Golf may look like it’s one of the easier sports but it doesn’t mean that isn’t taxing to an athlete’s body. Case in point is Tiger Woods. He’s the best of the best and yet his career has been plagued by various pains and health struggles.
And while he did triumph over them in the end, his victory remains a bittersweet one, especially for his kids.
Long List
The golfer, now 43 years old, had his first knee surgery in 1994, just two years before he turned pro at the age of 20. It was followed by a long series of other operations over the years including four back surgeries and another three knee surgeries. His most recent one was actually just some two years ago in 2017 when he underwent an anterior lumbar interbody fusion, which enabled him to carry on ‘relatively pain-free’.
Safe to say, the last two decades of Woods life were troubled by the pain he felt even while simply walking. And with golf being a sport that required lots of the activity, you can only imagine the amount of pain he had to tolerate to compete and succeed.
This fact wasn’t lost on the pro golfer’s children, Sam, who’s now 12 years old, and Charlie, who’s now 10 years old.
Golf & Pain
In an interview with CBS This Morning, Woods talked about how his kids had begun associating golf with pain. According to the father of two, his kids are both excited to see him playing again but would still ask whether he was okay. He attributed this to them probably remembering the times when they saw him not even being able to get up from the couch.
In the end, though, Woods was able to give his kids the chance to see that their dad could still do the amazing accomplishments they saw him achieve in the Youtube video highlights they’ve watched.
Sam and Charlie’s mother is former Swedish model Elin Nordegren. She and Woods divorced in a highly controversial manner back in 2010 after almost six years of marriage.
Tiger’s Return
This opportunity arose when the golfer won his first major championship in more than a decade at this year’s Masters Tournament.
His recent win is actually his fifth title from the tournament and his 15th major tournament victory. It also put his name back on the top of the sport after years of troubles in both his professional and personal life.
His victory at the Master Tournament also led him to climb back up the golf world rankings again ending up at the 6th spot. A far cry from his 1,199th ranking at the end of 2017. The last time he held the top spot was in 2014.
You’ll be amazed after knowing what Tiger Woods had to go through to be where he is today.