adoration of Tiger Woods, the golfer and icon, was beginning to wane. He was still playing great golf and would still be in contention. However, I no longer agonized over his missed opportunities nor was I now thoroughly impressed and pumped when he made great shots. What caused this?

What I saw over the following days and throughout the weekend was Tiger making an effort to “connect” with the fans. But what I begun to notice was that he did not really enjoy doing so. His efforts were halfhearted at best and that he was being nice only because he had to.
Then there was this Nike commercial with a voice over from his dad. It dawned on me that he was being nice and his behavioral changes were directed at one purpose: to regain his standing as an advertising friendly product, I.E., to become a money making machine once again. That’s right I am questioning his sincerity, and, by extension, his integrity. I began to now understand the criticism that he had this iron clad control over his image and his privacy to manufacture the mirage that he lived the squeaky clean life of a family man, which in fact was now proven to be a lie.

I would have much preferred that, on the golf course, he stayed true to what he is, a golf adversary whose main objective is to win tournaments and take no prisoners in the process, and forget about being liked and loved by his peers and the public. At least be really true to yourself, Tiger. Being nice and friendly on the course is not you.

I kept watching the Masters tournament and was slowly but surely being weaned away from my Tiger adoration. I no longer agonized over his bogeys. I no longer cared about his ascent on the leader board. There was a different story unfolding. Phil Mickleson.

Here was this very talented guy who in many respects was the “anti-Tiger”. Tales of his golfing travails abound. On the course he did not coldly calculate the odds nor acted accordingly. If there was a tough shot he would take it regardless his standing on the leader board. If he pulled it off there was great jubilation. If he failed and lost the tournament in the process, he glumly took the ribbing. He was, in a sense, golf’s everyman. Fans loved him because he did what many of us do on the course : try to make miracle shots and very often fail miserably. It is,therefore, no surprise that while Phil started his professional career earlier than Tiger did, by the time he won his first major trophy in 2004 Tiger Woods had already bagged eight and now has fourteen.

It has often been written that Tiger measures himself against the best in the history of the sport, i.e. what records he can match or exceed. Phil Mickleson, it seems, lives by a very much different barometer. Sure he loved to win. Sure he wanted the majors trophies. But while golf may have been his profession, and it is clear he loves the game passionately, his hierarchy of values differed very much from Tiger’s. We’ve heard of Phil missing tournaments so that he could spend an extra week with his family. At 10 p.m. on Saturday night, before the Sunday showdown with Lee Westwood, Phil took his injured younger daughter to a clinic so that an ex-ray of her arm could be taken. He did not care how late he would have to go to bed. If he got fatigued or not get enough rest that was fine, that was the body he would bring to the golf course and do his best to win. And that he did.

One of the stories at this Masters tournament was that Phil’s wife Amy, and their three kids had journeyed to Augusta to be close to Phil. This is something that had not happened for a while because Amy is battling cancer and had been weakened by the treatments over the past year. In fact Phil would go to tournaments a day late and leave hurriedly after each one so that he could spend more time with Amy and help her out with family obligations. And there was an obvious glow on Phil’s face, a trace of real joy in his smile, a sparkle in his eyes in this tournament than in previous ones this year. The very presence of his wife in the state of Georgia seemed to infuse Phil with a resurgent spirit that radiated all around him. It seemed to have made the grass and the leaves greener, the sunshine kinder and an aura of peace and warmth seemed to have engulfed Phil and those around him.

When he shot those two back-to-back eagles on Saturday there was genuine rejoicing by the crowd and most of the other players smiled with a tinge of admiration. And on Sunday, after his late night sojourn with his daughter at the clinic, Phil came to the course with enthusiasm and vigor. And his game showed it. No bogeys. Miraculous shots. Great birdies. An under par sixty seven to finish the round and three shots ahead of Lee Westwood’s score to win the tournament, his third at the Masters and his fourth major.

In a brief and emotional speech after donning on the green jacket Phil thanked the Augusta club sponsors of the tournament and his team who helped him prepare. He barely mentioned how great a day and a weekend he had on the course. His main acknowledgment was reserved for his family and most especially his wife Amy. It is so great, he said, to be able to “share a joy” with her.

A ‘good man’ won the tournament. And all is well with the world. Golf is only a game. Life is far more demanding. Family is more precious. And for many of us fans, we can look at the world through a different prism and a valuable perspective. Many eyes were reopened to that often forgotten truism…nice guys can sometimes win games. And, for a nice guy like Phil Mickleson, because of his character, family values and firm, unblemished commitment to the people he loves, he will always be a champion.


The author can be reached at ldq44@aol.com