Tiger Woods will forever be known as one of the best golfers to ever play the game. In becoming one of the best, Woods powered through tough times, overcoming challenges both on and off the course. HBO Sports’ new two-part documentary “Tiger” describes Woods’ journey to greatness, beginning with his development as a young prodigy to his most recent major win at the 2019 Masters.
The first episode aired on Jan. 10 and focuses on Woods’ rise to fame capped off by a Masters championship in 1997 when he was 21 years old. The opening scene, a clip of a 2-year-old Woods appearing on national television, shows accomplished golfers and his sound golf skills. At 2 years, most children are just learning to walk. Woods was already showing the world his remarkable swing and bringing attention to his game, setting expectations higher than any other prodigy before him.
In the first episode, viewers learn about Woods’ growth through his relationship with his father, Earl Woods. Tiger Woods’ father taught him how to play golf, served in the Navy SEALs and shaped his son’s development. Earl Woods was married to Kultida Woods, and the two of them were very strict with their son.
Tiger Woods’ childhood was structured around the game of golf. Woods felt that he had to live up to his father’s high expectations in order to please him. Woods had everything lined up for him perfectly, and his parents wanted to make sure no hiccup would stop him from realizing his potential. However, viewers learn later in the episode that his strict upbringing actually ended up hurting his personal life.
First, his ex-girlfriend, Dina Gravell, explains a time when Woods’ parents essentially forced him to break up with her because they thought she was a bad influence on him. Gravell claims that outside his home, Woods would come out of his shell, but once he was home he would revert to being shy and quiet as he was confined and restricted again. On the flip side, Woods’ parents did not appreciate how Gravell told Woods not to tell his parents he came home a day early from college so that he could stay with her for the night.
Although Woods disagreed with many of his parents’ philosophies, his father always held a special spot in his heart. In my opinion, the first episode portrays Woods’ father unfairly and does not give him enough credit for what he did with his son. After Woods won his first Masters in 1997, his father was there to hug and praise him for reaching one of his lifelong goals. In 2001, sickness forced Woods’ father to miss his son’s second Masters win, prompting an emotional post-tournament speech in which Woods revealed how he wished his father could be in attendance. Unfortunately, Earl Woods’ health continued to worsen in the following years until his death in 2006. Despite a strict upbringing, there is no questioning the positive impact Earl Woods had on his son, for after his passing, Tiger Woods was never the same.
The second episode, which aired on Jan. 17, focused on Woods’ scandals and controversies that brought him down in the 2010s, how he overcame them and his return to superstardom. The first big controversy in Woods’ career came when his ex-wife, Elin Nordegren, and the public found out about his mistresses. Woods would go to Las Vegas and essentially live a double life — one in the public eye with Nordegren and another without her in private.
Before the scandal, the world saw Woods as one of the greatest golfers to ever play, an innocent young man looking to break all sorts of records and one of the “cleanest celebrities on earth.” In private, Woods broke loose from the cage of his parents and escaped the pressure of superstardom that had been building since he was a toddler. Woods was now a grown man and able to make his own decisions. As we see throughout the second episode, many of these decisions were self-destructive and ultimately led him into a downward spiral.
Woods was then caught in 2009 by the National Enquirer having an affair with a woman named Mindy Lawton. The tabloid newspaper captured photos of Woods having sex with Lawton in a parking lot and obtained more evidence to prove that it was really Woods. When Woods’ camp found out about this potential bombshell, they struck a deal with the Enquirer wherein Woods would do a photoshoot for their fitness magazine in exchange for the story not being published. This wasn’t the first time Woods tried to save face.
Woods flew out a woman named Rachel Uchitel to a golf tournament while he was still married to Nordegren. When he was with Uchitel, Woods recalls feeling comfortable being his real self and special as she checked in on him, something he says he lacked with his wife. He would relive his childhood by watching cartoons, eating cereal and falling asleep next to her, essentially like she was his mom. This all seems to connect back to the way Woods was raised as he seemed to try and recreate his stressful childhood.
The next big event in Woods’ life came after he crashed his car into a pole near his home in Jupiter, Florida, sustaining minor injuries and causing $3,200 in property damage. The crash was a result of careless driving, and the media went on an all-out attack on Woods. Woods lost most of his endorsement deals, split with his wife and missed numerous months of golf recovering and reorganizing his life.
Throughout his career, Woods struggled with back and knee injuries. The pain was so bad that at age 40, he confessed to fellow golf legend Jack Nicklaus that he couldn’t play golf anymore. Just over a month later in 2017, Woods was pulled over near his house in Florida for driving under the influence. Woods was found asleep in his car with the car engine turned on. It turned out that Woods had mixed prescription drugs, which he took to diminish the pain from his golf injuries, without first considering how the drugs might interact with each other.
The documentary shows the chilling police car footage from his traffic stop where two police officers took him out of his car and asked him to answer a series of questions. Woods was clearly under the influence and unable to respond properly to the officers’ requests. He was placed in handcuffs and sent to a holding cell where security cameras show him slouched over and asleep.
Fortunately, Woods got help, became sober and healthier, and got himself back on track to golf’s elite. With two children younger than 10 years old, Woods used the incident to grow as a person and father. After getting surgery, he had to reinvent his game to accommodate the consequences of his numerous injuries. He had finally made it out of the proverbial woods and was ready to step back out on the golf course less than a year later.
Despite several rough years during which his reputation as a golfer and person severely declined, most fans had not lost all of their respect for Woods. When he began competing again, people noticed he was much more relaxed and was enjoying playing the game again. He would joke during tournaments with players and interact with fans frequently, actions he had not done earlier in his career. Fans were all in on Woods, hoping he had more gas left in the tank to win another tournament.
He definitely did, and he still does.
Woods won the 2019 Masters, a feat most thought was virtually impossible for him to accomplish again. All fans in attendance followed Woods all weekend to watch him play four remarkable rounds of golf. Woods was back, and some believe he was playing golf at a higher level than he ever did before.
Woods’ story is still being written as he continues to play on the PGA Tour. However, the way he overcame adversity and obstacles is inspiring, and I’d highly recommend fans watch ‘Tiger” to see how it all unfolded.
