Ten years ago, Tiger Woods sat in his boyhood home across from his father's body, waiting on the men from the funeral home to arrive and carry Earl away. It was around 3 in the morning. Outside this bedroom in Cypress, California, the mechanism of burial and goodbye sputtered into action, while inside, Tiger and his half sister, Royce, floated in those gauzy first hours after a death, when a loved one isn't there but doesn't quite seem gone either. About an hour earlier, Earl had taken two or three final breaths that sounded different from the ones that came before. Tiger got the call and came straight to Cypress, passing the Navy golf course where he learned to play, turning finally onto Teakwood Street. His dad never sold the house because he liked the easily accessible nostalgia. If Earl wanted, he could go see the Obi-Wan Kenobi poster still hanging on Tiger's closet door, or find an old Nintendo or Lego Star Destroyer. Earl died three steps from his son's old room.
Royce says she sat with her father on the bed, rubbing his back, like she'd done the last few hours as he faded.
"You're waiting for him to wake up?" Tiger asked.
"Yes," Royce said.
"I am too."
"Ah fuck. You are right." KYJelly, 11/6/12
"The future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam." Barack Obama, 9/25/12
Then there's the story of the lunch, which spread throughout the Naval Special Warfare community. Guys still tell it, almost a decade later. Tiger and a group of five or six went to a diner in La Posta. The waitress brought the check and the table went silent, according to two people there that day. Nobody said anything and neither did Tiger, and the other guys sort of looked at one another.
Finally one of the SEALs said, "Separate checks, please."
The waitress walked away.
"We are all baffled," says one SEAL, a veteran of numerous combat deployments. "We are sitting there with Tiger f---ing Woods, who probably makes more than all of us combined in a day. He's shooting our ammo, taking our time. He's a weird f---ing guy. That's weird s---. Something's wrong with you."
I read the whole article and to hear now that most of Tiger's injuries from 2007 on may have been due to running in boots and utes in preparation for a naval enlistment fallback plan...
And traveling to Eastern Shore, MD regularly to go through close quarter battle training sessions with a wackodoodle svengali...
WTF?
If I'm Nike, I want my money back.
That's a great read though. I'd love to hear a good psychologist's analysis of Tiger's dad issues.
ASUG8 wrote:Great article. Makes me glad I chose not to be a professional athlete.
Yeah....it's a helluva a life...
That story is absolutely fucking bananas.
It's really well written and very gripping, but I almost feel voyeuristic after reading it. The guy was not cut out for the limelight. He really should have been more like Beast Mode, munching on Skittles and skipping interviews.
As great as he was and as much as he did for the industry, I don't blame him for chasing a different dream. One can judge him for his dalliances and weirdness (like the tab...dick move), but the rest was his life and there's more to life than golf.
93henfan wrote:I read the whole article and to hear now that most of Tiger's injuries from 2007 on may have been due to running in boots and utes in preparation for a naval enlistment fallback plan...
And traveling to Eastern Shore, MD regularly to go through close quarter battle training sessions with a wackodoodle svengali...
WTF?
If I'm Nike, I want my money back.
That's a great read though. I'd love to hear a good psychologist's analysis of Tiger's dad issues.
Really? They don't give a shit NOW....they sold a buttload of gear with that guy's fake image.
"Ah fuck. You are right." KYJelly, 11/6/12
"The future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam." Barack Obama, 9/25/12
kalm wrote:The guy was not cut out for the limelight.
But for well over a decade, he was great at it. He could do no wrong (except not win every single major he played in like Jack Nicklaus did), on or off the golf course.
Amazing what happens when it's revealed you're not only an excellent golfer, but you're also a man-whore.
93henfan wrote:Fake image? He was the best golfer in the world for about a decade IIRC.
I'm not talking about his golfing ability. But obviously, if you buy into this story, his entire "persona" was fake. And extremely uncomfortable to the point where he basically went off the deep end when his one frayed lifeline bit the big one.
"Ah fuck. You are right." KYJelly, 11/6/12
"The future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam." Barack Obama, 9/25/12
kalm wrote:The guy was not cut out for the limelight.
But for well over a decade, he was great at it. He could do no wrong (except not win every single major he played in like Jack Nicklaus did), on or off the golf course.
Amazing what happens when it's revealed you're not only an excellent golfer, but you're also a man-whore.
We're all jealous.
Not disagreeing about his talent, but as Z is implying, the persona was a house of cards.
bandl wrote:
But for well over a decade, he was great at it. He could do no wrong (except not win every single major he played in like Jack Nicklaus did), on or off the golf course.
Amazing what happens when it's revealed you're not only an excellent golfer, but you're also a man-whore.
