Tiger in Twilight

He is just another golfer, but what a golfer! Having three back surgeries under my belt, I am amazed at his recovery. On the other hand, he is just one of many exceptional golfers on the tour, but like I wrote, "What a golfer!"

You have to admire his understanding of how and where to play the golf ball around the 18 holes of Augusta National!

So, he waves hello and smiles at fans with his club raised and his middle finger raised on the shaft. Twice. His friends laugh. In other words, a teenage phenom has become a 42-year old child surrounded by equally immature sycophants. As for his upcoming $9-million showdown with Phil “I’m leaving California because the taxes are too high and how can a southpaw and his family exist on a piddling $50-million per year” Mickelson, I hope they both lose.

Dude he is back playing again from a ton of adversity. What is clear is that he is an incredible athlete. He is the 1st year year of a come back and playing incredibly well in the midst of the insane competition, that he basically created, and he is learning the winning attitude again. My guess as a person he is not someone I'd like to hang out with but as an athlete he has my respect. Stop questioning this guy - he will win again on the PGA circuit.

"Woods has always had some ill-defined "it" factor that drew our attention. It is even harder to explain now." And I see that as a problem for writers.Their job is to report, explain, define, and help readers understand. Writers cannot understand, explain or define this magical "it" quality that the very few have, and it frustrates them. And so they "bait" Tiger with questions about Trump, tell us about his "privacy" issues, and that hr drives a courtesy car. We don't care about these "mortal trivialities". We just want Tiger to be Tiger on the golf course.

The subtle never intrusive skill of John Branch to evoke a deeply rich and compelling portrait of a man with nuance and depth is a sensuous achievement of the first order. There is no other sports writer that I know who can do so. Branch illuminates Tiger's mode of being with his wife and children as he has evolved as an aging athlete on the way to his final green. To do so without judgment or moralizing is remarkable. Wow!

The thing about sports that is most appealing to me is that when I start watching an event I never know exactly how it is going to turn out. I think maybe sportswriters live in denial of that fundamental premise. After all their culture more and more is built around speculations of a bottom line future: will Tiger ever win another event? will Urban Meyer be PNG in college football? will it be the Yankees or the Red Sox who will win the next five World Series? The thing about sports is there are no check answers and that's what gives it recurring appeal.

It's strange--I loved Tiger and became so disgusted with him when I learned he cheated on his wife. Then I felt bad for him with all his back problems. Yet he's been humbled and has suffered enough. I admire his perseverance when he keeps trying even if he's playing poorly. So I keep watching and hoping for just one more win. I never watch golf unless Tiger is playing.

LeBron James is the greatest basketball player of his generation and chooses to speak publically on political matters. Tiger Woods is the greatest golfer of his generation and choose not to speak publically on political matters. Freedom of choice . Neither of these outstanding athletes should be criticized for his choice. This is America.

"Tiger Woods still has the most famous silhouette in sports, even after all these years." Not exactly. The silhouette of Jordan flying through the air to make a dunk and the silhouette of West that graces the NBA logo are each more famous, by far, than any silhouette of Tiger Woods, exemplary athlete that he is. But writing otherwise sounds nice.

Nice piece. Was anyone else reminded of the famous Gay Talese feature of half a century ago, "Frank Sinatra Has a Cold"?

I saw him play recently in St. Louis, up close. I was surprise how he looked his age and then some. Oh well, we all get old.

Tiger has done something very few people get to do -- start out as a favorite and eventually become an underdog. Most people who play both roles do that in reverse. I'm less interested in Tiger than in (should his comeback succeed) how many wins he'll need before he sheds underdog status and takes his place as any other competitor in the field -- as if Tiger has been or ever could be just that. Still, what must he do to stop being an underdog? Win another tournament? Win multiple tournaments? Rack up at least one more major? Tie/break Jack Nicklaus's majors record? Not to take away from his achievements, but Tiger himself has always struck me as a bit less fascinating than the levels of fascination and chatter he breeds in the people who watch him.

As an innocent child Tiger was carved like Pinocchio by his obsessive Gepetto father. I for one am very happy that he has bounced back from his fall from grace, from his physical challenges, and from the cruel spotlights that sought him out when he was down. He is a superb athlete mounting a courageous comeback. Root for him--on and off the course.

Woods is washed up. He'll never win another championship. And it's time the NYTimes got off its obsession with him. Woods is the blandest of personalities (consider his tepid response to a question about Trump), and he's morally pretty low, being an adulterer, a prescription-drug abuser, and having been arrested for DUI. There are other golfers, better golfers, more interesting golfers who deserve attention. Please, no more Woods.

Tiger is back. Pass go and collect $200 for winning the pun contest.

If you just look at Tiger the golfer, and are objective, you would like the guy. His private life is a mix of good and bad, but whose isn't? We should appreciate public figures for their public accomplishment only. Making them hero or idol is risky, and, almost always, when you learn about the real person, disappointing, followed by anger, at him and yourself.

This is a silly article, thin and full of old information. Clearly the reporter had nothing else to add to their profile. Woods is not going to divulge the details of his personal life to give the story that is being sought. Nor should he. If you’re going to report on Woods make sure there’s a golf story there, not a bunch of gossip strung together with no point.

Finally, he's come down from that perch he and the public put him on years ago. He's great at golf, no doubt, but he's human and getting 'old' in terms of athlete years. Give him his due, of course, but don't glorify someone who is patently flawed.

