Golf: Not the Same without Tiger

Golf super star, Tiger Woods has been on a long, downward spiral for quite some time. Since he won his last major, playing on a broken leg in 2008, golf has never been the same. Tiger has fallen off the map. Instead of being one of the top stories every day on Sports Center, he has become a subject of endless pity.

Tiger's career was sparked in 1997 when he won the Masters by 12 strokes, a record-breaking performance. From the 1997 Masters to the 2008 U.S. Open, Woods was nearly indisputably the best golfer in the world. His rivals practically bowed down to him. Some of them, it seemed, even rooted for him. Aside from Michael Jordan in basketball, no other sport has seen such an icon.

Only a few days after winning the U.S. Open, Tiger announced that he needed ACL surgery on his left knee. It appeared to be a minor setback. He took the remainder of the season off. This break from golf led to more times off from professional golf.

In November of 2009, Woods was in a car accident and listed in "serious condition." After being released, several media outlets reported that the accident occurred after a dispute with his wife, Elin Nordegren. That incident sparked multiple women to come forward and claim to have romantic relations with Woods. Naturally, Woods announced another leave of absence from golf and soon after confirmed he was unfaithful to his wife.

After several surgeries, Tiger has never been the same golfer. At 39 years old, Woods shot a career worst round of 82 at his first tournament in 2015. Once again, he is planning to take a break from golf for more reasons than his performance. "Right now, I need a lot of work on my game, and to still spend time with the people that are important to me", he stated. 

Despite cheating on his wife and having multiple Achilles/neck/shoulder/elbow/back surgeries, golf needs Tiger more than Tiger needs golf. The entire sports world needs Tiger. Economically, golf's TV ratings are astronomically higher when Woods is scheduled to tee off. However, his impact on the sport is much greater. Currently, young competitors dominate the game. Adding an accomplished golfer like Tiger into the mix in golf tournaments is great for the game. Along with being a great player, Tiger was, is, and always will be the face of golf. Nobody will sufficiently replace Tiger's face on EA Sport's golf video game, or be the reason people watch matches on TV.

Woods has already proven himself as the most influential golfer ever, and is only second to Jack Nicklaus in Major victories. Tiger has more money than anyone knows what to do with. He could never play another game of professional golf again and live a great life. Golf has been incredibly good to him, why should he continue to embarrass himself?