OpinionGolfers still living in Tiger's shadow
Yes, Woods is No 1 in the world, but he's hardly the force he used to be and yet grabs all the limelight
Considering humanity has existed in one form or another for aeons, five years is beyond insignificant. And yet a scant five years ago Tiger Woods was at the apex of sporting and pop culture. He was the most dominant athlete of our times and not by a little bit. He was all of 32 when he won the US Open at Torrey Pines to capture his 14th major. Four short of Jack Nicklaus' record of 18, the only question was whether he would have 20 by the time he turned 35.
A knee injury had him hobbling around Torrey Pines but he was still virtually invincible in every other way: as a golfer, as a wildly profitable corporate pitchman with an incandescent and wholesome smile and, most importantly, as a young father and husband. He was the capital I in icon as well as the capital I in golf industry.
Well, we all know how things unravelled in a most sordid and sensational way.
Five years later, Tiger is arguably the most polarising figure in sports. He still has 14 major victories and while he is once again the No 1 ranked golfer in the world, he is far from invincible.
In Tiger's case, five years most certainly seems like a lifetime ago. However, one thing remains unchanged through it all: good, bad or indifferent, Tiger is always going to be the main story.
He brought the world to golf. There are those who tune in to watch golf but there are so many more who tune in just to watch Tiger. Not all of them are rooting for him either, with just as many revelling in his misery as cheering him on. But they all watch.