The return to golf for 14-time major champion Tiger Woods has been far from easy, as he has had to overcome multiple back injuries and subsequent surgeries to make it back to the PGA Tour. After much struggle and turmoil, the 43-year-old Woods finally solidified his place in professional golf again with a strong 2018 campaign.
It featured his first Tour win in five years when he captured the Tour Championship in September, giving him 80 wins on the PGA Tour in his career. He also finished second to Brooks Koepka at the PGA Championship in August, and tied for sixth at the Open Championship in July.
His sixth place finish at the British Open was his best at a major since his sixth place finish at the 2013 Open Championship, as Tiger has yet to win a major since the 2008 U.S. Open. Tiger temporarily held the sole lead during the final round at Carnoustie, only before struggling down the stretch and giving way to Francesco Molinari winning his first-ever major title.
Tiger’s British Open run didn’t just have an impact on him. It had a lasting effect on his children too, according to Woods. And they were there at Carnoustie to embrace their father after he completed his final round.
“They gave me a pretty big hug, and they squeezed harder and tighter than they ever have,” Woods said in the film Tiger Woods: Return of the Roar. “I think they understood what the journey has been, and just how hard I had fought towards the end. They’ve only associated golf with pain, and the fact that it hurts their dad. It’s not fun. They don’t really remember the times when it was fun for me to play. I think that it changed their perception of what golf means to me.”
Tiger Woods: Return of the Roar is set to air Sunday night at 9:00 p.m. ET on ESPN. The film, which is narrated by Scott Van Pelt, chronicles Tiger’s return to victory on the PGA TOUR after coming back from possible career-ending back surgery. You can watch the trailer here.
