First off, let me clarify that I’m NOT Tiger, wouldn’t want to BE Tiger (especially right now), and I do not envy what is going on in his & Elin’s relationship right now…
With that said, let me share the Ultimate Sports Comeback Story.
It’s early 2010.
The tabloids have finally left the Tiger Woods story behind because Britney Spears and/or Lindsay Lohan did something stupid again. (“ooooh, tiger is sooooo 2009!” they say)
Tiger drops off the map completely. He focuses on the hard work of repairing his & Elin’s marriage and being a good father to his two beautiful children. He literally… disappears.
The PGA Tour continues on. Nike, Gatorade, Gillette, Buick, Cadillac, Accenture and all the other sponsors have moved on… even his sucky parasitic “Team Tiger” publicity machine (IMG – where the hell have THEY been during all this, btw?) has found another host to suck dry.
He’s just living large off the B-B-B-B-B-Billion dollars he’s made as a professional athlete. No drama, no Oprah, no press conferences, nothing on his blog… just gone.
Flashforward to late 2011…
Tiger’s off on his private island, hanging with close friends… He and Elin agreed a while back that it was time to test the waters and start hitting some balls. The last few months/year have really solidified their relationship and he’s never been more relaxed and at-ease. Turns out a break from the game is exactly what he needed to get his mind right.
For the past few months he’s been out on his private golf course daily, working on his game. He hasn’t lost the magic, but it has all but faded in the time off. He works some more… Daily… hitting balls, working new shots, lifting weights, cardio… turning his body and mind back into the golf machine that he was…
(and who can deny the fact that he pretty much IS a golf machine! Tiger has been sheltered and protected from the “real” world since his early childhood. First by his parents, then coaches, then sponsors and the IMG leeches, and most of all by the armor that is an uncanny feel for the game of golf. but I digress…)
Supporting him in this endeavor is his “new & improved” Team Tiger. These are people who really care about the golfer, his life, and his family. They’re not leeches who have glommed on to his stardom. These people see him as the person he is – flaws and all – and stand ready to help him in any way possible.
Meanwhile, he’s been “gone” for almost 2 years… having faded completely from the limelight, to the point where people are saying:
“What ever happened to Tiger Woods?”
“Will Tiger ever play again?” (little do they know, he’s already hard at work)
“Dancing With The Stars” tries to get in touch with him to see if he wants to appear on the show (the ultimate sign that you’ve jumped the shark).
Meanwhile, his return to the game – along with his personal struggles and his family life – are chronicled by a dear friend armed with an array of video equipment for a future documentary film – all done YouTube style… no special lighting, fancy props or expensive sets. It’s filmed handheld for the most part, paranormal in it’s simplicity.
Then, on April 1st, 2012, news breaks that Tiger is going to play in the Masters at Augusta. The buzz spreads through the media like wildfire. Most people think it’s just an April Fool’s joke. They forget that, since Tiger has won the Masters (er, 4 times!), he has a standing invitation to play… forever (well, at least until he’s 60).
It doesn’t take long for the news outlets to figure out this is no joke. Every major news organization scrambles to get satellite trucks out to the event to broadcast the return of this fallen star, the golden child of Golf. Even the gossip rags are out in droves. The event becomes a media circus with everyone clamoring to get a glimpse of Tiger Woods.
Forward to April 2nd, 2012.
A heavy dew has fallen during the wee hours of the morning, a light fog is drifting over “Tea Olive” and “Carolina Cherry”, and a slight chill tingles the air. A few participants are out on the range hitting balls and trying to calm their nerves before the start of this awesome tournament…. when out of nowhere a black Town Car with dark tinted windows rolls up the main driveway and make a slow, lazy circle around the drive.
Emerging from the vehicle is none other than Tiger Woods himself, sporting a black hat and red shirt, devoid of any logos or name brands – just red & black. Popping out of the other side are his beautiful wife and two children who all give him gentle pecks on the cheek as he grabs his golf bag out of the trunk and heads down to the range.
The media circus that ensues over the following few days is nothing short of legendary. The vultures ask “where he’s been”, “what he’s been up to”, “what about his marriage”, blah blah blah… to which he responds calmly:
“I’m just here to play golf.”
On April 8th, Tiger Woods easily wins his fifth Master’s tournament by 3 strokes. The crowd goes wild as he dons yet another green jacket and the infamous smile that lit up the world from atop the leaderboard so many times.
He’s back, and with all his affairs in order, better than ever and surrounded by a better, stronger, and well-organized “Team Tiger”.
That mess that happened WAY BACK in 2009 is distant history.
The sponsors come back, the old friends reappear, and ESPN is handed a year’s worth of footage to splice into the ultimate comeback movie to be aired in prime time, and in heavy rotation, on many affiliated networks.
It’s the ultimate comeback story, coming to ESPN in 2012.
Be sure to check your local listings.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Or she divorces him, takes the kids, and starts a new life with the largest separation package any divorce lawyer has ever seen. Was this a ‘choose your own adventure’?
Or…
dozens of women come forward ruining any mantra of a “good” person we thought he was, he claims to leave golf, we don’t hear from him for 2 months, then he holds a national press conference to apologize to those he has hurt, says he doesn’t know when he will return to golf..only 3 weeks later he says the Masters will be his first even back.
More media reports continue to whirlwind with more salacious reports of his infidelities come forward, even suggestions he took performance enhancing drugs, he again has to answer detailed questions at the Monday press conference before the Masters, then he goes on to WOW us the first 2 days hitting the ball horribly, but scoring well nonetheless. Then we watch his swing completely deteriorate yet he still ties for 4th. A couple weeks later we watch him miss his 5th cut EVER.
I “like” your version better, but I think mine is more realistic