Tiger Woods made an emotional comeback to winning ways at the 2018 Tour Championship.
Tiger Woods, widely regarded as the greatest golfer of all time, plummeted to 1,199 in the world rankings in the lead-up to his comeback season in 2018. After multiple spinal surgeries and personal struggles, many had accepted that Woods would never return to his brilliant best.
The then 14-time major winner and 79-time PGA Tour winner made his comeback to full-time play in 2018. Woods shocked the world. He finished second in the PGA Championship, sixth in The Open Championship and recorded seven top-10 finishes. That saw him rise to 15th in the rankings by the season’s end.
Tiger Woods’ comeback in the 2018 season ended in a storybook way, ending a five-year drought and bringing him back to the pinnacle of the sport.
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty ImagesTiger Woods broke a five-year drought with an emotional 2018 Tour Championship victory
Woods had been banging on the door for the entirety of 2018. He led on the final day of The Open and finished second at the PGA Championship and the Valspar. He’d proven he could compete at the top level. All he had to do now was win.
A 65 on the opening day at the iconic East Lake Golf Club raised eyebrows. A 68 on Friday built anticipation of a potential Woods win. But his Saturday performance is what made fans truly believe.
He had six birdies in the first seven holes in the third round. His five consecutive threes was a streak he hadn’t seen since 2003. This was prime Tiger reincarnated. Woods’ five-under 65 stood out as the day’s low score, and gave him a commanding three-stroke lead going into Sunday.
Woods pulled up to the final round in his iconic red. That was the sign of something special. By the turn, he was five strokes up in front of a raucous crowd. “Tiger” chants followed him around Atlanta.
The win wasn’t in doubt on the back nine. That allowed Woods to soak up the atmosphere on the walk down 18. He admitted after the round that he “had a hard time not crying”.
The 18th fairway was a biblical scene. Thousands of fans followed Woods to the green. His playing partner, Rory McIlroy, was astounded by the scene. He turned to a TV camera and said, “Holy s–t” after Woods tapped in his winning putt.
The weight was lifted, and the floodgates were open for Woods.
Tiger Woods’ 2018 Tour Championship win set up his historic 2019 Masters triumph
Now that Woods had ended his drought, he went on to accomplish one of the greatest sporting achievements ever witnessed. He won his fifth Masters title in 2019, making it 15 major championship victories for Woods.
It’s one of the greatest comeback stories in sport. Woods was six under through two rounds, one shot off the lead. Like the Tour Championship, fans smelled the win entering the weekend, and so did Woods.
The confidence taken from his 2018 win was evident in Woods at the Masters. He made mistakes at the 2018 Open to give up his final-day lead, but Woods’ display of calm composure saw him win at Augusta a year later.
Where his contemporaries faltered with aggressive play at the 12th hole, Woods simply hit the green, made par and moved on. He made three birdies on the last six holes, and won by one stroke.
2018 Woods was back to an elite level, but lacked the self-assurance that he could ever win again. The Tour Championship win changed everything.