I took up golf because of Jack. My step-father because of Arnie. I've been lucky to see many greats of the game over the years - Player, Trevino, Palmer, Nicklaus. Bobby Jones, whom I wish I could have seen in person, said of Jack, “He plays a game with which I am not familiar.” Jack said the same of Tiger. I know golf. Bobby was right. So was Jack. Tiger's meltdown - there's no sugar-coating it - was very disappointing. His personal battles with himself on the road to his return made him human, at least to me. I am glad he has sorted it out and self-corrected. That would have been enough for this fan. But his return to the game, and his high level of play - well, I couldn't be happier for him, and the game. There will always be something magical about the great sports - and having experienced a couple of moments of magic myself playing golf, I know what it looks and feels like. Just as all the previous greats of the game took the sport to the next level, Tiger most certainly did, too. If his health holds, and I think it will, he has several more Majors in him. Not that it matters. Like Bobby, Ben, Arnie, Jack, Gary, Lee, and Phil, he has no need to prove anything to anyone - except himself - the most challenging opponent of all - hint: that's what Golf is really about. Welcome back, Tiger. Glad to see you healthy and whole again. Now go win another basketload of tournaments. :)

I love that he is the best golfer ever, and happens to be black. His career has been great for getting under the skin of those old racist golf resorts. Never did understand why he was so vilified for having consensual sex with adult women, as if everyone else in the world is perfectly faithful in marriage. I hope he keeps winning.

Overwrought.

This fan is glad to have him back on tour. He is a naturally gifted golfer. That's all anyone should ever ask him to be.

Seeing him embrace Trump, I can only wish the worst for him. He is a person of color as far as Trump is concerned and not worth much other than a photo op. Sad way to go out for Tiger.

And he’s got a high IQ per Trump. Pfft.

Is he back like before? You obviously don't get it. It's not about before or later. It's all about enjoying his return today and hoping his health remains.

"...no gopher" when describing his (lack of) entourage. Lovely! Bill Murray will laugh when he reads that.

Just another copy & paste article on the hoped-for demise of Tiger Woods: Year after year; two decades of the "same o same o." "But is he still the same?" Same as what? Each and every loss; illness/injury, another article by another writer- trotted out virtually salivating at the prospect of Woods sinking into oblivion, excoriating the man while begrudgingly acknowledging his greatness at the game as an afterthought: It is almost like wishing the malicious ridicule of Calvin Peete's stayed-beyond-his-time - transferred to Tiger Woods. The question is why?

I don't much care for the cult of celebrity, but somehow find myself rooting for Tiger despite everything else. And John Branch, you did a helluva good job conveying the somewhat enigmatic man with neither snark nor uncritical awe. Congratulations on a terrific article.

Tiger has done more for the game of gold than almost anyone. His fall from grace and his return to competitive play is a story that is still waiting for a final chapter. But, at this point, I'm just happy to seem him being happy.

This article asks whether Tiger is back to his pre-2009 self. Obviously he isn’t and won’t be. He has had multiple back surgeries, aged nine years and had some personal struggles. He cannot be the same (even his testosterone levels are probably not the same since he has aged). The better question to ask is what he can still accomplish. Those surgeries would have taken any other player out of the game but he almost just won a major. What has kept him competitive? How much has his mental game compensated for the physical decline? Also, this article strives to make a connection between Tiger and Trump doesn’t make sense and doesn’t answer the question of whether Tiger can win like he used to win. When reporters get a chance to ask him some questions, they should ask him something that gives us insight into one of the best athletes of all time. Tiger has never tried to be political or be an expert on anything other than golf; what he thinks of Trump is irrelevant (if you really want to know why he played golf with Trump, look no further than Tiger’s father Earl and you’ll see where he learned military-style devotion to country and a respect for the commanding officer, even if he disagrees with that officer). I’ll listen to the political experts for insight on Trump. Let’s hear what Tiger has to say about golf and comebacks. Lastly, why the repeated references to the men and their hairlines? It’s arbitrary to focus on that physical characteristic and not very nice.

Welcome back. He was a phenomenon; the truth is, to come back at all from the back trouble he went through and the hyped scandal - makes him another sort of phenomenon. A mature person who plays golf better than most people on the planet. This has taken extraordinary determination and work. He worked hard when he was young, but since we see that step by step process, people ascribed his success very much to innate talent, athleticism, and some magic that made him superhuman. He's back, fully human now, and people like seeing that he worked himself back into this place. This is rehab with a vengeance. Few will work this hard, but it gives hope to other aging folks. Now -as for his opinions on everything else in the world. They may be interesting, or not. He is a golfer - - - and just a (wealthy) man on the street as far as politics and the rest of the world are concerned.

For the love of God, please get over your man crush on Tiger Woods. He is a professional golfer and not a god.

"Tiger Woods is back. But is he back like before?" No. He's ranked 26th. He used to be ranked #1, as you might recall.

There is nothing more pathetic than a once great athlete attempting to hang on long after his glory days are long gone. His father certainly did him no favors by making his whole life golf starting at a very early age. Too bad Mr, Woods never learned to be anything else or prepare for the day he became a sad has been.

“Relaxed in the fairway, one hand resting atop a club, the other on a hip, one foot crossed over the other.” How is that unique? That basically describes every male or female golfer...

Welcome back, Tiger!