When Tiger Woods won his first PGA title in five years - on this day in 2018

Even those who don’t know the sport of golf know Tiger Woods. The American is an icon of the sport, and has transcended into celebrity status for his exploits on the golf course. Indeed, Woods became an icon also due to the fact that he succeeded in the sport as a man of African descent. And as the sport’s one major celebrity in the 2000s, the sport needed him as much as he loved to play the sport.

However, a lot had changed by the time it was 2018. Woods was still a major figure, but personal scandals and back issues threatened to derail his career.

That is why, when he did finally win a PGA title that year, there was widespread acclaim as well as relief among the sport’s stakeholders.

With exactly three years having passed since the day, we look back at Woods’ win in the 2018 Tour Championship.

The background

Given the sheer length of Woods’ career, it would be impossible for him to not have a few setbacks. He endured a slight slump in form in 2003-04 but came back strong.

He took a self-imposed exile from the sport in 2009 after admitting to having multiple affairs and attempting to work on his marriage. Woods would eventually end up divorced but came back stronger thereafter.

Yet arguably the biggest threat to Woods’ career were the multiple back surgeries he had from 2014-17, in an attempt to put rest to multiple issues.

Going under the knife four times is no easy task. And it is little wonder his form suffered, as he went more than 1800 days without winning a title.

All that would change, however, at the 2018 Tour Championship – where Woods would become a winner again at long last.

Tiger Woods ends unwanted streak

It is amazing to look back at the tournament now and realise how confident people were of a Tiger Woods win on the final day. The main reason for this, of course, was that Woods had not won a tournament in five years at that point.

Still, he showed flashes of what made him such a great player through the course of the tournament. And, when he came into the final day with a lead of three strokes, it seemed inevitable.

This is because Woods was, at that point, a champion in closing out championships. Before the 2018 Tour Championship, he had entered the final round of a tournament up by at least three strokes on 23 occasions.

And, amazingly, on all 23 of those occasions, he had emerged victorious. To say Woods was a clutch performer would be an understatement.

Still, he wasn’t taking any chances early on. He shot a birdie on the first hole, which was a par-4 and extended his lead to four strokes. Heading into the back part of the course, he led by 5 strokes.

He then hit another birdie in the par-4 13th hole and took a five-stroke lead. However, Woods did ease off a bit from there on out. He hit two bogeys in the final four holes and very nearly sent one into the water on the 15th hole.

But it didn’t matter, such was the size of his lead. The final hole saw fans congregate like crazy to see the moment they expected would come but could still scarcely believe. Woods had won his 80th title – and it felt like 2008 all over again.

The aftermath

Woods, who was two championship wins away from Sam Snead’s all-time record of 82, would go on to equal that record in due course. He won the Masters in 2019 – his first major championship in 11 years and 15th major overall.

The record-equalling win came at the Zozo Championship in Japan, which was the first PGA Tour event played in the nation. Woods won out by three strokes over Hideki Matsuyama.

However, whether Woods will be able to break that record remains debatable. He had a fifth back surgery in December 2020 and also suffered a horrific car accident in February 2021.

It remains unclear, as of now, whether or not he will be able to return to the sport he loves. Yet, it is safe to say that even if he does have to retire, he will do so with a nearly unmatched legacy in the sport.