Did you hear that Tiger Woods won a golf tournament yesterday? Good! Just checking that all your gadgets work.
I think Tiger winning ranks as one of the unlikeliest occurrences in sport.
Think of it:
He’s old. Most guys his age are beginning to wind down their pro golf career. Their strength is waning as well as their nerves. It’s rare a man his age is competing at such a level.
His body is fragile. While he still strikes an imposing image, he’s hobbled together with multiple knee and back surgeries. Through long rehabilitations, he has learned his body’s limits and honed routines to assure he can practice enough and play enough to stay competitive. He spent the early part of his golf life developing extreme skills in golfing. He is spending the rest of his golfing life figuring out how to coax that skill to the stage on demand. He relies now on his superior mind rather than overwhelming physical ability.
His competition is strong. The profession is filled with young folks who saw how he did things and copied him. They are out there now. Stronger, younger and capable.
To accomplish what he did yesterday was a monumental achievement:
He demonstrated the will to succeed.
He demonstrated cool under pressure.
He capitalized on the opportunities afforded him as he competed.
He can say with authority that there is virtue in pursuing your goals when others would drop off.
His story of redemption: loving dad and son. Honoring his parents. Gracefully acknowledging his opportunity to win once again. Garnering the praise of all that ever picked up a golf club.
It’s a picture I won’t soon forget and from which I will derive inspiration.
