History can't begin to tell Tiger's whole amazing story in golf  PGATOUR.com Correspondent SAN DIEGO -- If it all ended today, if he just walked away from the game, how would Tiger Woods be remembered? (That thump you just heard was the sponsors, television executives and senior staff at the PGA TOUR collectively fainting). Now, I am not spreading any rumors and I don't have any inside information. This is just a question that formed in my head today as I reported on Tiger's final round of Buick Invitational for the PGA TOUR Network.  Tiger Woods is revolutionizing golf with his greatness. (Steve Grayson/WireImage)
The course of history here is obvious up to a point. Tiger will be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame and will be considered one of the greatest of all time. That goes without saying. Win totals and major championship trophies aside, Tiger's name will be in the conversation of "greatest of all time" for a long time. The problem with history is that it doesn't tell the whole story. Tiger won his 55th PGA TOUR event this week at Torrey Pines. In time this fact will become so obscure that only future golf geeks like me will remember it. People won't remember that Tiger shot the low round on the South Course at Torrey Pines on Sunday to capture that victory. History will not show that he won as much by will as by skill. History doesn't capture intangibles. It does not tell the whole story. Or, in the future will it? We can only predict the future by looking back. How are the greats in golf and other sports who came before Tiger remembered? The greatest athletes in all sports were more than champions, they were revolutionaries. Arnie and his army brought golf to the mainstream with his swashbuckling good looks and fortunate timing. Jack was simply the greatest of all time. It has happened in other sports, as well. Babe Ruth revolutionized the game of baseball with the home run. Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain invented the modern center position in basketball. The interesting thing about Tiger is that no athlete in history, including Michael Jordon, has had greater exposure than Tiger. While he certainly would have been iconic in any other generation his popularity is unprecedented in the modern era. With technology at our fingertips, we can stay in closer contact with heroes like Tiger. We can virtually monitor their every move. For the first time in history the moments of today are filmed and downloaded where they will stay for a virtual eternity. It is in those images that we can truly see the heart of a champion. Stats and stories will never truly capture the images. I find it interesting that many young players today know more about Jack Nicklaus-designed courses than they do about his 18 professional majors. If golf courses that will be around for generations beyond his years are to be Mr. Nicklaus' final legacy what will be Tiger's? Will it be the images that we see today preserved for future generations like classic art? Or will there some other contribution to the game or mankind that leaves its most indelible imprint? Tiger will be admired and revered by generations to come. I, for one. look forward to telling my grandchildren that I was there when it all started. More importantly, though, unlike the generations before I will be able to show them. Copyright 2007 PGATOUR.com. All rights reserved. |
PGATOUR.com is part of Turner Sports Digital, part of the Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network 