AIDAN POLLARD
Sports Editor
Tiger Woods won the Masters Tournament last Sunday.
That probably isn’t much of a bombshell statement for people who don’t really follow golf. Woods is probably the first player most people think of when they hear anything about golf.
But Tiger Woods’ name has been through a lot. Like, a lot.
This isn’t a story about just another big win. This is a story about perseverance and making it through to the other side.
After his infidelity scandal and 2017 arrest, Woods became an underdog.
He seemed washed-up, with little to nowhere to go after what seemed like endless self-sabotage.
So now, after he decided to give this another shot, he re-entered the scene as an underdog.
Nobody thought he would win. He wasn’t supposed to.
Sometimes it’s fun to watch the biggest person in any subculture go down in flames, but give that person enough time down and out, and people are going to start rooting for them again.
Woods Masters win is, plain and simple, a good story.
It’s a story of resilience, dedication and triumph.
In his post-win press conference, Woods was asked by a reporter what message he has for this who have struggled coming from his experience with personal struggle over the past ten years.
“Well, you never give up,” said Woods in a press conference. “That’s a given. You always fight. Giving up’s never in the equation.”
“That’s just part of the deal. We wake up every morning, and there’s always challenges in front of us, and keep fighting and keep getting through,” said Woods.
Woods’ story of his long fall from grace and then subsequent rise from the ashes is more than just a sports story.
It’s a human one, and it’s one that America fell in love with this week.
There’s something inherently compelling about underdog stories and redemption arcs.
This story is both, and it’s been told through the vessel of one of the most well-known sports figures in modern history.