AUGUSTA, GA – Two main types of golf fans existed at the zenith of Tiger Woods’ career.
There were Tiger fans, and, boy, did they have a blast.
And then there were fans who rooted for anyone but Tiger to win. David Duval, Vijay Singh, Phil Mickelson, Y.E. Yang, just about any golfer would do for the anyone-but-Tiger crowd, so long as the man in red wasn’t lifting the trophy on Sundays.
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Tiger didn’t win ‘em all. It only seemed that way, because he won enough to become a generation’s legend. Tiger fans reveled in his success. The anyone-but-Tiger crowd mostly had to wait ‘til next time, and next time rarely came ‘round.
These past several years, though, have become glory days for the anti-Tiger crowd. More than anything, it’s a feast for the schadenfreude crowd.
Tiger’s body is broken, and his personal imperfections refuse to be tamed.
Days before these Masters, Tiger’s jet landed in Switzerland, where he’s approved to receive rehabilitation treatment after another DUI arrest, after he rolled a vehicle not for the first time.
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Leading up to the Masters, two main topics of conversation emerged.
Topic 1: Who’s going to win the tournament? (Not Tiger.)
Topic 2: Insert joke about Tiger here.
“Some people want him to fail,” Jason Day told reporters before the Masters. “Some people obviously want him to succeed.”
Same as ever, except the stakes are higher now. We’re not choosing sides in a golf tournament. This is real-life stuff.
Rooting for Tiger Woods to make improvements after arrest
I didn’t root for Tiger to win every tournament, and although I admired his greatness and count Tiger winning the 2019 Masters among the most memorable sports moments of my lifetime, I liked seeing underdogs tame Tiger from time to time.
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And now? Call me a Tiger homer. I’m rooting for him to get the help he needs in rehab.
I’m hoping we haven’t seen the last of Tiger at Augusta National, not because he’ll win, or even seriously contend, but because watching a past-his-prime legend try to make the cut and rip a few drives that take us to a place of good golf memories is so much more fun than listening to in-their-prime golfers answer questions about why Tiger isn’t here.
Rooting for Tiger isn’t the same as excusing his conduct. He shouldn’t get to skip out on punishment for his actions just because he’s rich and famous.
And still, I take no joy in Tiger’s personal failures. This isn’t a par putt lipping out, or a rival passing Tiger on the leaderboard. This is life, and Tiger put himself and others in danger when he collided with another vehicle’s trailer while attempting a pass. Tiger’s vehicle went off the road, and he wrecked his ride with two hydrocodone pills, a prescription painkiller, in his pocket. He blew 0.0% on a breath test that showed he didn’t have alcohol in his system. He declined a urinalysis test and told officers he’d taken painkillers before the crash.
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Have we seen the last of Tiger Woods at the Masters? Hopefully not
Body camera footage of Woods after the wreck depicted a sad scene. Police described Tiger as appearing lethargic after the wreck and having bloodshot eyes that were “extremely dilated.” Police documented multiple indicators of driving impairment and said he caused the wreck while driving carelessly and attempting a pass at high speed.
There’s no reason that should happen. No excuse good enough for it. A man of Tiger’s means can afford a car service. Hire one.
That night, the ESPN chyron called Tiger’s arrest shocking.
It wasn’t. Not if you know the history.
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Tiger playing in this Masters, 13 months after he ruptured his Achilles, could’ve been deemed shocking, or at least impressive for a 50-year-old man whose body has undergone countless surgeries amid a cruel stampede of injuries. Tiger eliminating his chance of playing at the Masters because of his own bad choices comes as no shock at all.
A skeptic would say rehab won’t take, that it’s all for show, that he’s repeatedly shown us who he is and it’s time we believe him. You can wager on just about anything nowadays, and if a sports handicapper set odds on Tiger’s rehab sticking, the skeptics probably would be listed as the betting favorite.
This time, Tiger’s the underdog, and I’d like to see the underdog prevail.
Blake Toppmeyer is a columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: No Tiger Woods at the Masters golf tournament? Root for him anyway
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