We're all jealous.
Not disagreeing about his talent, but as Z is implying, the persona was a house of cards.
Absolutely.
Somehow though, I think Tiger will be fine in the long run.
Unless he pulls a Robin Williams, then he won't be fine.
Tiger Woods hit balls in public for the first time in months at a junior clinic on Thursday night and Golf Channel reported Friday that he is considering making his return to competitive golf at the Wells Fargo Championship and Players Championship in the coming weeks.
But Woods' agent, Mark Steinberg, said nothing has been decided.
"Chatter is just that,'' Steinberg said in a text message. "Literally nothing new to report. That is truth.''
Two weeks ago Steinberg acknowledged that Woods had started hitting drivers at his home course, The Medalist, near his Florida home.
"I don't know when he'll be back,'' Steinberg said on April 6. "I think it's just part of the process. He is not setting a time to return. I want to be clear there is zero timetable. He's happy to get out at Medalist and take another step. I know whenever we have anything to say it leads to the thought that he's coming back. It doesn't. He's just taking it step by step.''
Woods, 40, has not played since August, when he tied for 10th at the Wyndham Championship. Since then he's had two lower back surgeries, the last on Oct. 28. In media comments at a December golf tournament in the Bahamas, Woods said his recovery was going slowly.
In subsequent website posts, Woods has disclosed improvement. Prior to the Masters, he announced he would not play in the year's first major because he was "not physically ready.''
Golf Channel's Tim Rosaforte reported Friday that "all indications'' point to Woods returning in Charlotte at the Wells Fargo Championship, which begins on May 5. The Players Championship is the following week at PGA Tour headquarters in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
Woods made an appearance Thursday and Friday for Nike at the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley in South Carolina. Rory McIlory appeared at the tournament last year.
As part of a clinic on Thursday night, Woods, according to several social media posts, hit shots, including a driver that carried more than 300 yards. Woods' friend and former teammate at Stanford, Notah Begay, asked questions of Woods while he hit shots for those assembled and explained his practice routine.
Woods is scheduled to officially open his first domestic golf course design, Bluejack National outside of Houston. He has until next Friday to commit to the Wells Fargo Championship.
"Ah fuck. You are right." KYJelly, 11/6/12
"The future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam." Barack Obama, 9/25/12
Around here....not many of us unless Tiger is involved.
Amirite, 93?
Actually, I think 93 has recently started rooting for the crackers. Either that, or he just loved watching the masters on his new hi-def TV he's borrowing from Wal-Mart
Around here....not many of us unless Tiger is involved.
Amirite, 93?
Actually, I think 93 has recently started rooting for the crackers. Either that, or he just loved watching the masters on his new hi-def TV he's borrowing from Wal-Mart
I think Spieth has finally carried Tiger's jock for the PGA, this year's Masters notwithstanding. The post-Tiger gloom was real until the great white hope came along. Mickelson's game was fading and McIlroy just isn't that likable, IMHO.
I'd like to see my nigga Tiger come back and will himself one more major. That would be cool.
bandl wrote:
Around here....not many of us unless Tiger is involved.
Amirite, 93?
Actually, I think 93 has recently started rooting for the crackers. Either that, or he just loved watching the masters on his new hi-def TV he's borrowing from Wal-Mart
I think Spieth has finally carried Tiger's jock for the PGA, this year's Masters notwithstanding. The post-Tiger gloom was real until the great white hope came along. Mickelson's game was fading and McIlroy just isn't that likable, IMHO.
I'd like to see my nigga Tiger come back and will himself one more major. That would be cool.
He might retire on the SPOT if that happened.
"Ah fuck. You are right." KYJelly, 11/6/12
"The future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam." Barack Obama, 9/25/12
93henfan wrote:
I think Spieth has finally carried Tiger's jock for the PGA, this year's Masters notwithstanding. The post-Tiger gloom was real until the great white hope came along. Mickelson's game was fading and McIlroy just isn't that likable, IMHO.
I'd like to see my nigga Tiger come back and will himself one more major. That would be cool.
He might retire on the SPOT if that happened.
Doesn't seem like someone with his kind of personality would do that
He'd want more because fuck you and your dog
93henfan wrote:
I think Spieth has finally carried Tiger's jock for the PGA, this year's Masters notwithstanding. The post-Tiger gloom was real until the great white hope came along. Mickelson's game was fading and McIlroy just isn't that likable, IMHO.
I'd like to see my nigga Tiger come back and will himself one more major. That would be cool.
He might retire on the SPOT if that happened.
Would you promise to take a video of the brick exiting your ass? no homo
