It was supposed to be the tale of a legend, a tall tale we would tell our grandkids, we were around to see, the greatest golfer that ever lived. Even better than that, it was the tale of an African American kid, making it in a sport dominated by white men around the world.
Only a few generations before the emergence of Tiger's time in the spotlight, the only way an African American could see a golf course, was to carry the clubs of a wealthy white man.
The way Tiger leaped into the golfing world in 1996 showed that not only could an African American be competitive in golf, he could become a leader on and off the fairway.
Over the past fifteen years Woods, the son of a former Vietnam Veteran, revolutionised the way golf is perceived and played on a truly global level.
Tiger transformed the way crowds interact with golfers during tournaments, and I think it's a fair statement to make that tiger has also changed the complete fabric of the sport, that is golf.
Never has a player in a sport been so dominant for so such a long period of time. His feats go over and above and great athletes of any era. They go above Michael Jordan in basketball, Don Bradman in Cricket, Carl Lewis on the track and even 'Pistol' Pete Sampras on the court, just to name a few.
We are all well aware 2010 was the year from hell for Tiger. Recently I have previously scripted in past articles about the trend, with high performing athletes, that the better they perform in their chosen sport the bigger the controversy in their personnel lives, and Tiger certainly has been no different.
The Tiger Woods scandal came as a great shock to all of us. He was just one of those athletes you felt you could trust. On the surface he appeared happily married with kids.
From a sponsors perspective he was a once in a lifetime dream, the ultimate athlete with the ultimate reputation.
Leading to his demise, Woods was the highest paid athlete in the history of sports worldwide. Shortly before word broke of his troubles, Woods was tipped to be the first sportsperson to hit the one billion dollars a year mark in sports related earnings.
I'm not going to go into the detail of the demise of Tiger Woods, if you want that info I suggest you do a Google search, and you will find what you looking for.
My focus is on pondering how far back can Tiger return from the absolute lows he has faced. Both Tiger the golfer and Tiger the brand have been kicked of the number one perch in rankings on the ledger and in our hearts. .
Can Tiger retake his number one ranking? Can the Tiger brand attract sponsors again after the mess it has created? The question has now become complicated due to ongoing injuries that come with being a veteran of a sporting tour that lasts for 11 months in a calendar year.
Sometimes you have to look at the positives when tough times wear you down. Whatever happens in the future it's going to be an interesting ride. Getting to watch one of the most determined athletes in the modern era trying to comeback from the brink doesn't happen every day.
Observing the human response in the extraordinary circumstances of other people's lives is sometimes the by product of being a keen sports fan and enthusiast.
Over the next five years we will see if Tiger has the "fight" or "flight" gene planted in his soul. My prediction is Fight.
Josh Hinds is a school chaplain on the Gold Coast, a family man and PSI's IT professional. Josh is an experienced writer on international sport.
Josh Hinds' previous articles may be viewed at www.pressserviceinternational.org/joshua-hinds.html
