It was a weird feeling, but satisfying in some way. Seeing Tiger strut and recapture the swag of his prime. He rocked the vintage white Nike golf shirt and white hat, the swoosh prominently figured on both. Hes been rocking the Nike brand for two decades, but he wore it with extra pride on Friday. He proved the doubters wrong with another round of world class golf and finished the day at -5 heading into what is now sure to be The Return of Tiger Woods sports weekend.
The Big Lead on Twitter
Tiger Woods Shoots 68 in His Second Round at the Hero World Challenge, Looks Good https://t.co/TYxiZ8ieou
After an opening round in which he shot 69 and had disbelievers singing his praises, Tiger turned it up another notch, shooting a 68 and starting his second round at the Hero World Challenge in Bahamas with three birdies in his first four holes. In that time, his odds to win the 2018 Masters climbed to 15/1. And the dynamics of the upcoming weekend’s sports coverage immediately shifted to a focus on Woods’ possible victory entering the weekend. The 14-time PGA majors winner is five strokes back of the leader.
Woods was killing the fairway and greens and even took sole possession of the lead on the ninth after draining a putt. In addition to the fact that its great to see one of our African-American icons prove once again why we are such a resilient people, the Golf Channel is getting more eyes than it has gotten in some time and golf publications, talk shows and TV shows will be busier than usual as Woods’ return to relevance is documented.
Golfweek on Twitter
Tiger Woods in August… Four months later, he’s threatening for a 36-hole lead. Follow his second-round finish shot-by-shot: https://t.co/TkzVHyqEoR
As I watched “The Icon” do interviews on Friday following another strong day of golf, it was obvious that he missed the positive spotlight, but it didn’t take him long to bounce into character. He was calm and confident answering questions and despite the fact that this particular field of golfers features the biggest names in the sport, Woods was the center of conversation and adulation. It was almost like Charley Hoffman’s -12 day didn’t matter.
One reporter mentioned the fact that after all of the terrible things people said about Tiger during his tough times, those same folks are now rooting for him. Americans love a classic train wreck but they also respect a great comeback story. Tiger says he is very humbled by that. With this comeback and journey back to wellness, Tiger now represents everything great about America. The thrill of victory and agony of defeat. Extraordinary talent and loss. The grand rise and the devastating fall and now rebounding to once once again captivate the masses if only for this weekend.
